Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-27


WASHINGTON, February 26.-The in
vestigatiou into the charges against the
Civil Service Commission was resumed to-
day. Ex-Civil Service Commissioner Oberly
was the first witness examined. He said
that early in 1888 it had come to his notice
that Mr.. Flynn, the principal of a school
in which candidates for civil service ex-
animation were given instruction, had Of
fered to sell copies of examination papers
The lady who gave him this information,
some days later, at his request, procured the
questions and brought them to his office,
when the matter was immediately LAID be-
fore his colleagues.
Mr.. Edgerton, the President Of the COM
mission, declined to have anything to do
with the matter, stating that in his opinion
there was nothing in it which called for an
investigation.
A SEVERE COMMISSIONER.
Mr.. Lyman thought that if any of the
clerks had furnished questions to outsiders
they should be dismissed. A few DAYS later
Mr.. Oberly concluded to look into the mat
ter, and, In the course of his inquiries,
learned that the questions had been fur
nished by Mr.. Campbell, an employe and
brother-in-law to Commissioner Lyman,
who subsequently, said that Campbell had
confessed that he had made the copy and
had given it to the lady in order that she
might coach herself
When witness, upon Mr.. Lyman's sug
gestion, continued the investigation, he
found Campbell's statements to be true.
He inquired how the papers came into
Flynn's hands, and the laGy whom Camp
bell had given them to stated that Flynn
was giving her instruction and she turned
them over to him, receiving no monetary
consideration whatever for them. Witness
did not think amDbell's ofiense was such
as to call for his dismissal,
THE LIST FOR SALE.
Miss E. NJ. Dabney, who frst told Com
missioner Oberlv of the papers being given
out testified that when she went to Mr..
Flynn for instruction, he offered to sell for
SIS list Of questions which would be asked
at the examination. She did not have the
money, and after thinking the matter over,
decided that she had no right to the ques-
tions, and concluded to take the examina-
tion honestly. She had asked Flynn if she
had a right to buy the questions, and ne had
replied that others did so and that she must
decide for herself the question of propriety.
After she failed at the examination
through sickness, she, on the advice of
friend, told Mr.. Oberly of the offer made
her. Three weeks after the examination
she, at the request of Mr.. Oberly, borrowed
the papers of Mr. Flynn. They were the
same questions that had been asked at the
examination.
Mr.. Oberly, however, again took the stand
and showed that the papers obtained Of
FLYNN had not been secured by the latter
until after the examination,
NOT IMPORTANT PAPERS.
Mr.. T. W. Flvnn then testified that be
obtained them from Miss Smith, who asked
to be prepared for an examination. They
were old and of no Importance, and when
Miss Dabney asked for them he told her he
would give her a copy of them. He was
called out of his room and subsequently
when he looked for them to make a copy for
Miss Dabney they were gone, she having
taken them. He declared her statement
that he wanted to sell the papers to be abso-
lutely false.
Alexander c. Campbell, the civil service
clerk who gave the papers out, testified to
substantially the same facts heretofore stated
by Commissioner Lyman and Mr.. Oberly,
the only difference being that there was
conflict in his testimony as to whether be
copied the papers before or after Miss Smith
asked him for them.