Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-07
WALLIS CASE.
An AVALANCHE OF WITNESSES OF
ALL DESCRIPTIONS.
Trustee OWENS Former Opinion Of the Il
brarian-Long Arguments and short
Exami1ations-Adjo TO
Meet at the Bay.

The State Library investigation was re-
sumed yesterday morning at 9 o'clock,
Trustees Edgerton, johnson and Owen pres
emit. Mr.. Hol opaned the proceedings by
saying that the prosecution would close, ow-
ing to finding it impossible TO obtain answers
to questions put to Librarian Wallis. After
the usual amount of sparring among counsel,
this time as to the character of tae questions
which Mr.. Wallis had refused to answer the
defense called their first witness, Frank T.
Freeman, Deputy Librarian, and
MISS PATTEN's SUCCESSOR.
Witness had heard a conversation between
Mr.. Owen and Miss Patten the day of the
| Board meeting, at which charges were filed.
and the latter said TO the former: Were
the charges read to Wallis ?" and Mr. Oven
said yes, and that it had no effect on Wallis,
and Miss Patten said TO the effect that
when get before the Board | will see if it
will not have some effect" Witness had
conversation with Miss Patten relative to
his getting Trustee Freeman to vote TO GUST
Librarian Wallis, and Miss Patten said that
il Wallis was put out MIR. Gum would be
elected Librarian, and witness promoted to
the Law Library. Witness told her that he
thought that no power in heaven or on earth
would induce Trustee Freeman 70 vote to re-
move Wallis.
Recess until 2 P. N.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Witness Freeman resumed the stand after
the recess. In regard to the Wells, Fargo &
Go. letter, witness corrOborated Miss Pat
tens testimony in reference to the converse.
tious they had, excepting that Miss Patten
did say during one conversation, =" I'd as soon
believe you opened it as to believe that Mr..
Wallis did" Witness was only joking when
he said he would not say anything that would
criminate any one.
/ w. @. Van Fleet was present, and desired
| 60 testify sc once, in order that he might
leave the city, and he was sworn. He has
been prscticing law in Sacramento for about
ten years, and had frequently visited the
! State Library. Witness found Mr. Wallis
to have been very familiar with the books
| which he wanted, and Mr.. Wallis was &C.
| commodsting, and his department and man.
ners had always been courteous, as far as
| witness' observation went.
! J. J. Buckley, City Assessor. also wanted
to leave the city, and was sworn. His tssti-
mony was a confederation of that Of the pre-
ceding witness-perhsps more full and
stronger. Witness was present when Miss
Hattie r. Kelsey parted with Mr.. Wallis on
! leaving the uDEhry. MISS hSls6y DaQe MI
Wallis good-by, and said
SHE HAD SPENT a PLEASANT TIME
| In the library, and would be pleased to have
| him call on her in San Francisco. The part
| ing was pleasant and the lady was smiling.
Mr. Freeman resumed the stand, and was
cross.examined by Mr.. Holl G. Z. Gum
was present at the time Of the conversation
| in which witness said he would say nothing
that would criminste any one. Witness was
10 the habit Of passing pleasantries and jok-
ing remarks with Miss Patten, and not know
ing there was anything serious in regard to
the letter, he made the Joking" remarks
which Miss Patten testified to. Witness had
! had q conversation with Mr.. Wallis in regard
| to the letter, when the latter said he found
the letter on his desk and gave it to Mr..
! Brown to put on Miss Patterns desk. Wit
ness did not regard the remark, "Id SIS soon
| believe you opened the letter as to believe
| that Mr.. Wallis did, as joke on AIiss Pat
! tens part.
