New-York tribune., 1890-01-19
THE LAND PATENT FRA I'D.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMISSION OF
INQUIRY.
THE CONFLICTING EVIDENCE OF Mr.. HARRISON,
THE ATTORNEY. AND Mr.. sTARKEY,
THE CLERK-wHO Is TELLING
THE TRUTH !


THE CLERK-wHO Is TELLING
THE TRUTH
Inr TELEGRAPH To THE TMBUEEI
Washington, Jan. ls.-Thc desperate efforts
made by the Hartmann Mallet combine" to con-
fuse or bulldozc the witnesses before the Land
Office Commission Of Inquiry into the Duluth
land patents are shown by the testimony taken
when they tried to force Mrs. StarlSey to admit
that she made the memorandum directing that
Case No. ,i2O should he patented, not from the
list furnished by Luther Harrison, one of the
attorneys for Hartman and Mallet. but from the
alleged telegram taken 10 her by Mr.. Seymour,
IIarrison's partner in the case, and sent TO her
by hands Of lIarrison's employ. The testimony
of two witnesses. Mrs Starkcy and Mr. Harrison,
is hopclessly conflicting and utterly rreconcablc.
One is an honorable and trusted empoyc of the
General Land Ohice, who could not possibly have
any interest in the matters at issue, the
telling Of the plain, unvarnished truth. The
situation and Surroundings Of the other witness
are entirely different, as his necessity in the
premises was 10 explain away his alleged
nection with these most questionable transactions.
II is Of paramount interest to those who do
business with the General Land Office to know
that. besides the members Of the Washington and
Duluth combine who have been already named
or 10 whom reference has been made in these
dispatches it. has other connections, not merely
I operating upon the outside. but actually en-
poycd as clerks in the General Land Office here.
and drawing their salaries from the Government,
situations which Afford the corrupt combination
large possibilities for evil and greatly
increase its dangerous power to delay or defeat
the interests oi honest men who have business
Connected with the public domain. On the first
mission Of Inquiry he testified follows:
Hy Mr Ecddnrton- o. insist upon a plain
answer. want tp kuo" what statement II was you
made to th, Commission when you presented this
tell me- yon cannot rcco!lect no" ak You whether
yon ga not as to them that nat was me pap.r
which Nuu had sent 10y your boy To Mr.. >ttrk"y, or
the Recorder Division Al think II Is fact
O. IhAl u tr statement l'n maze 10 mem "ien Zen
identical paper which you sent by your boy 10 the
Recorder Division THAT +, right.
that the number i,i2o va, upon This paper Al
think asked the Recorder II he could find li2O
po Sou not remember particularly calling the the
attention 81 the Commission tp that fact, that 40
| attention of the Commission to the fact hy asking
tho Recorder g. examine the paper ana see II he 'ond
You relied upon the fact did you not that that
/ i.f t'fif. y. dld. II never was
th,re; I.i2O va, never on that paper. never put
| ~ There.
q DO Won mean To tell that thi, paper today
f. I'm tl. same condition that Wa when You sent
| il to the Recorder Al do most cmphatcally.
Ipon this point Mrs. Ntarkcy, being recalled
and her attention having bee drawn To the
forcgoiu- testimony and thc claim set mp therein
iha' the patent had been expedited from telc-
r,.u and no, from the list sent IN by Hart
man. under the hadecrlns oro>S-c\aminatioh
of one of Hartman and Mallcts attorneys. teNu-
fled follows.
uy Mr. brown Q. Ihndine yi'nc>s Exhibit
A.-N You mato that mrmonnaun'' did You y
uUo When A-rhc lltn or 18th of November.
o. lou Iuou frpm what you made the memo
c,,e md &, make the memorandum from. ~ p'{
f,.. tInt ut fn DIVISION &. When hr cam" bt.A
,a.d. Il cium uot hnd l13-. copied 1t t. 'no"
I1.a You rink vou made that mcmo''9da% ne1nI
7 from ZIP marked tNllit y. y nave 'o r''''
>rr You wiling t. wear you made thi' memo.
'an'@" , i,,' 5 '' y & rcnc,uIraucc made t. tho
memorandum. from piece t','n liiF'r U'' % '''n' &
l do not propose 10 swear point blank. That N p'r
ton of th" paper hut o th" best "' my r''''"''"''
,,SGi,,'"t''", " n no.r N|I,- ,lr.
O. DO You iuow when Son mad" That memo.
The 'irs wcn" -Nr" ""' "', '' ',',,,,, -
Toan-cnd went ''nc on t1r az ir r',oy n'y own
i,acdi t. ,hoa him. had no authority to give ,'
/ out 't-'-. u tu Ht"rncf '"in'' H' .", 'o, ,
anythn, ont d. II the rr-ui,- routine h4-inc,,.'
q ,rc You willing 10 tr-tif positively that Won
] ff ftfi
/ unp-r ua-icd ENNiHt D.. y. To u" best 81 my
! rr,n,mliau,c / mad" 10 1t paper similar I" mat
| whether % is al do NOT tnp". DO j. a portion.
I certainly. , H.. -
o. Nc Won willing t. -N'Ir positively tlat N"u
/ fn.I tnc-r figure from that paper Al have no
| .,m,mhraur" uf amy other paper. ~
O Night YOU uo, bee mistaken Al do not think
/ ! cDuld lc. ,
O. Arc you vn. 10 swear positively that yon
did ft take thee figures. LEO and lf22, marked
l nu Exhibit f.. from the telegram marked ENhhr 4
~ have no rmrmhrln" ~ That 'le-ram or ot
seeing that Telegram. have 90" remembrance ot any
| other piece %. paper a~ mY Father ln Heaven j.
/ JUDGING me / have told ju-t - near the truth a,
/ / can.
o.. Shall insist ON yorr answering my question.
Ar. ,pu willing swear positively thar You did not
make those figures. lf10 or ii2'. from the TELEGRAM
Al say that have no remembrance of a telegram.
/ I am NOT generally mistaken iu that way. | would
not swear {, that paper hu' to the best II my mem
/ or, ! knew nothing ol telegram until the paper.
! vrr" iu hand
O Son now swear positively A-To the bcS'
| = INV memory.
o. DO you remember ~ ever having made a mem
| or,udum from q l.t' Al mad" 1t from list 10
| show t. Mr. ToWn-c'd