Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1890-09-18
The Raum Investigation,

WASHINGTON ID. c., September 10.-The
Raum investigation was resumed. and Mr..
Lemon was called to the stand. He read a
prepared 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
that he had known General Raum for twenty
five years. His financial standing was high
and endorserS were men of reputation. So
when he wanted money to open up his min
ing property witness endorsed two of his
notes, one for 5000 and one for $4,000
which was subsequently extended. Respect
ing the charge that witness secured undue
advantage from the completed files order, he
said that the completed files order was not
novel in principle, but that it had been the
practice of the Office for years toward the
end of fiscal year to pick out such COM
pleted cases and dispose of them. That had
been done by Commissioner Black. 1t was
Use practice. The charge that Commits
sioner Raum had given him any undue ad-
vantage in the completed files order was an
unqualified falsehood, and furthermore, it
would be an utter llnpOSs billy for the COM
missioner to favor him. He could not do it
if he would. He (Lemon) denied in the
broadest terms that the order was asked for
or intended to apply to his case or in any
manner to favor him over other attorneys
1t was general rule against which nothing
could be said except from ignorance or
malice. Witness had never asked anything
from Commissioner Raum, nor any other
commissioner TO which he was not entitled
as an attorney. Unfair as Mr.. Cooper
had been, he invited him to come to his office
any day and examine every case and every
employe. He wanted him to come IN the
front door like man and not hunt up dis
charged clerks. That would obviate the
necessity for making baseless charges.
Mr.. Lemons testimony having been con-
cluded. Mr.. Cooper renewed his request for
the production of the books of the refriGera-
tor company. asserting that they would show
the refrigerator was fraud and that the
commissioner had been manipulating from
the pension Office a fraudulent scheme. The
committee would not be doing its full duty
if it failed to turn the light upon that enter
prise. Commissioner Raum said he was
present to answer charges of official mis-
conduct, and had done SO completely. The
committee had seen the stock book of the
company. He denied that the refrigerator
was a fraud. Mr.. Cooper knew that he had
sold no stock to pension office employees.
The men who penned the lying articles knew
they were lying when they wrote them.
There was a conspiracy in this city, and Mr..
Cooper was being used as tool to break
down his (Raum'sf credit. The committee
saw the papers day by day filed with lying
articles. Mr.. Cooper knew that the charges
were dismal failure and could not be sus-
tanned, and he wished to drag in the other
things, So as 10y hocus-pocus or hook and
crook to injure him, iRaum.) He should
rest on his legal rights and refuse to have his
private business dragged out by Mr.. Cooper.
Mr.. Cooper insisted upon the necessity for
the production of the books as the best proof
of the stockholders, and declared that the
commissioners testimony had been CONTRA
dicted by Mr.. Smiser. who had also told the
minority members of the committee that he
had not paid dollar into the stock. The
committee after private consultation de-
cided that II would reserve Its decision upon
the question until it had an opportunity to
ascertain the extent of its powers to compel
the production of private papers.