Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-23

uIu uOG procure the autograph OF Senator
Stockbridge or Mcpherson but mat he had
that of Sherman and Daniels Sherman
had told the witness that hewanted the
autographs, first to put at the foot of the
| photographs and then to compare it with
the names on the contract or las Wood
| termed 1T a loud deal ON September 9Th.
Wood said he would like 10 employ the
witness on the ballot-box business The
witness replied that if it was straight,
| square business, he was willing to join.
| Wood told him the name of the firm
| and pulled out of his pocket a piece of
paper. The witness was shown exhibit A
| the forged paper and said the paper
| that Wood showed him was about that size
The typewriting was exactly the same as
he saw in the Commercial Gazette
{ Richard g. Wood was then sworn. He
gave his residence as Cincinnati, and his
occupation as mechanical expert. The
chairman handed witness exhibit A,
and asked him If he had ever seen it be-
fore. Witness recognized the doc ment
He had seen it just before election he
thought in October. Hehad got the head
ing drawn in Gen. Birney's office in this
city. The names were written on the
paper In Cincinnati by Mr.. Milward and
young man named Dams. wrote the
lines opposite the signature. This work
was done in the office of Murray. who Is a
patent solicitor for the ballot box COM
pany.
Chairman-Are those names written
here intended to be fac-similes of the gen
tlemen autographs?
Witness-They were written according
to the pieces of paper had secured.
The witness gave a humorous account of
his attempts to be appointed smoke in
spector. He had seen Gov. Foraker, and
the latter told him he could get him the
place as it was not pledged. The COVER
nor said he wanted the witness to do a
little hustling (as favor for him. Wit
ness asked what he could do and Fora
ker said there was little document drawn
In Butterworth' S office and ne wanted
witness to get it and let him see it. Wit
ness could not imagine what document he
meant and asked him. The COVER
nor said: DO you see what
Butterworth is doing for the republican
party Witness replied he noticed that
Butterworth was acting peculiarly and
seemed to be rather posing for the Cincin-
natl Enquirer. The governor had said
that Butterworth was making all kinds
of stabbing talk, and said if Butterworth
wanted to put him down as disreputable
he would show him to be disreputable
Foraker had said: You know it is COM
mon talk that Buiterworth is in every
monied scheme" Witness had agreed with
the governor and said if the stabbing bust
ness was going on he guessed they could
stab too.
The witness then gave a long descrip-
ton of his attempts to see the governor In
relation to his appointment and created q
burst of laughter by a chance allusion to
President Harrison as ''Oh, what's his
name' Wood admitted getting up the
paper, and said that the governor did not
ask any questions. The witness had said
that it was the best he could do, and that
it would do to stuff those fellows. The
governor promised to have the paper pub
lished About ten days before the publ
cation he met the governor coming out of
the Commercial Gazette office, and Fora
ker said that he had been talking to Hal
stead, and that the latter was going to rip
those fellows. The witness had said that
the paper was not gotten up for such a
purpose, and told the governor
do not show that man those papers. :"
Foraker replied: Not for the world -
After the publication of the paper Murray
told witness he would made affidavit that it
was forgery if witness didn' t get it back.
Wood told the governor this, and he re-
piled that he had not intended 1T should
be published but that a man got it from
his secretary when he was away. The
governor here added: "Old man, we
have got ourselves in a bad hole. | don t
know whether | am to be elected or not.
We will retract that. | don't know what
to do at present, but rest assured it will be
retracted.
Witness said: ''You better be lively
about it, or Murray will make affidavit.
The governor asked Wood to come to
Wash ngton to hunt up this gun contract
and that he would attend to the other
matter when Wood came back to Cincin-
natl He asked for the return of the pa
pers and Foraker told him to go to Hal
stead for them. Witness insisted that
they should not be published any more and
Foraker promised that they would not be.
Within forty-eight hours the whole thing
was published again. Witness was ar
rested for criminal libel and obliged to
give up his papers. The chairman asked
if any body except the witness knew that
he had drawn up the paper. He replied
that Foraker certainly knew from what he
(witness) had told him, that the papers
were not genuine He did not charge
Foraker with knowing that the paper was
a forgery. He could not do that He
could not say that Foraker entered into a
conspiracy.
Chairman he ask you to commit
forgery?
Witness.-I did not ask him whether I
should commit forgery. He added that
Foraker wanted to get hold of a paper to
get square with Ben Butterworth, and
the witness agreed to get it for him. It
was not to be published but to be shown
around political headquarters, etc.
The chairman asked if the witness had
procured forgery.
Wood replied that he had gotten up a
paper for Foraker, and if he could make
ANYBODY believe it was genuine all right.
He believed he was being played and
hoped the politicians would get along
without his help hereafter.
This closed the examination and ex-Gov.
Foraker said he desired to ask no ques-
tions and Grosvenor asked the witness to
be present Monday.
An Old Lady Suicides.
EAU CLAIRE, Jan. 20.-Mrs. n. W.
Wyman, wife of the druggist at Mendovi,
Buffalo county, shielded, yesterday, by
taking strychnine, which she obtained
from her husbands store. 1t is thought
she was insane, and took the poison dur.
ing the night for at four o'clock this morn.