The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-11-17
IMPEACH MENT,
ASYnopsis ofthe Eyide nee.

I
taken before the Investigating Commit
tee of the Legislature, which has gone
the rounds of the Republican press OF
this city, and which appeared in these
columns, constrain us from simple
sense of Justice, to produce IN this issue
of the REGISTER 2 synopsis of all the legal
testimony taken in the cases OF both
Auditor Bennett and Treasurer Bur
dett. US well NJ tire last session OF the
/ Legislature as during the recess thereof.
Wemea by legal evidence, such as
was not detailed second hand before the
committee aS the confessed utterances of
parties not present-such as was primary
in the proper sense, and not the hedrSGy
of parties who were either not subpU-
naed at all, or, if summoned, yielded no
response by appearing in compliance to
the call.
And right here we are compelled to
invite attention to the very manifest
purpose OF the committee rather 10 con-
ceai than to reUcGi the truth-to produce
"a false, and to the parties accused, inju-
riOuS impression rather than to disclose
the facts as they really existed.
This design of the Committee to con-
ceal the truth Is shown most conclusiv"ly
bv the evidence of Mr.. BetZhoover and
/ Mr.. Shepherd, taken with reference to
the transaction of the Shedhcrdstown
/ bank. in lpariug w. Il. Burdctt Twenty
/ five Hundred Dollars. BY reference to
page 80 of the journal, it will be found
I that bDth these witnesses speak solely oi
| the representations and statements made
/ To them by the treasurer or cGshtcr, Is. /.
| Harrison, who lived in the same town
with Bcltzhoovcr aud Shepherd, and was
/ equally liable TO the process OF the Com
mlttcc. Harrison was never subpwnacd,
and cyidcntlyit was not their intention
to bring hlm until they Were forced, by
the ecross-eXamination, to do 50. BeItz'
hoover and Shepherd sald positively see
page - Of the printed journal OF the
House that they knew nothing about
the transaction, saving and excepting
what they were told by Harrison.
Equally does this purpose of the Com
mittec appear from the testimony OF both
Chandler and George Adams, past and
present cashier of what WAS formerly the
First National Bank of Wheeling; now
the Bank of ihe Ohio Valley Of this city.
When Mr.. Adams was before the Commit
tee tcstiiying, the man who kLcw all
about the transaction, he was
not asked anything concerning the
Twcnty-onc Hundred and Sixty Dollars
interest on school fund bonds, drawn from
the SAID Bank when Mr.. Adams was
Cashier, by Auditor +. A. Bennett, and
placed to the credit OF the Auditor IN The
kunawha Valley Bank, but when Mr..
Chandler, who was not at the time Of the
occurrence, Cashier, but became such
some two or three wears subsequently, and
who could know nothing about II, WAS
called 10 the stand he was asked con-
corning the transaction and allowed t.
give ms impressions and opinions. -"
pages %, 81 and 81 of the printed journal
of the House containing this evidence.
The same purpose Of conccalment Is
plainly apparent from the testimony OF
Mr. McCundii>h. He states that he knew
nothing Of the matter OF which he
speaks except as it was related TO him by
Mr. johnson y. Camden. In fact tins
aim of the committee to avoid elicitIn%
the facts by legal testimony, might be es-
,nbij,h,d by numerous references, but
tha; no, being the primary or principal
. purpose of this article, rs also because
space lorbids, We can refer to no others.
We have, however, referred TO enough 10
show that it must have been
matter Of design and no,
of accident, otherwise so many
Instances OF hcarsay would not and
could not have occurred. The truth l.,
and an examination, even an inspection
Of the evidence in u most casual and cur
sorry way will prove II that eight
1 t,n.Ls oiuIl the evidence taken was hear
( SAY.
But to return to the point: Let US look
/ first at the legal evidence by which it was
sought to charge Auditor Bennett with
something irregular or wrong in respect
to the collection of the twcnty-one hund-
red and sixty dollars interest on the bonds
held by the Board Of the school fund. 1t
is admitted that he drew II out Of the
FIRST National Bank of Wheeling and
placed 1t by means OF his check, in the ka-
nav In Valley Bank at Charleston.
" hat was there wrong about II? 1t was
in the Kanawha Valley Bank all the time
to the credit OF "E. \. Bennett, Au iltor,'
who had MI individual account IN the
same bank. Not one cent of it was used,
and So soon IL it was aSCertalned what
manner OF certificate of deposit should be
taken therefor, il was taken; but the
money in the meantime bore interest ust
~ the other State deposits, all of which
is attestcd by the affidavit of ID. B. Rcy-
nold.. cashier OF the kanaw ha Valley
Bank. which i now in the hands of ii.
Pricnard, one OF the Committee OF In
vr,tigution; no chance having been
offered the accused to place. It regularly III
evidence.
|, cannot be maintained that there was
ANYTHING wrong IN drafting 1t out OF the
FIRST National bank, because It WAS shown
that by the order Of the Board of the
School Fund the Auditor, ns Sccrc-
tary O. said Board, was authorized to do
whatever was necessary TO collect the
interest on their bonds, a copy of which
order Is III evidence see page % OF the
printed ,JournaN. Even Governor Jacob
stated sec pages 30 ana %
of the Senate Journal, that the Auditor,
rs Secretary of the Board of the school
Fund, had authority to collect the inter
est, because the Secretary was the ac-
countant OF the Board, and because the
bonds stood in the name OF the Secretary
ofthe Board, see pages rs ahUvei. l lhisact
WA, nothing more nor less than collecting