William T. Brown, who it was testified TO
was the one who carried one of the demijohns
| into the private office Of the library, was
next called. He had several times left letters
addressed to Miss Patten on Mr.. Wallis
desk when Miss Pstten was absent. He had
carried the letter that is said to have been
opeued from Mr.. Wallis desk to Miss Pat.
tens dsak, having found it on the former
desk. He never carried Wells-Fargo letter
to Miss Patterns desk that was handed to
him by MIR. Wallis. Witness can
"READ GOOD, BIG PRINT OR GOOD, BIG WRIT
ING"
Mr.. Holl wrote something on a piece of
paper and asked witness to read it, but op-
posing counsel submitted that it was too Sc
we're test to ask witness to read Mr.. Holps
writing. Another was written and submitted
TO opposite counsel, one Of whom said, ut
ia too much for ms." Witness read the sec
ond writing SIS Miss Msttie Jamie Patten."
| It was Miss Mary Jane Patten.'
| Adjutsnt-G5ueral Cosby wss called. He
! corroborated the testimony Of Messrs. Van
! Fleet and Buckley in regard to the efficiency
of Librarian Wallis. He had frequently
| called for books on engineering and other
/ subjects, and Mr.. Wallis had found the books
/ for him. Whenever witness gave the title
and subject of book, Mr.. Wallis found them
/ very quickly.
| Charles Gildes, member of Stats Board of
! Equalization G. Z Grunsky, clerk in State
| Engineer Halls Office; VIM. Ham. Hall.
| State Engineer; Wilbur F. George, sn attor-
ney in this city, and author of work on
criminal law; WIN. Church, row writing a
work oa hsbeas corpus, and resident of this
/ city since May last Il. [. Wiley, Surveyor
/ General; and John Markley, member of
| State Board Of Equalization, all followed
each other ia rapid succession as Witnesses,
each substantially corroboratiug the testi-
mony of Adiutsnt-Genersl Cosby.
John W. Armstrong, one of the Superior
Judges Of Sacramento county. remembered
| having had q coEyersstion with Miss Patten
regarding certain letter some time after the
Legislature adjourned this year. The exact
date he did not know, but it was at his house
and just of the close of the last hard rain in
April. Miss Pstten said she had been hsv-
ing some trouble in the library in regard to
her letters that some letters had been de-
tanned two or three days. Witness felt in.
terested in knowing if thers was any reason
for the letters being retained, so he asked
Ter if any of them had been opsned, to which
she replied that they had not.
WITNESSES By THE WHOLESALE.
Duncan Beaumont, now connected with
! the State Engineers office Win. J. Davis,
official reporter Of this Superior Court Of
Sacramento county and official reporter of
the library investigation f. w. Maslin.
Clerk of the State Board of Equalization and
formerly Trustee of the State Library
Arthur Z. Shattuck, Deputy Secretary of
State and J. J. Tobin, Assistant Adjutsnt-
| General and formerly Chairman of the AS
sembly State Library Committee, were called
and corroborsted the testimony substantially
of the number of witnesses preceding Judge
John W. Armstrong.
Counsel for Mr.. Wallis offered in evidence
the printed report of the Senate Committee
on State Library, presented to the Senate of
tire State of California on the 18Th of March,
1888, signed by the Chairman, and appearing
in the proceedings of the Senate of that day,
snd also the printed report of the Committee
o. Library in the Assembly for the same SEES
zion, the latter being signed by Mr.. Tohia.
Opposing counsel objected TO their intro
duc5iOn, "becauss one of the most unreliable
things on record is thu report of Legislative
Committee"
TIE reports were temporarily admitted
Eubjsct to future ruling on the objection.
Frsnk Mahon, bookkespsr in the State
Printers office, never met in an official posi-
ton a more gentlemanly official than Mr..
Wallis, and testified substantially the same
as preceding witnesses.
Grove L. johnson, of counsel for Mr..
Wallis, testified to the gentlemsnly manner
and the qualifications of the Librarian.
G. Z Gum, after the usual amount of
bunting for and cosxipg, was again placed on
the witaess stand. He examined g book and
said it was the cash book of the library, and
is kept by Mr.. Wallis. The register of the
library was also produced, and witness said
that Mr.. Wallis KEEP it. Both books were
offered in evidence. and admitted the same as
the legislative reports.