The record-union., 1891-03-14

| lilc IL WIS uICefSIOOu lHdU
! the defense would conclude its testimony,
and the usual large number Of persons
were present, including members and
attaches of the Legislature and private
citizens. Senator Sprague, one of the
witnesses, not being present, the Ser
geant-atArmSwas instructed to find the
| Senator and bring him before the com
mittee, although several members said
Mr.. Sprague was complaining of feeling
! i'll.
THE MONEY DEPOSIT.
| The first witness called was e. s. Had
ley, bookkeeper in the State Printers
Office. He testified that on Wednesday
of last week Mr.. Bruner entered the
office, called Mr.. Johnston and told him
he would like to have him take some
/ money and put it away for him. MIR.
! Bruner left tho office hurriedly. 1t was
shortly before noon that MIR. Bruner
called.
! Robert Alexander, also an attache of
the State Printers Office, testified to DIR.
| Burners having visited the office on the
day referred to, but he did not hear what
| passed between Mr.. Rruner and Mr..
Johnston.
TESTIMONY OF SENATOR sPRAGUE
! Senator Spraguethen appeared and was
| sworn. lie testified that he knew Dick
| Belau, and believed he saw Belau on
| Thursday week ago, at all events, he
| had a conversation with him one even
! ing about that time. He saw Belau,
| Lawrence of the Examiner, and another
man together in the Golden Eagle bar
room. He talked with Belau in his own
! (wltneSSD room in the hotel. He had
taken the precautiOn to have their con-
yersation overheard by another person.
Just after the publication in the Examiner
Belau said TO witness he wanted to con-
! suit him, as q lawyer, regarding the mat
| ter. Witness did not then talk to him,
| but afterward told him to call ut his
! tSprague's) room. Witness had taken the
precaution to have a friend where he
could overhear what passed.
Beiau asked witness il he was likely to
get into any difficulty Ola serious nature,
| and witness Sald he must first know all
the facts. Belau said he met Mr.. Bruner
in San Francisco and asked him if he
would recommend q friend OF his for q
place on the police force, and Bruner
said yes, but to wait til he got to Sacra-
neuto. Beiau said that aiterward he met
his friendJ ones who wanted 10 geta person
on the force and was willing 10 pay forsit.
| 1t then occurred to him that no might
| use the letter he was to get from Bruner
for his own friend and divert it TO the
ether channel and make something out
Oft. He further told witness that when
he broached the matter to Mr. Bruner at
the Capital Hotel the latter said he would
have nothing to do with the matter.
| On Tuesday night of last week he
! (Belau) met Mr.. Bruner in the Capitol
and told him his friend was here and he
would like to set the letter. Bruner told
hin he was busy thon, but would see
him in the library later on.
! Belau told witness that Lawrence and
! of led n
him to say that Bruner claimed to have
six places to give out, and he wanted wit
ness to tell him what answer he should
return to Lawrence and Michaelson, as
they were to meet him shortly and eX-
| pected an answer.
Witness asked Belau if it was true, and
Belau said it was not. He had not told
Mr.. Bruner anything about this inter
view, but did mention it to a friend of
| his, &. I. Jones, and also to Assembly,
man Galbraith.
To Mr.. Gould witness said he regarded
the matter as important, but did not
mention it to Mr.. Bruner because he did
case unless his testimony became neces-
sary to substantiate Mr.. Bruner's state
ment made to the Assembly. He did not
regard Belau as a friend, but had prom
ised to hear his statement. He had a
witness thereto, in case the press or per-
|
tween them, and he did not wish the
matter to rest upon his (witnesses') un-
! SubStantiated testimony.
! Mr.. Sprague said his interview with
| Belau was subsequent to the statement
made by Mr.. Bruner in the Assembly.
To Mr.. Gould witness said the person
whom he asked to overhear what passed
between himself and Belau was j. a.
! Sheehan of the Bee. Mr.. Sheehan was
| the first person he met with whom he felt
sufficiently acquainted to ask to act in
that capacity-not because he was con-
nected with the Bee.
MIR. SHEEHAN's TESTIMONY.
J. A. Sheehan testified that Mr.. Sprague
told him if he would go up stairs and
into the room adjoining his he would
probably hear something interesting. as
he (Sprague) was going to have an inter
view with Belau. Witness thought it q
good opportunity to get q news item, and
accepted the invitation. He could not
| hear every word that was said. When he
went in Belau was mentioning the names
| of several prominent men, and seemed
to think that some place he was expect
| ing would be jeopardiZed by the charges
in the Examiner Sprague several times
impressed upon Belau that he wanted
only the truth, and Belau said ne would
| tell the truth.
| He told Sprague that he really had a
friend whom he wanted Bruner to help
| get on the force, and that there was no
money mentioned i'll connection there
with. Afterward, when Jones wanted
him to get another man on, and that
| there was money in it, he concluded to
drop his friend and get the letter from
Bruner for Jones' man.
When he (Belau) met Bruner at the
| Capital Hotel and spoke to him about the
! letter, Bruner told him that the Examiner
reporters were discussing the matter of
alleged sales of places and he didn't want
| to have anything to do with the matter.
If he should give Belau q letter for his
friend, the act woald be misconstrued and
used against him.
When Belau told Sprague that Lawrence
and Michaelson wanted him to say that
Bruner claimed to have places to sell,
Sprague asked him if it was true, and
| Belau said it was not, and Sprague then
told him not to say otherwise.
Mr.. Sheehan was cross examined at
some length, but nothing new was elected,
| except that Sprague asked Belau if the
statement made by Bruner was substan-
TALLY correct, and he replied that it was.
| Witness did not think that the sum OF
Si00 was mentioned during Belaus inter-
view with Senator Sprague. The cross
examination was long and rigid, but the
above covers most OF the points.
REPORTER NICHOLSON.
Charles Nicholson, an Examiner re-
porter, was called by Chairman Bledsoe,
and testified that he came to Sacramento
at noon on Friday last. He denied hav-
ing asked Belau to say that Mr.. Bruner
had six places to fill on the San Fran
cisco police force, and did not hear Mr..
Lawrence or any one else ask him to do
so. Witness said that very little passed
| between them in the interview referred
to, and finally Belau left, saying he
would see them later. Belau was about
half drunk at the time.
MR.. BRUNER TESTIFIES.