The Portland daily press., 1876-04-03
THE EMMA MINE.
JAMES E. LYON ON THE STAND.
He DenOUmces the Charges against
Him as False.
And Proceeds to Show tn they are
True.

WASHINGTON, April Hiram A. johnson,
counsel for James E Lyon, read to the COM
mittee on foreign affairs to day statement in
behlaf of his client as follows:
Gentlemen-When the ex-Minister of Eng
land appeared before your committee on tho
morning of the 28th ult., he obtained permits
sion to read a statement which he Informed the
committee he desired should precede the testi-
mony that he was then about to present,
explanatory of his connection with the Emma
Mining Company. beg TO submit the follow
That Gen. Robert c. Schenck, before and at
the time of presenting his said statement, as
he has since been compelled to state to this
committee, had no personal knowledge what
ever on which TO found the statement, and
that therefore the charges therein contained,
that Mr.. johnson and myself were men of
infamous character, and unworthy of credit
under oath, were wantonly made and utterly
unbecoming man who had occupied high
positions Of trust in the confidence of his
country.
enRd by the reading of letter to the commit
tee by Gen. ScheDck, in the progress of his
testimony, written to him, as he says. by
man in London, of whom he has no knowledge
whatever, in which 1 am charged with having
absconded from England. pronounce all
these statements above recited false and I'M
true, and / challenge Schenck and his asso-
cates, vendors of the Emma Mine, to produce
testimonyabefore the committee that shall in
the slightest degree make good his charges
against the credibility of Mr.. johnson or my
self, or such as shall in any sense tend to ex-
cuse his connection with the sale of the Emma
Mine in London.
Respectfully submitted
JAMES E. LYON.
Lyon was then cross examined. He said
expenses by borrowing sums of money and
by collecting claim due him in Europe of
$4,000
Question-In the sworn examination given
before New York Judge as to your means
when you were examined in regard to an ex-
ecution, what did you say regarding your means
to pay your hotel bills?
The witness replied he could not recollect but
the papers would show. He left this country
in the fall of 1871 and returned in October 1874
He left unsatisfed judgments to the amount of
$4,000 which have not yet been satisfied. He
left England in 1874, but did not know whether
he went to Paris then or not
Q-Wil you swear that the last time you left
London you did not go to Paris?
Al do not desire to be insulted. do not
know whether went to Paris the last time 1
left london or not
Oils your name James Elias Lyon?
Ayes sir.
Q-Before you left London, were bankruptcy
proceedings commenced against you?
A-There we're.
Q-What steps were taken?
Witness explained certain stock specnlations
out of which grew the bankruptcy proceedings
against him.
Odd the officer of the bankruptcy court
know you were going away?
Al never saw any of them, after writ was
served on me, that was all. was swindled
| by an unmitigated rascal. never ran away,
| as letter to the committee asserted.
Mr.. Chittenden further cross-exanined Lyon,
the object being to show that his statements as
| to his mining interests in Utah are not entitled
to credit He read from the affidavit of Lyon
in the case of Edward Strong VS.. James Lyon
before the supreme court of New York in which
| he swore as follows: II do not own any real
estate anywhere. | owned some in 1866 in
Colorado territory. 1t belonged to the farm of
ually. They did not fail. They sold out a
portion of it. The other members own their
proportion of it. sold mine for $4,000 to Mr.
Hayes of Colorado This was all the land I
owned there-I have no judgments against any
body that reccolect l have about one dollar
and fifty cents. had no more than fifty cents
on me when this order was served last night.
l live by borrowing money. do not keep an v
bank account, have not kept one for three
years. l do not hold any bonds or mortgages
have no stocks, L have a few worthless petro-
leum stocks etc.
The order alluded to by Lyon was concerning
the suit of Strong against Lyon signed by
Judge Bixby to the effect that Judgment had
been recorded in the action aud requiring exc
cution. The order was dated July 2nd 1870.
Cat the time you swore to your paper did
you own one-thrd of silver mine in Utah?
Al claimed one third ever since 1868. From
that year to 1870 did not think it was worth
anything. l claimed however because 1 be
lieved 1 had right to it.
Q-Did you or not own it at the time you
made your sworn statement in court?
Al suppose l did, but it did not occur to
me. If owned it then certainly forgot it.
Mr. Chittenden then examined Lyon in ref
ference to his movements in England concern
ing the Emma Mine, he baving been interested
in making most of the damaging statements
and giving no explanation why he declared the
Emma Mine most exhausted when it was
| sold.
| Q-How came you in your letter to Mr.
Olney dated Oct Is, 1871, to say that the mine
| looks fine?
Att was because Col. Baxter said so, he
having received Prof. Silliman's report. Mr..
Lyon said he was not in the mine since he left
| it in 1868. All he knew about it was hearsay
Mr.. Faulkner with the concurrence of the
committee struck out the personally offensive
parts of Lyons statement concerning Gen.
Schenck before it was admitted of record to
which Lyon and counsel made no objection,
including the clause that Schenck's charges
against them were utterly unbecoming a man
who had occupied high positions of trust and
honor and the confidence of his country. And
in another case instead of challenging Schenck
| to prove them the language was changed to a
mere denial. Several other changes were made.
Committee adjourned till Monday.