St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-16
BARDSLEY IS MUM.
The Keystone Bank Wrecker
Refuses to Open His
Mouth.
He Is Brought Into Court
and the Oath Admin
iStered,
But He Declines Peremptorily
to Give Any Evil
dence.
The Court Refuses to Hold
the Bank Presidents for
Conspiracy.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 15.-Another
act in the drama OF Bardsiey is that
which was presented in the Common
Pleas Court No. to-day, on the sixth
floor of the city hall. John BardSey,
the convicted eX-city treasurer, was the
principal actor, and some of Philadel-
phIa's most prominent men took part as
defendants, witnesses and on-lookers.
The court room was crowded, and 1t is
doubtful if such a gathering as that
which occupied every available inch of
standing room was ever seen in court.
Learned judges were sitting as commit
ting magistrates. John Bardsley was
brought out from Cherry Hill about 9
o'clock, and shortly after wds driven to
the city hall. He was in charge of
Warden Cassidy. When all the prelim-
inaries had been arranged. the district
attorney broke the silence, saying that
he proposed to call the attention of the
court this morning to some cases arts
ing out of the recent troubles, so that
the court may consider them, and if the
evidence justified it, warrants of arrest
may be pushed against the guilty par
ties. "These are extraordinary pre-
ceedngs," said the district attorney,
"but there are extraordinary circum-
stances that warrant these proceed
ings."
"While it is practice fallen into dis
use for judges of this court to sit as
committing magistrates" continued the
district attorney. lit is not without
warrant. Grave questions of law are to
be passed upon by those upon whom the
people have imposed the responsibility
of deciding such questions"
Then the district attorney narrated
the fact that his assistants had fire.
quently visited Bardsley i'll his cell to
obtain testimony, but had met with OBJ
structions. The district attorney then
announced that the commonwealth had
Bubp9naed Glendenning & Sons, Aud
itor General McCammant, William ii.
Livsey, cashier in the state treasury,
who was not present. and the officers of
the Farmers and Mechanics Third Ma
tional and Seventh National banks, Sc
Iectmg those banks, the district attor-
new concluded, in which there could be
no question as to knowledge as to whose
money Bardsley was being paid inter
est upon. Here the name of John
Bardsley was called. The clerk offered
to swear him, but he refused. He said:
1.-The public have been taught 10 be-
lieVe that there is no value i'll my word
whatever. | have been maligned, and
] have got to-day more than | can bear.
My self-respect. however, in view of all
that has been said and done. will not
permit me, under any circumstances, to
give any testimony in this court"
Judge Eel! reminded him that he
could refuse to answer questions, but he
only insisted that he would be sworn,
The district attorney insisted that he
should be sworn.
Judge Gordon-Mr. Bardsley, it is
your duty to take the oath administered
to you. You are a citizen subp9naed
here regularly, and it is your duty to
take oath. The other matters Will be
determined when they are reached.
Mr. BardSley-If your honor says so, L
will take the oath, which he did.
"Do you know Mr.. McCammantW
Il decline TO answer any questions at
all. ! have been sworn out of defer
ence to your honor, because you think
it is my duty"
After il number of other questions
had been asked Bardsley, all of which
he declined to answer, he finally said:
Il have declined to answer any Ques-
tions. My mind has irrevocably been
made up, and no Inducements under
the circumstances can prevail upon me.
1t is useless for Mr.. Graham to further
distress me-"
Bardsley was then dismissed from
the stand. The Glendenning case was
next called, and, after lengthy eXami-
nation, Robert Glendenning and George
III. HUM, constituting the firm of
Glendenning d Co.. were held in $4,000
bail each on the charge of having aided
and abetted Bardsley in his conversion
of the public money. Bail was then
entered in their behalf.
The cases of the three bank preSi-
dents were then taken up. Mr.. Ora
ham said it was question in his mind
if the presidents could be indicted, as
the law of conspiracy did not cover the
case, and he wanted the opinion from
the judges sitting as to whether the
presidents of these banks could be in
dicted for paying interest.
IL submit to the court" said Mr..
Graham, that this question, as pre-.
scented in my own mind, is one of i'm
morality and not crimlnality, and if
the court agrees with the thought in my
OWN mind, L should feel it my duty to
recommend that no further action be
taken, and that no warrants be issued,
feeling that there is not sufficient in the
law of conspiracy to warrant an ar
rest"
After the court had retired for a space
Of ten minutes they returned and read
their opinion, in which they decided
that no action would lie as against the
person paying interest.