The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-12
THE INVESTIGATION ENDED.
Bile
he French Commission AdjOurns After
Twenty-Five Days.
IsrEl |
'artkavI
ei ear |
But Little Evidence introduced in Rebuttal
Two Citizens of Illinois Make
Afidayits for Both Sides.

PRODUCTION of rebuttal testimony on the part of
90 ~ conplanants continued from the opening of
90 1the morning sitting. Mr. Spahr endeavored to
prove by Rutledge, Kern, Black, and Baker that
20 y, they had received pamphlets sent from Mr..
y Frenchs office of the proceedings of the Atlanta
convention of postal clerks in 1881 upon which
30 no postage had been paid. Mr.. Duncan objected
:. to the testimony and the commission sus-
= tanned the objection. w. H. Barlow, of St
Jacobs, H., testified that he knew Stephen
Deuel., the clerk shown by two affidavits pro
~ duced by Mr. French from physicians of Gallon,
o., to have died of delirium tremens and that
g an he had never seen him under the influence of
liquor.
In the afternoon H. S. Ray, formerly baggage
80 master on the l., B. & W, from which position
. be was recently discharged, as he thought,
through influence of G. Jay French, but testi-
. fed by Mr. Wilson, superintendent Of the road,
aug for profanity in the presence Of passengers took
: Pa the stand. Mr.. Ray desired to give in evidence
that the letters sent to Wilson by French had re-
op suited in his discharge and profanity that he
~. had made of, and gave a sample of Mr.. vii
r. sons style of profanity to show that that gentle
: man was not squeamish about strong language
on occasions.
oFm Ernest B. Cole recalled Mr.. Spahr said: I
am propose to show by this witness that he received
a copy of these Atlanta proceedings through
~. the mall ana that they were not stamped, and
that Mr.. Lambert called his attention to that
am fact and said that at the previous session Of the
am convention he, secretary, had to stamp the
On proceedings
ann Mr.. French here handed to his attorney the
.a,u proceedings of the postal clerks convention held
She year following 1882, in Boston where, in
p" the secretarys itemized report, 1921 was given
pc, as the cost of printing the proceedings of the
Atlanta convention, and $74 As as the charge for
postage
Mr.. Cole after examining the record sub
ana mtted by Mr. French in his (Freneh's) defense,
regarding the hnes assessed against witness, said
ann that Mr. Frenchs record Of his case was not
Pas complete and was unfair, it did not give the
letter in which he Cole had made full expla-
Pa nation, and called the attention of the commits
st sion to the fact that Mr.. French had tried to
M, make of his (FrenchS letters written on the
18th of the month answer one of Coles letters
ual written the 9th 1.-The matter was never re
terred to me at all continued Mr.. Cole 'for any
explanation and no chance was given
ana me to make any. explanation. 1t
am was IN no sense a fair investigation. [ for
auh Hvarded letter about the LIST of April to Mr.
49, ] French asked him TO give me a chance to
p" 1Naksa statement of the case and all the reply l
~, FRsyas that the matter fully investigated,
%aeu the truth is there investigation"
llr French said all the letters he had received
pa ~eGe those connected with the record of the
$40 III. Spahr tried to introduce evidence by Rob
err smith, attorney of this city, and by G. w.
lambert Fred Steinhauer, and others, that G.
,n II Ryan, postal clerk, had not said since this
"a 7asestigatiOn began that he under great
"a obligations to Mr. French; that he had been APP
Hh pointed by him in the mail service, and that Mr.
~ T9Pei' hetl pronei9~d to recommend him to
-, z Ia5etoffee inspectorship.
~" Objected to by Mr.. Duncan Objection sus-
~ <ained
@a ". S. Rutledge, recalled: Mr.. spahr, to wit
- ,:ess-How many trains are there on the st.
ouis q Atchison connecting with the Pittsbulg
= ont of on triD east in
20" E se moTIiingl
~, SIR Rutledge-There are two trains on the
/ ~. Louis d Atehison arTiving there in the
m I4g, and both connecting with the Nandalia.
'fae first carries the mail car and the second has
10 mail car. The NJ, X. q T. connects this line
N at st. Louis, and they have orders to give all
~ 4hcir mail east of the Mississippi river to this
- :ifj train, when they connect with it. When
sley miss it, they have orders to pouch all their
m 5aa east Of the Mississippi and give it to the
PRESS train which arrives in st. Louis frequently
~ time to connect with the p & st. l.. out of
n there in the morning. Mr.. French has ordered his
amen not to check this mail, or mark it as missing
"a unworked mail. On the Sth of this month
N SEVENTY packages of Indiana letters, twenty two
packages of Ohio letters. two tie-sacks of Ohio
papers and one tie-sack of Indiana papers were
II so forwarded and received by the P & St L.
u On the 4th of this month the mail was also for
=, know exactly.
n few days ago o. c. Bates praetcing ply
stefan, who has lived at OFallon Ill, under
date Of Feb. % 1884 made affidavit that he had
! known e. J. +. Washington since he first came
= 70 OFalon TO reside and up to the time of his
. removing therefrom. At the time Washington
a first came there understood from him that he
came from Texas, that he a Democrat, and
a that his sympathics had been with the Southern
: cause. Similar testimony is sent by Philip
be i5chidknecht, justice of the peace; w. G. Schol-
~ field and Thomas Mackin all residents of
. O'Fallcn
a Yesterday commitment on was received
from Mr.. Washington. twho says he is a Re
publican in which he says that the foregoing
aflidaVts were procured by Mr. Barlow. a postal
lyl0 fay,A n1s i
sire both addicted to drink, to Thomas Mackn's
saloon, and after having piled them with drink
: got them to sign the afidavits. Accompanying
this communication were affidayits from Schild-
knecht and Scholteld attestng that they were
under the influence Of liquor when they made
their former ahidavits and that Mr.. Washington
is not a Democrat, said he was in the
rebel army, and is good Republican
II the commission would stay in session a
couple of days longer it is not unlikely that Mr.
Barlow could recapture these worthless
There being no further evidence to offer in re-
Bnttal, the commission at 3:47 p NJ adjourned
sine die, after assurances of mutual regard being
freely distributed by the commission the attor-
neys and all parties concerned.
I The commission will come together again to
review the testimony and make their report to
the Postmaster general with such recommenda
tions as they may think proper. The commits
sion will not decide the case, that matter being
left to the Postmaster general
fha