The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-11
WOOD TALKS OF A TRAP.
a FLIMsY ATTEMPT TO THROW THE
FORGERY ON THE DEMOCRATS.

He Intimates that the Paper Was Pre-
pared at the Instance of Editor Nc
Lean and 7. c. Campbell to be Un-
loaded on Foraker-When Published
Its Spuriousness Was to be Exposed
to the Discomf1t of the Republican
Campaigners.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10-The House COM
mittee on the Ohio ballot-box forgery re-
sumed its session this morning and called
Gen. Stockbridgs of Michigan to the stand.
He was shown exhibit ga" (the forged
paper and denied having signed it or
knowing anything about the ballot-box bill
or contract. He added that the forged sig
nature of his name was not good imita-
tion Of his signature.
Senator Mcpherson of New Jersey, the
net witness, said he had number of occu-
pations, but had no ballot-box industry
among them. He also knew nothing of the
| forged paper and declared his signature a
bold forgery, and bad one at that. The
witness having referred to the bailot-box
matter as conspiracy, Mr.. Turner aske il
| he knew anything of conspiracy in that
! connection. He replied that when gentle
man had abundant opportunity to ascer-
| tain the fal ,ity of such a cuarge, but hast
ened instead to give it to the world, it mi ght
be regard I'd as conspiracy.
Gov. Foraker inquired if it would not
depend on the circumstances under which
| the paper had been procured and the ap-
| parent proof to support its character.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE.
Senator Mcpherson replied that as the
| paper, if genuine, would degrade and ruin
| public men, and properly SO, they should
have been consulted when it was possible to
| do SO by travelling four or five miles. His
| first impulse on reading the publication had
| been to have every man connected with it
arrested within forty eight hours
Gov. Foraker-Hadn'5 you better do that
| yet, Senator? The courts are open.
| Mr.. McPherson-I do not know; Mr..
Halstead got down in the dirt and rolled
over in his humiliation and attempt TO
remedy the wrong, which changed the
situation somewhat.
Jonn L. Pau of. Cincinnati told OF
a conversation he had with Wood
after his release from prison. Wood
had remarked that nobody whose name was
| on the paper had had him arrested, and that
| he had to stand the brunt of the whole
| business In answer to the witness Wood
had said that Gov. Foraker and E litor
| HaIstead believed the paper to be genuine.
| The witness told this to Mr.. Halstead, who
| said of course he believed so. Wood had
further said to the witness that they were
| oontented with Gov. Foraker and never ex
pected to trap Mr.. Halstead.
WHO LAID THE TRAP2
Wood said that he Wood had been made
an Innocent tool to trap Gov. Foraker. he
didn't say who had used him as a tool
but when the witness suggested John Nc
Lean and L. @. Campbell ne acknowledged
that he was not far Off. To Mr. Turner Che
witness said he believed that Woods exact
words were ''to catch Foraker" Wood had
outlined the plan to be to have Gov. Foraker
publish the paper; then come out and prove
the forgery aud crush Gov. Foraker Wood
said he didn't see that until the thing
was over, aud he was an innocent tool
for he hal no intention Of helping to anni-
| hilate Gov. Foraker. In answer to further
| questioning on the point by Messrs. Turner
| ami Wilson, the witness said his under
standing of the matter was that Wood had
failed to get an original paper from Mr.
McLeal, aud then hal drawn up the forged
copy from memory, which he had supplied
to Gov. Foraker. Mr.. Mclean knew this
tthe witness gathered from what Wood
said), and was just waiting for Gov. Foraker
to use it to expose the forgery.
HADDEN's VISIT TO MRS. WOOD.
Lewis NJ. Hadden was recalled for cross
examination 10 Mr.. Grosve1or he said
that on June % he had told Gov. Foraker
that he believed there was written evidence
that Messrs. Cam pbell, Butterworth and
| Mckinley We're financially interested in the
ballot-box bill. He had not testified before
as to his visit to Mrs. Wood, because he had
not been asked. There were gentlemen
at the table who knew he had
paid Mrs. Wood money and he ex-
| pected to be examined about it, 1t had
slipped his memory at that time, Tut on the
evening of the day he testified before the
committee he recalled it, and told Kurtz
that he was surprised that he had not been
questioned on that point Gov. Foraker
knew of it. He had expect ed the examina-
tion to be continued the next day, b 1T the
committee had adjourned for two weeks.
NO MOTIVE FOR CoNCEALMENT.
The witness was about to explain that he
| had no motive to conceal the payment OF
money to Mrs. Wood, but Mr.. Grosvenor cut
| him off on the grou I'd that his statement was
not responsive t. a question. This led to a
| little spat between chairman and Mr.,
| CIR sve or. The chairma insisted that the
witness had right to make his statement
| The committee was appealed TO-, and
finally Mr.. Gr1svenor was allowed
to proceed with the cross-examination.
! He asked if statement by a responsible
man, hile the Republican party was de.
| moraliz ID by the publication of the retrac-
! tion that he had seen an original paper a
year before. would not have stopped the
stampede. The witness replied that in his
| judgment il would not for after Mr.. Hal
stead had manfuily admitted that the paper
| was forgery, no matter how many gem
uine articles he published he could not make
Al. l..