The morning call., 1891-03-21

fers and says that Bruner has SIX (e) places in the
appointments. Respectfully, j. JASPER
Jones Is trying to get little advance money.
The above letter. the author OF which neither
the committee nor the Examiner waslaoe 10 ma,
induced the Examiner to begin an investigation
of the matter referred to IN II, and to this eud
reporter named SlllIwell was authorized TO
nervleW me cardIvers on te ,Vh Zoo 5or
the purpose OF purchasing position from
Bruner. The Examiner employed Sttllwell 10
act as a detective. The representatives OF the
paper at Sacramento were also Instructed 10 ~
vesigate the matter, but were left IN ignorance
OF StillwelPs employment and movements.
Stlwell secured The confidence oil the Jones
brothers, accepted the offer of a position for
friend of his at a price OF S40O, and was sent to
Sacramento to SEQ Baau.
In the meantime, on Saturday. February 2stb.
in pursuance OF lelegraphic instructions from
the Examiner. A. N. Lawrence and !. A!exan-
der, Examiner reporters, interviewed Bruner
aud Informed him that rumor was connecting
his name with sales Of police force positions:
And here It is proper TO notlce one lealute OIL
Brnner's defense. He claims In his own defense
that be believed there was conspiracy on foot
headed by Lawrence. against himself and against
the Republican party to bring into ill-repute the
actions OF the California Assembly. There
Is absolutely proof 10 sustain this claim.
1t was shown cOnclusively that Lawrence
had nothing TO do with the Examiners lnVestl-
CATION; that he simply interviewed Bruner, tell
Ing him of the current rumor, aud reported 10
his paper. He did not know OF StllwelPs EN-
plOyment, and was not taken into his confidence
until after the Stoey letter was written. THESE
facts appear from the testimony of Henderson,
Ward and Lawrence himself. and are uudls-
| puIed And Bruner admitted OH The witness
stand that Lawrence warned MIN OF the Iumor
against nlm. But lie nevertheless testihed that
on March Sd, three days after Lawrence had
| warned him, lie considered that Lawrence was
| engaged In a conspiracy to ruin him. The inc0n-
stsIency OF this testimony Is III once apparent,
aud 1t is simple justice 10 Lawrence to say that
there is not "a particle OF testimony which shows
that lie ever attempted 10 lnJure Bruner I'D any
way.
Sillwell came to Sacramento on Tuesday,
| March Sd arriving here at $40 O'Clock In The
evening. He brought with him certificate OF
| depo,it for the sum of $780, issued by the
| CfUckeT- w oOlworth Bank OF San Francisco. He
was accompanied by Daniel Jones. BO!h Dan
lei aud Louis Jones had talked freely with Stlil-
| we'll about the matter IN hand, and LOUIS Jones
| told him that bruner WAS the man whose letter
| OF recommendation would secure position on
| the police force OF San Francisco. Stilwell and
| Jones met "Dick" Beau at the depot OF on The
| cars, and the three went together to The State
| CatitOl. What transplred al the Capltol was re-
| lated by Stillwell IN clear aud connected man
ner, and IL WAS PLAIN that lie was endeayoTlug 10
| testify 10 nothiug but the truth. Tie testimony
| shows mat SiIilwe and Belau met Bruner IN one
| of The alcoves OF lhe Stale Library; that Bruuer
| there wrOie and delivered to Stlllwell letter,
| taking The name, age and occupation OF the per
| sou To be recommended from memorandum
Tie letter was dated February Instead OF
| March by mistake. When Bruucr had hnlshed
tile above letter lie received tTOm Stllwell Il GER
ihcate of deposit on The Croker WoolwOrth
| Bank OF San Francisco lcr lie sum OF S4OO. He
| Immediately gave 10 BeIau Inc sum Of SO. linen
! lie walked Into the private office OF the library,
! borrowed $50 from Assistant Librarian Leake,
tuned over Leake The certificate OF deposit as
security, went back into the library, and handed
| Belau $50 more The TOTAL sum given by Bruner
10 BelAu was $3.50. While IN tile private office
| oil the brory BIuner asked Leake 10 have the
certificate of depuSit cashed for him on tile fol-
| lowing morning On Wednesday morning, March
| 4in, Leake sent the certificate of deposit to the
| California State Bauk OF Sacramento, and 1t was
easned by that bans. subsequently, the certill-
| Gaze was seut TO San francisco Tor collection
and was refused payment by the bank from
| which IL issued. The certificate was not i'll
| dUrsed by Bruner and was indorsed by Assistant
| Librarian Leake.
