The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-19
TEE SWAIN CASE.
The Defendant Takes the Stand and Testi-
fies i'm His Own Behalf.

The Defendant Takes the Stand and Testi-
fes in His Own Behalf.
WASHINGTON, Dec 18.--In the Swain court
martial the defense put Robert L. Deakerson on
the stand. He testified that he is clerk to the
subcommittee Of the House committee on mill
tary affairs, and was employed as telegraph
operator and stenographer by Bateman 6 Co.
from September, 1882, TO May, 1888. While en-
pioyed by Bateman & Co., part of his duty was
to receive reports of sales and purchases of
stocks in New York by telegraph. He was
asked by General Grosvenor: ''Have you any
personal knowledge that Bateman during your
employment there, ordered and directed that
false statements of reports from New York
Should be posted on the bulletin boardE State
what ydu know about IT,
The Eudge advocate objected, and General
Grosvenor changed his question: asking the
witness TO state what instructions, if any, Bate
man gave him about posting ON the bulletin
board of the bank reports from the stock market
in New York To this question, also the judge
advocate objected, and asked the counsel
for the defense to state the purpose Of the ex-
animation.
JUDGE Shellabereer said the defense wanted to
show that false accounts of the state Of the
market were ordered to be put up by Bateman,
and thus to show that Bateman and his concern
were wholly unworthy of respect.
Inc court GGcluGG lIQI cOuDSel must eSldDllSu
the fact thai Tat information came to General
Swain igefore showing that such things had oc-
cprrea(
the witness was then allowed to retire. coun-
sci for the defense stating that they would recall
him after the examination OF General Swain.
Gen Swain was then called by the defense.
As to the coppermining stock transactions, he
testified thai Bateman had obtained from him
check for 81 600 with which TO purchase stock
ina copper-rninirg company, on representations
of. many prominent men; among them Senators
Thurman. Window and Ferry were concerned in
it. and the stool! was worth in the market 81 a
share while he tSwaifn) was TO he let In on the
-prOuud floor to purchase ii at forty cents per
share He also testified that upon subsequent
INQUIRY he fonnd the mine which was to be 0per
ated by the company had no foundation; he told
Bateman SO. and the latter finally told him the
cornDany bad fallen through. He said he never
saw any shares OF the stock until they were pre-
scented before the court of inquiry in this case
He told the story Of the due-bil and Of the stock
transactions with Rateman, as related before the
court of inquiry. and then testified
that he had heard he was crooked
in his transactions. Thomas NJ. Nichol
had spoken to him, he said, about Batemans
method of keeping books; so had eX-Governor
Pound, Of Wisconsin. He said Nichol told him
that Batcman would not even allow his Bate
rnan's) partner in New York to see his books,
and that Bateman had attempted to black-nail
his earlier New York partners; that Bateman
had become indebted to these partners, and
whenhe saw the debt was DeIng pushed, mad
threatened Them that he would expose some of
their transactions to the Stock Exchange. Gen
eral Swain also testified that he had heard that
Deakerson tBateman's telegraph operator) had
written letter withdrawing from his employ,
aud stating that he did so because he (Batemanl
had made false reports Of the New York stock
market and he (Deakersonl declined to lend
himself to a fraud of that kind. The witnessalso
testified that Mr. Stone told him Batemans
New York representatives closed their business
with him because he refused them access to his
books when they complained Of certain tran
saetions