The Indianapolis journal., 1890-02-05
GOV. CAMPBELL'S EVIDENCE
His Testimony Before the Committee In
vestigating the BallOt-BOx Forgery.
He Thinks FOrger Wood Was Paid Money to
Keep Away from Arrest-Gun and Ballot
Box C0ntracts-F0raker and Halstead.

tcStlmOuy Dtgdn ytSttTudy, tdhluS up LIS
story at the point of his Germantown
speech. He read from the Cincinnati Times
Star report of Governor FOraker's Mari
eta speech, in reply to which the latter
says he knows when he has brought down
game, and that from Mr.. Campbeifs speech
it appeared that the game had been shot
through the heart. Mr.. Halstead had q
dozen times reiterated the statement that
he did not intend to use the paper texhibit
Al until just before election.
Mr.. Foraker interrupted the witness to
say that he had never before seen this par
ticular report, and 1T was somewhere wrong.
Continuing, Governor Campbell said Mr..
Halstead had been forced to admit that he
did not intend to use the paper until just
before election, to explain why he did not
consult with Senator Sherman and others.
Then, too, he hoped it would be too late for
any proof beyond his lCampbelpsl denial to
be produced, and thus defeat his election.
If he believed the paper to be genuine he
would have published it at once and ended
the campaign. When witness first saw the
paper he was unable to account for his
signature. He knew he had not written it.
1t was too poOr-like the name a boy writes
in p0keberry ink with stick. Witness got
Mr.. McLean's denial and then turned hisat-
tention to Woods candidacy for position of
smoke inspector. He heard that the ap-
pOintment could not be charged to political
grounds; that Woods was An irresponsible
man, and he concluded that he was the
fOrger. He summoned I. G. Campbell and
he sought for Wood. as did the Democratic
committee and others, but he could not be
found until after election. Witness had
charged publicly that Wood had been paid
money to go away. He suspect led by whom,
but did not say. Subsequently he learned
that the charge was correct, and that Wood
had been paid money.
DO you mean that he was paid to keep
away from arrest?o asked Governor Fora
ker.
The witness replied that Wood had
eluded pursuit and kept out of the way. 1t
was only by a lucky accident the forgery
ally, that he had read that the Democratic
committee at Hamilton had paid money to
keep Wood out of the way. Here .witnest
read from the Commercial Gazette's repors
of an interview with Governor Foraker
charging close relationship between wit
ness and Wood, referring to the witness's
position of his FOrakersl kilograms to
Wood, and his letter of introduction to
Governor Luce Witness never saw the
kilograms until after the election.
Mr.. Foraker interrupted to say that he
gathered the impression from the steno-
graphic reports of witnesses speech that he
mad seen the kilograms
The witness read the printed reports of
his speech to show that Mr.. Foraker was in
error in his recollection.
Continuing, witness said that L. G. Ber-
nard had brought to his house Frank
Mercer who said he was a friend of Wood
and was with him on the night of Governor
FOrakers Music-Hall speech; that Wood
had received many kilograms from Gov.
Foraker. and had supplied HIM with the
ballOt-box. Witness never saw the Luce
lArf fnr md did mt hnN 10 WI Inr vxnH
these facts to show how far off he was from
any communication with Wood. He had
said In his speech that there was such let
ter, but he had not read it. The reporter
printed in his report of the speech from the
Enquirer Office, and learned from Bernard
that he had furnished 1T.
Governor Foraker asked if witness had
taken steps to correct the mistake, and the
witness replied that he never again re-
ferred to the Luce letter. After Woods ar
rest, the day he got out of Jail. he received
telephone message from a Cincinnati
drug store that Wood wanted to see him.
and he told him to come to Hamilton:
Witness thought witness was desirable at
the interview, as he had been unlucky in
having his denials believed; so he got Col.
James +. Neil. When Wood came witness
recognized him as the man who had shown
ness had no desire to see Wood, and never
| intimated any wish to see him. While
Wood was there. the telephone rang, and
information came that Woods bail had
been forfeited, $50 he left hastily for Gin
cinnati. He supposed Wood held him re-
| sponsible for his arrest, and came to molli-
| fv him; that was the only explanation of
the visit he could think of. Wood rambled
| along for an hour, and referred to the
big steel bill witness had gotten through
appropriation in it. Witness asked what
| in - he meant; he believed the man was
crazy. But Wood insisted that witness
| owned a gun-patent, and then witness
recollected that he once did own part of a
small gun patent, which he had forgotten
| all about. He asked Wood what that had
| to do with six million bill. Wood re-
| piled that that bill was for steel forts and
| guns, etc. He scattered along. speaking OF
| the Dear Colonel letter and witness's
letters to L. G. Campbell. Witness had
never written a letter to L. c. Campbell
that he was not willing to have published
| 1t looked as If Wood was trying to make
believe that he knew something of wit
| ness's connection with gun contract.
Continuing, witness said it had been re-
| peated nine hundred times in the CONNER
cial Gazette that there was million-dollal
steal in the ballot-box bill. 1t began foul
days days after the retraction, when Mr.
Halstead recovered his wind. and hat
been kept up till last Saturday. 1t was
| nonsense, as any once could see from
reading of the bill but Mr.. Halstead woult
| keep It up Tor all time, regardless OF teStl
mOny or anything else. The witness rea(
some of the Commercial Gazette's editori
ais. stopping to clear his throat with th'
remark, "It makes my throat very dry Il
read that kind of stuff" After readin,
| awhile he said it was fair TO show wha
the bill said, and, turning to that dOcu
ment and read the first section. authoriz
| ing the Attorney general TO contract for tn
boxes at SIS each.
He referred to Haddens testimony. speak
ing of another contract, and denied that Ia
had signed any paper relating to ballot
boxes: the other gentlemen named mus
unload for themselves. There had been n
effort to pass the bill. or even L
get it before a committee; it ha,
been completely dropped. He had tele
graphed to Il. c. Campbell and John Nc
Lean to know if there were any papers
The insinuation was that there was a pa
per bearing his name which he wanted 4
see before he denied the charge. That wa
an unmitigated falsehood. 1t had ais
been charged that he had tried to shiel
Wood from arrest. This was not true A
w. Thurman had telegraphed witness DC,
- 10 do nothing about the Wood matter a
present-that he would write; witnes
had telegrapbed Probasco to defer the an
rest: but il was too late. as Wood had al
ready been arrested. Much had been mad
of this. Witness read the letter from Alle
w. Thurman, saying that he had tele
| graphed as he did because he feared the