| Ana now we come to a further consde alton
| Of the defense made by Bruner that IN giving
| the letter of recommendation and rec living the
| $500 he was acting IN good fath, with the object
| oil exposing wicked cOnsplratoIs ana bringing
| them TO punishment. lie testified thar the MEM
| oraudum from which he wrote Tue letter OF rec
| OmmendatiCn was not Ia StillwePs hand
| writing; therefore forgery must have been
| committed. lie wanted TO entrap the forEer, and
| lie had the certificate of deposit cashed IN order
that tb- forger might be caught by following the
| certificate. Yet IL appeared that Assistant
| Librarian Leake was bis personal friend OF long
| staudIng, and Leake was allowed TO run the risk
| of losing S4O0 without caution or warning. And
| IL further appears that Biuner paid $50 OF his
| own money to Beau. We have been unable 10
! reconcile Burners theory of forgery with any
| theory OF Innocent intention GU MS part man
| OF his ability and legal training would have
| thought Of many probable events which would
| prevent the tracing and recovery OF The cerGih-
| crte. The chances that It might be paid without
protest, or loss, or destroyed, or IN many other
| ways put out OF hope 0G recovery aud use as evil
| deuce, would have been imp upon ii MUD
| ike Burners with ndelible distlnctness. Bruner
testified that there we're in tile private Office OF
the library, when lie went IN 10 borrow the money
| OF Ledke, State Printer A. j. Johnston, his
| brother, Alvin Biuner Assistant Librarian Leake
| and William Gowan, and that he walked huT-
! riedly into the room, in an excited condition,
| with the Ger iicate of deposit 10 MS hand,
| Claiming, as lie closed the door behind him:
| have gOt the ---." Bot this testimony OF
| ffglnF
spTatOrs Is not fully cOrrOborated by the gentle
| men ~hO were In the room.
Mr. Leake testified that Mr.. Bruner seemed TO
be jubilaul aud hat lie considered the cause TO be
| Bruuer's success ouly short time before In de-
feating IN the Assembly a bill In which he (.eake)
| was int crested. Neither State Printer Johnston
| OF William GOvau noticed anything In Burners
| manner to excite comment or curiosity. II is
| remarkable fact that the exclamation was made
| IN Dom not more Than 20 by 10 feet In size
| aud yet not one OF The Witnesses including Alvin
| Bruner. heard il distinctly enough TO remember
| the exact language used. Not one oil The gentle
| men present was curious enough 10 ask ques-
| ton, notwithstanding they were all Bgun;rs per-
sOual friends and one OF them his brother. II is
only char liable to pass this clTcumsi ance by
| without further comment than TO express tue
| opinion that whatever elatlOn Bruner tell was
due 10 some recent act of his on the floor OF tie
| Assembly and whatever exclamation he made
| was uttered with rel.tlon 10 that act.
Another most remarkable fact, the fact most
material TO the proper decision of this case, Is
| that Bruper did not cOnlide in human soul from
the time lie received the certificate OF deposit up
| To the time he made his statement on the floor OF
| The Assembly. On Tuesday night, Immediately
| after receiving the certificate, he was IN the
| presence VI warm personal lrlend5-nls brother,
| ALVIN BIunet, State Printer johnston Goyan
| and Leake. TGey were who had known
| and had been ultimate with Bruner fer years.
| To no one OF them dld he confide single word
| or thought with relation tn the matter. lie was
a member Of "a legislative body whose presiding
| officer was known 10 command respect and con-
| hdeuce. In him lie did not counde. On The very
| night OF the transaction, after lie had, as he
claims. ent ai'ped The spiratOfs who We're Try
ing o entrdp linn, he sat In his seat Oh The Hour
| Of the Assembly, aRd yet did not rise IN his place
and Iriumphantly proclaim The victory lie had
achieved, aud ask the Legislature and the people
OF tne State 10 sustain him. IL Is true that Judge
| Armstrong and ALVIN Bruner testified that lie IN
tmated to hIm that the Examiner, or the Exam
| iuer rep Orters had cOnspii ed TO entraD hun. But
| Tliat was befole Tie transaction In the library
| Alter. II lie did not cOhfide IN them. Nor is 1t
| true that lie conlided uything whatever OF the
matter TO State Printer JohuSton, although 1t is
| conceded that lie did deposit tile sum Of $3.50 IN
| JOHnSlons safe We repeat, Bruner did not
| cOuhde In a human soul from Tie time he received
the certificate OF depOstl up 10 the time lie made
| his statement on the np0r OF the As
| sembly. Is ii natural or reasonable TO con.
| ciude that a man who was trying to entrap his
enemies would have acted In this manner?
| Would lie not have arranged for witnesses 10 the
| whole transaction? Would he not have cOlllded
| in his friends or relations? Would lie not have
| followed The dictates OF ordinary prudence and
protected himself from any possibility Of any un-
| Just criticism?
1t is with lhe profoundest and deepest regret
and with sincere feelings OF pity that we finally
conclude aud find that Elwood Bruner did not
| give the recommendation OF Sl0leY ana receive
| the $500 therefor, part OF plan 10 entrap
| and expose guilty consprators, but that he did
| do IL with the Intention OF selling position on
tile police force OF San francisco, and apprOpri-
| ating TO tile of himself and accom- mulIces the
Proceeds thereof. Respectfully submitted
| A. j. BLEDSOE, Chairman,
| A. j. JACKSON,
+. II. GOULD.
| JOHN H. MATHEWS.
THE DOODLE INVESTIGATION
The committee appoiuled to investigate the
| Doodle scandal held its fourth meeting this
| morning. Ex-Assemblyman Tucker OF Fresno
| testified that the handwriting on the checks of
| the Fresno Loan and Savings Bank was Ike the
| writing OF the ca shIeT OF that bank.
| Cashier Mckenzie OF the Fresno Bank was
| next called aud Identified the checks belong
| ing TO his b aux. / lie handwriting was that of
| Clerk HOpk ms of the bank. The figures 1000;
| 5000 aud III t word fresno on the checks that