Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-11
DEMANDING THEIR DISCHARGE.

The Pension Investigating Committee After
Employees who Decline to Answer.
b. W. Flenniken. private secretary to the late
Senator Plumb of Kansas. testified before the
pension Office investigating committee today
that he had never received compensation, di-
rectly or indirectly, for any information relat-
ing to the status of pension claims. Samuel R.
Hersey had said he believed Mr.. Flenniken
sometimes sold the information he secured by
means of congressional slips.
EXAMINER wAYsoN on THE STAND.
Geo. W. Wayson, formerly assistant chief
Of the special examining division Of the
pension bureau and now a special examiner
in the field, who, it is charged.
used his influence while assistant
chief to secure desirable assignments in the
field to such examiners and clerks as lent him
money or Endorsed his notes. was examined.
He said that he never had authority to assign
men to duty in the field and had
never obtained or solicited any money
for anything he had done in the Office. But
when asked questions as to whether or not he
had borrowed money or secured Endorsements
from o number Of his subordinates,
whose names were given, he de-
clined in each case to answer the
questions, declaring that the matter WAS pri-
vate. and in no way affected his official acts.
Mr.. Enloe asked if witness had not taken the
deposition of an examiner named Wilson. show
ing that the latter had borrowed money
from a money lender named Latourette on a
pension certificate contrary TO law. He an
swered that question affirmatively, but denied
absolutely that after taking the depo-
sition he kept it on his desk for six
months and until it was taken from him, in
order to prevent Latourette's prosecution. He
said that he turned the affidavit over to the
chief of the division.
q Sha
tons bearing on financial transactions the COM
mittee decided to report to the House a resolu-
ton requesting the commissioner of pensions
to discharge him from the pension Office.
SENT MONEY TO WATSON.
Harvey G. Ellis testified that at one time he
loaned Wayson 500 but he respectfully de-
clined to state whether he had Endorsed aay
notes for Wayson on the ground that it was
his private business. He also declined to say
whether he had been called in from the field
to renew a note for Mr.. Wayson. The witness,
however, volunteered the statement that no
transaction he ever had with Wayson had ever
benefited him (witness), nor had any such trans
action cost him a cent.
The witness still persisting in refusing TO
answer the questions bearing en- financial
questions the committee decided to report to
the House a resolution requesting the CON-
missioner of pensions to discharge him from
Office, was done in the case OF the previous
witness
EX-DETEcTTvE M'ELFREsH.
George W. McElfresh, a messenger in the
pension Office, testified that he had been told
to watch O colored broker" and had assisted
in furnishing the evidence upon which he was
indicted He had borrowed money from Mr..
Latourette and was now in debt to him. Wit
ness testified that he was formerly detective
on the Washington police force, but had been
legislated out of Office. In response to
further questions by Mr.. Enloe the
witness said that Confidential Clerk Linea-
weaver had told him to let him 0ineaweaver)
know if he saw anything Of interest to Gen.
Raum in the investigation held by the CON-
mittee in the last Congress. The witness told
Mr. Lineaweaver subsequently that he saw q
number of pension office clerks congregating
in Wizards Hotel with Mr.. Fleming. the news
paper correspondent