The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-13
rE1EpuoNE 1NvEsTIeATloN.
mr.. Van Bsnthuyssn OpsuS His Heart
Lively COllOquy.

| WASHINGTON, d. u, April l9.-When
the Telephone Investigating Committee
met this morning Watson Van Benthuy.
sen, OF New Orleans, President Of the
National Improved Telephone Company,
was placed upon the stand. He said that
his company owned but did not use seven
Of the Rogers telephone inventions. His
acquaintance with Mr.. Young, he said,
dated from the dismissal OF the Pitts.
burgh suit, Young had then told witness
OF the passage oil law authorizing the in
stitution OF the Government suits and
witness had declared his intention to So
cure an action, Young, however, had as.
sured him that the Attorney General be-
ing interested in telephone company
would certainly refuse to have anything
to do with the matter, whereupon witness
lost his temper and declared that the At.
torney General had no right to interfere
with his (Witness'sl individual rights.
There had been an agreement between
himself and Young at Memphis, but while
there had been few notes taken 1t had
never been formally reduced to writing,
Under the agreement each party agreed
70 furnish evidence and q model and
divide expenses, but were to furnish their
own lawyers for a suit against the Bell
Company, Witness had gone to Wauks-
sha, Wis, then to Washington, and
afterwards to New York, where he
mad received an answer TO an application
he had made to the Attorney General
lated July II, 1885, stating that the mat
:er had been referred to the Secretary Of
the Interior, to whom it should have been
referred originally. When witness after.
wards called upon Attorney General Gar
land that gentleman had Courteously but
irmly refused to hear him on telephone
matters, and witness had become very in.
iignant and threatened to appsal to the
President, Within two days wit
Iess had called again, with Mr.. Bry.
son, an attorney, to secure prom.
as from the Attorney General that
ne would act promptly upon the appliCa-
lion for q suit against the Bell Company
I referred to the department through 4
district attorney. Still the Attorney Gen.
eral had perenptOrlly refused to touch
the matter. Witness had an indistinCt
impression that the Attorney General was
asked il he had any objection to the with.
1raWa Of witness original application for
1 suit, and that he had replied that he
nAd no objection. Witness had gotten
he paper from Commissioner Mont.
yomery Of tho Patent Office, but Mr.. Gar.
land had never ordered the withdrawal
Of the application ~ hsd been stated.
AsHARP PASSAGE,
The witness at this point turned his at.
tention to that part OF DR.. Rogers testi.
mony reIlectinGon his integrity, and he de.
ilared that there was not word Of truth In
Rogers statement that Senator Harris
had denounced witness as a sCoundrel.
Mr. Ranney began to CateCi2s the wit.
uesS In reference to his omission Of the
Nipper affidavit. The witness had long
controversy with Mr., Ranney about the
matter and declared that the gentleman
vas trying to misrepresent his motive In
uniting the affidavit. He objected 10
the attempts to besmirCh him by counsel
Tor the other companies.
"What do you mean by that2" inquired
Mr.. Ranney.
The Witness-"I understand that you
are here as the advocate Of the Bell Coul.
pany."
Mr.. Ranney Qndignantly)-"Who told
you that; where did you get it?"
..Witness-"I have been told that you
own stock in the Bell Company"
Mr.. Ranney-"I will tell you that do
not own any stock In the Bell Company,
do not know any officer in that company
aud have no more connection with 1t than
you have"
The Witness (Coolly)-"ItI l we're not on
the stand and made such statement you
would Say you did not believe me. Now,
unless you 70 under oath, l will not be.
lioYe your statement. have done
proper duty here In the interest OF my
company and Of the public RndI do not
intend that anybody shall besmirch my
character"
Mr.. Rangey (sngrilyl-"If you don't
stop your impertinent-"
The Witness (interrupting) = "When
you undertake To make 1t appear that
have tried to play trick on The court you
can't do 1t with me"
Mr.. Ranney-"I have asked youa proper
question and insist on nn answer"
The Witness-"I deny that the queB-
tion Is proper"
Mr.. Ranney-"Why didn't you object
when the Chairman asked you about the
mRtterPh
The Wltuess-"Because wanted an
opportunity to reply TO the Blanderous In.
situations In this record"
Mr.. Ranney-"By whom?"
Witness-"By the questions here In the
cross.examinations. II has been asserted
here and published in the New York pa.
peTs, the Sun and lv0rid-and the editors
Of those papers are lying sCoundrels-
there was trick played upon the court.
That Is bare-faCed, slanderous lie and
the man who uttered II is q bare-faCed
liarl"
This declaration threw the committee
into autter and the chairman pounded
the table with his list TO restore order. Al.
ter while the witness again proceeded.
He wanted to tell al, he said. ,"rhis is not
my funeral shall I'use the word here.' q
Mr. Miller (aotto Ce)-"Thatls good
word"
The witness continuing, produced d let.
ter that he had received from Casey
Young, dated Washington, March u,
1880, In which Young tells him Of his dis.
covery oil the supplemental agreement In
the bottom OF his trunk. At this point
the committee adjourned until Wednes.
day.
A1IAnD PLACE To FILL.
The PFsBident Seeking q Temperate Man
for u Nebraska PoStmaAtsrShlp.
WASHINGTON, April 12.-Thete Is a curl.
ous story connected with the postmaster.
ship at Kearney, Neb. The President se.
leCted for the position man named Nor.
gan and sent In bis name to the Senate
The case was referred TO Senator Wilson,
Of Iowa, who had prepared a favorable re.
port, but before submitting IL to his col.
ieapttes on the COMMITTEES on PostoiliCes
and Post Roads he thought be would like
to see report which he learned had been