Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-11
THE RAUM INVESTIGATION.
Lemon Testifies that the Completed
Files Order Has Been Prac-
ticed Before.
The Charge that the Refrigerator
Scheme was Fraudulent is
Openly Denied.
Cooper Still Persists that the Books
Of the Corporation hall be
Produced.

WASHINGTON, Sept 8-The Raum in
vestigatlon was resumed today and Lemon
was called to the stand. He read pre-
pared statement which was to the effect
that as the first charge did not concern
him he had nothing to say. As to the
second charge, which referred to himself
he said he had known General Raum
Twenty-Five years. His financial standing
was high and his endorsers were men of
reputation. So when he wanted Money
to open up his mining property
the witness endorsed two of his
notes, one for $4,000 and one for $4,000
which were subsequently extended. Res
pecting the charge that the witness secure
undue advantage from the complete fill
order he said the completed files order Wa
novel in principle but it had been the prac-
tice to pick out such completed cases and
dispose Of them That it had
been done by Commissioner Black.
1t was wise practice. The charge that
Commissioner Raum had given him any
undue advantage in the completed files or
der, was an unqualified falsehood, and fur
thermore, it would be absolutely impossi-
bic for the commissioner to favor him.
The witness never asked anything from
Commissioner Raum or any other COM
missioner to which he was not entitled as
an attorney. Unfair as Cooper had been,
he invited him to come to his office any
day and examine every case and
every employee. He wanted him to
come in from the door like a
man and not hunt up discharged clerks.
That would obviate the necessity for MAX
ing baseless charges.
Mr.. Cooper cross-examined the witness.
He asked what the witness fortune was,
to which the witness promptly replied:
That isnone Of your business, and re-
turned the same answer TO the next ques-
ton, as to the amount of his annual in
come.
Mr.. Cooper then returned to the attack
by asking if the witness had not been
charged with forging Mr..
Colfax's nal to certificate
The witness replied he had not If the
committee desired to 90 into that he
wished to be allowed to call witnesses, as
it related to transaction of twenty-five
years ago. General Raum had first spok-
en- to the witness about money matters N
January, before he became commissioner.
When the witnesses proposition to make
an order like the completed flies
order was under discussion, Deputy Com-
missioner Lincoln objected that It's effect
would be to turn ali of the force of the
office upon the witnesses cases; but that was
a wrong belief. The complete files order
was made January 9th and tie witness en-
dorsed the note January 9TH. He did not
then know that the order had been issued.
The effect of the order upon the cases in
the ordinary files was beneficial, as 1t re-
duced the files in number and encouraged
the effort to complete the cases.
Lemons testimony having been CON
Guided, Mr. Cooper renewed the request
for the production of the books for the
refrigerator company, asserting that they
wonld show that the refrigerator was a
fraud and that the commissioner had
been manipulating from the pension office
a fraudulent scheme. Commissioner Raum
said he was present to answer the
charges of official misconduct and
had done so completely. The committee
bad seen the stock book Of the company
He denied that the refrigerator was a
fraud. Mr.. Cooper knew he had sold nc
stock to pension house employees. There
was conspiracy in this city and Mr.
Cooper was being used as a tool to break
down his (Raum's) credit. Mr.. Cooper
knew that the charges were a dismal
failure and could not be sustained and he
wished to draw in other things, so as, by
hook or crook, to iniure him (Raum). He
should rest on his legal rights anC
refuse to have his private business dragged
out by Cooper. Mr.. Cooper insisted on
the necessity for the production Of the
books as the best proof of the stockholders
The committee, after a private cOnsulta'
ton decided it would reserve its decision
upon the question until it had an oppor-
tunity to ascertain the extent OF its power;
to compel the production Of private pa
pers. Adjourned.