The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-12-24
The Swain Court Marital,

. Inc Swain Court Martt.,
WASHINGTON, Dec la. Tn n
Dna D"n court martial the defense pl
Robert ID. Deckers on the stand. H
testines that he is clerk to the spI
committee of the house COMMITTEES O
mintary affairs, and was employed 8
teleSraph operator and stenoeraphe
ny bateman Il Co. from Septembel
100, 10 May, 1883. While emplove
ny bateman 4 Co. part of his dut
was 10 receive reports of sales an
telegraph. y
ae was asked by Gen. Grosvenor
III you have any personal knowledq
Inat bateman, during your employ
ment there, ordered and directed tha
false statement of reports from Ney
YORK should be posted on the bulletil
it?" o" "0o"
The judge advocate objected, and
General Grosvenor asked the witness
10 state what Instructions Batemar
had given him about posting on tn,
bulletin board the bank statement O
reports from New York.
10 this question the judge advo
case aiso objected.
| The court asked counsel for de-
fence to state the purpose of the ex
animation. Judge Shellebarger said
the defense wanted to show that
false accounts Of the stock market
we're ordered to be put up by Bate.
man, and thus show that Bateman
and his concern were wholly unwor.
thy of respect. The court decided
that counsel must establish the fact
that the Information came to General
Swain, before showing that such
things had occurred.
Witness was then allowed to retire:
counsel for defense saying they
would recall him after the examnn-
ton of General Swain.
Gen. Swain was then called by
counsel for defense, and was interrc-
gated as to copper mining stock
tran sections. He testifi d thai Bate
man had obtained from him q check
for ST. 600 to purchase stock in the
copper mining company on the repre-
sentation of many prominent men,
among them senators Sherman,
Window and Terry, who were con-
cerned in it, and that the stock was
worth on the market 81 q share,
while ne was to be let in on the
ground floor to purchase it at ~
cents per share. He also testified
that upon subsequent inquiry he
found that the mine, which was to
be operated by the company, had no
foundation, and he told Bateman,
and the latter finally told him that
the company had fallen through. He
said he never saw any share of the
stock until they were presented be-
fore the court OF inquiry in this case
He told the story of the "due bill"
and of his stock transactions
with Bateman, as related before the
court of inquiry, and then testified
that he had heard Bateman was
crooked in his transactions. Thos.
NJ. Nicholl had spoken to him, he
said, about Bateman's method of
keer ing books. He said Nicholl told
him that Bateman would not even
allow his Bateman 81 partner in New
York to STE his books, and that Bate
man had attempted to bIackmail his
earlier New York partners; that
Bateman had become indebted to
these partners, and when he saw the
debt was being pushed, had threat
ened him that he would expose their
transactions to the stock exchange.
Gen. Swain also testified he had
heard that Deakers (Bateman's tele-
graph operatOr) had written Bateman
q letter withdrawing from his employ
and stating he did so because he
(Bateman had made false reports OF
the stock market, and he (Deakess)
declined to lend himself to any fraud
of that kind. Witness also testified
that M. Stone told him that Bate
mans New York representatives
closed their business with him be-
cause he refused them access to his
books when they complained of Ger
tain transactions.
Adjourned.