Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-02-07
INVESTIGATING.
The Penitentiary Special Commit
tee at Work.
Voluminous Testimony to the Charges
Against the Management of the Peni-
MISUNDERSTANDING Statements
Those Coal Contracts

LEAVENWorTH, han, jan oO. - i ne
much talked of investigation of the peni-
Tertiary commenced its session yesterday
at ten a. M, at the Planters House, ali the
members being present. as follows: SEN
ators Hardness, Kelley (of Crawford
County,. and Price; Representatives
Admire. Walrond, Rice, Elliott and Berry.
l.. c. Smith, sergeant alarms of the SEN
ate, is the executive officer and Mr..
Stewart is the stenographer. Attorney
General Kellogg acts as attorney for the
State, and Captain J. B. Johnson repre-
sents the penitentiary directors.
Senator Hardness was chosen chairman.
James A. Lopez was the first witness
called and stated that he first met Richter
and Hiatt in 1885, in either Leavenworth
or Atchison; he was treasurer of
Atchison County; he had one
half of the coal contract at the
penitentiary; Barnes had the other half;
they were not jointly interested; his con-
tract was for half the output; did not re-
member that he had any negotiations ex-
cept that he got the contract; he just put
in his bill; did not remember any special
conversation with Hiatt about the coal
contract; used his influence to have Hiatt
appointed one Of the directors of the
penitentiary; this was before the let
ting of the contract; recollected no
conversation with Richter prior to letting of
the contract; Krohn may have said to him
that hewould get the contract; he wanted to
get out of the business and transferred his
interest to Barnes; he put no money in the
business; when he gave up the business he
was paid 81. 200; he was paid this by DR..
Krohn. Mr.. Loper's testimony, which was
lengthy, was in this strain throughout.
d. J. Keller was called. He said in SUBJ
stance that DR.. Krohn was the first person
that talked to him about the coal contract,
stating that there was money in it AMI
persuading him to 60 into the business.
He consented, and in a short time Krohn
told him it was necessary to put in some
money to secure the appointment of Hiatt
as director, and TO defeat a bill pending
before the Legislature to secure the ap-
rointment of a State agent to sell the peni-
tpntiary coal. Attic solicitation of Krohn,
he put up $3.50 for this purpose. After Mr..
Hiatt was appointed director a company
was formed to get the coal contract The
company consisted of Barnes, Buckley,
Lopez, Krohn and himself.
"Barnes was to take care of Hiatt, and
myself and Buckley were to take care of
Lopez and Krohn."
In response to inquiry, Keller stated
that these matters were talked over by
himself and Hiatt He and Hiatt had
always been fast friends. "There was no
stipu ated sum agreed to be paid to me or
any one else" continued the witness. at
was generally figured out that we could
sell the coal for so much, and there would
be a profit There was a contract to this
effect and it was written out by DR..
e,r H.,
Lopez and Krohn and witnessed py my
self, and the contract was given to Mr..
Buckley. / do not know what become of
this contract, only what Buckley said. He
told me he had surrendered it to Barnes
The contract stipulated in a general way
what each ones profit should be. Barnes
and Buckley could not agree and called
one another liars and thieves, and con-
cluded there were too many in the scheme,
and made up my mind not to have any
thing TO do with the coal"
The witness testified as to the return to
him of the $3.50 after withdrawing. He
also testified to the presence of Director
Hiatt at several of the preliminary meet
ings in company with Mr.. Richter. Upon
cross examination he stated that to his
knowledge Richter and Hiatt never co.
any money out Of the coal contracts.
+. c. Buckley testified that he did not
have a copy of the contract drawn up by
krohn in regard to the division of the
profits. He lost it last Friday night on
the streets. 1t was in his handwriting.
He did not know what had become of the
original contract. He did not think he
had given it to Barnes. The contract was
signed by himself, Barnes and Lopez. The
substance of the contract was that Barnes,
Lopez and himself were each to have one
third of the contract
ID. n. Barnes was then called. He de-
MED that he had ever signed contract
with Buckley and Lopez about the division
of the coal contract and the profits arising
therefrom. He said that he got the coal
contract at the penitentiary in the spring
of 1886 for 10000 bushels of coal. He
thought he had a copy of the contract, but
was not certain. He would try to find it
for the committee. He had no contract of
any kind with Lopez or Buckley. He
understood that Lopez had a contract with
the penitentiary management. The wit
ness then gave a lengthy account of the
coal transaction.
Upon cross-examination the witness
stated that he had never asked for the re-
turn of the s. 900 paid for the Lopez con-
tract when he learned it was Cancelled. He
did not mention it to Krohn Ito whom he
gave the money! and did not know if he
paid it to Lopez, as he never talked with
Krohn about it.
Second Day.
LEAvENwoRTH, Kan, Jan. 31.-The
Legislative investigating committee met
at nine a.. m. yesterday and recalled F. c.
Buckley, who in reply 10 questions by the
enid.
81 can not give the date of the contract
mao with Barnes and Lopez, bnt it was
after the appointment of Hiatt. The con-
tract provided that Barnes. Lopez and
should be equal partners. There were no
secret partners to my knowledge. had
none. Nothing was done under the
contract because Barnes and / could
not agree. Krohn drew up the con-
tract, but had no interest in it He was
not the particular friend of the party.
Nothing was said in the contract about
Barnes taking care OF Hiatt, nor nothing
on the part of myself about taking care of
Richter. And l desire to state here did
not talk with Richter about coal contracts.
but did have conversation with Hiatt"
The witness gave a full account of the
meeting of Barnes Keller and Lopez and
himself at Atchison, but stated that neither
Richter nor Hiatt were there. The meet
ing broke up in disagreement because
Barnes and witness were not friends.
Krohn came in as a sort of peacemaker.