St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-16
IIFE OF RECTITJDE.
Ed Stevens autobiography, as ~
lated TO the COn2mission.

lated 10 the Commission.
Ed Stevens address TO the police commits
sion in opening his defense IS worth more
than A passing notice. 1t will be especially
s,,nreciatad Nv those who are familiar with
his antecedents. \ GLOBE reporter aecl-
dentalIv ran across the stenographerS re-
mort Yesterday and the following extracts
were copied theretrom:
INUNDATED WITNESSES.
II has been stated during this investiga-
tion that certain witnesses have been In
ti,nida+Ad Their names have been given.
one of the parties was stated by Mr.. Sly,
and have no doubt truthfully. to be in
Milwaukee. and as l am willing TO meet
NOT only the evidence already adduced, but
All that IS claimed could have been, l ask
that iIr. Sly be allowed to make the state
ment as to what he would prove by the
Milwaukee witness if here. l am prepared
to admit for the purpose Of this investiga-
ton what | do not believe III fact. that she
would swear 10 the story. and confront It
bv statements she has made 10 others.
The other intimidated witnesses l expect TO
produce and show by whom they were in
Inundated.
AID. sly could get her deposition,
but did not want it. In common with
members OF this commission, I have been
misrepresented il the public prints. l have
no question but what this commission en-
tered upon this work. am not talking di-
rectlv or indirectly against the integrity of
any mani have no question at all but that
if wsee in your place the circumstances
would be the same, that hearing from time
to time certain innuendOs, sly hints,
open or covered charges naturally 1t
would make an impression, and nave no
doubt but while as Il whole at the COM
mencement. YOU were disposed to give ME
a fair hearing. and hopeful that l might be
able 10 acQuit myself. you were fearful l
would not be able so to do. Bear with me
patiently and see. l have nothing TO say
against the integrity, character or habits of
Mr.. Sly or any other individual, so far as
this Investigation is concerned; and now
word in regard 10 Dr.. Ames. whose name
has been incidentally brought in here. 1 do
not wish to be
PLACED IN \ FALSE LIGHT.
have 10 idea and nave never eZ-
peSed il to anv one that Dr. AmeS for one
moment would be party to the manutac-
ture OF testimony for the purpose OF cFlnl-
Mating the most bitter enemy he ever had.
He is Il man too easily Influenced and too
apt to believe every bit Of idle gossip that
may come 10 his ears. Nevertheless he Is
honest in his opinions and l have to give
him credit for it. l am personally under
an Indebtedness to him, espec ally during
nv long illness, when he attended me ire
quently and never presented bill.
And now. inasmuch as you have heard
matters right along for years, hear just a
few words in regard 10 my antecedents.
Reared in the lap Of luxury, at an early age
l found what poverty was. On my moth
er's deathbed I made a VOW, which has
stood by me in the hour Of temptation
through life, and from that day TO this have
never received dishonest dollar. l came
West in 1856 to Minneapolis. in 1889 ell
tered the army. in 1861 moved to the oil
regions. in 1865 in Minneapolis. i'll 1869
entered the Job printing business for a short
time. was then employed as reporter and
afterwards started paper called the Mlr-
rOr. Next I was appointed clerk OF the
municipal court and the records viii bear
me out that I adopted several new systems
of checks in order to prevent steal
ing and insure its exposure. After
Mr.. Dunns appointment as my successor
| commenced studying for the law. Then
I was taken sick and at the expiration Of
my sickness had little money. was adj
vised by DTs. Ames and himbau that 1t
would not be safe to resume my law studies
and l was not physically able to do any
thing else l was in the room next the
mayors Office when he was being bored by
applicants. AS he came out he said TO me.
''What can l do for you?" and l said: If
you want
\ FIRsT-CLASS POLICE CLERK
you might appoint me-" To his question,
7 L.. 81, -r.rr
Tomorrow" I saw Dr.. AmeS and asked
him if it would be too much Of tax. L
asked him because he knew the services
required, and he answered. BY no means;
it is a soft snap for anybody" l spoke to
no one else that I remember concerning the
matter | saw the mayor the next day,
told him l would be pleased to have the
appointment. and so far as | can recall. no
man ever approached the mayor in my in
terest The appointment was made in that
way. and if he has made a mistake he must
bear the responsibility alone. l do not
think he did. and when this investigation
is finished you will not. No man claims L
am a Spendthrift; no man charges NE With
being a drunkard, and no man charges me
with being a gambler. and until this in
vestigation began no man can inSlnuate
thai was =. If the claims of
others be true. that l have been
living the life of blackmailer where are the
assets? Where anything to show for it?
There certainly ought to be something
somewhere to show who has. the
amounts of money that have from time to
time received. l propose to meet distinctly
and s0uarely each and every charge that has
been made here. l shall leave the matter
OF Annie Watson and her books for the
last. When l get at those books, notwith-
standing that it Is very hard thing to
break down bank account. l propose to
completely annihilate them, and II L fall
shall ask no leniency at your hands.
DOES NOT WANT TO sAfIRCH.
In NV defence l understand that the
evidence presented, that is so far as my
witnesses 1 may produce is questioned,
shall be questioned in reference only to my
self l do not wish 10 be party in any
way to smirch the character of anybody
either by direct charge or invented. Ii any
member of the commission thinks that any
additional facts relating TO other parties
can be brought out by interrogating any Of
the witnesses that shall be produced by me,
l ask that they be allowed to leave the
stand and the other parties conduct their de-
fence in their own way. l would like this
matter distinctly understood. as there are
witnesses whom it is important that l
should produce. and whom I cannot pro-
duce except IN that way.