The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-09
HERsEY ON THE STAND.
He Tells OF His Charge for Securing
Pension Information.

He Tells OF His Charge for Securing
Pension Information.
WAsHINGToN, April S.-Representative
Brookshire voluntarily took the stand this
morning in the pension office investigation.
He testiaed shat no became acquainted with
8. K. Hersey in 1889. He ascertaiued that
Hersey had had considerable experience IN
pension claims. the witness at first at
tempted TO attend to all business, but be
had scriveners paralysis, and while he did
considerable of the work himself, he ems
ployed Heissy TO look after his pension bus
iness, paying him 1926 a month,
and having two secretaries to attend 10 hls
other work. The soldiers seemed to be we'll
satisfied with the service they secured
through the witness ard he never heard any
complaint until yesterday. when he learned
that charges had been preferred against
Hersey. The witness told Hepsey he desired
to render bIs constituents the best service
possible, and OF course never expected 10 re.
ceive any compensation for the work and
would not have permitted 1t for moment. II
anything had accurrsd which mas resulted
in abuse by his secretary OF the courtesies
extended TO members OF congress- he was
free to say he was very sorry and knew
nothing OF 1t. He never had any knowl-
edge that Hersey was using his name for
his personal ends, and never authorized him
to use it.
Chairman Wheeler-What would you
think Of the propriety Of disco tinuing all
congressional interference with the pension
otficei
Mr.. Brookshire- cannot see anything lm-
| proper about 1t, If the work is carried on In
good faith between congressman aud the
| pension office.
MIR. Brookshire did not know how many
clerks IL took TO answer the daily pension
| calls OF congressman.
Representative N. X. Gantz of Ohio made
a statement substantially similar to that Of
Mr.. Brookshire
HERsEY ON THE STAND.
HerseY took the stand and said that be-
sides tue congressman named he had been
| employed in like manner by Representatives
Durborow Of Illinois and Perkins Of Iowa,
and also in the last congress by Representa-
| tives Martin and StrLble of Iowa, The
| witness had no understanding with the
| congressman except 10 render them good
| service, aud none Of them knew the witness
| was receiving payment He saw nothing
wrong in what he had done. Where SOL
diers wrote for Information he charged
them nothing, and returned the money in
rare cases In which they incosed
| a fee. The attorneys he charged for furn-
ishinR the information, usually telling them
| it was worth 81 a cAs3; while he rather ex.
| pected compensation, he would not have
| endeavored to secure pay If they did not re-
NIT any. The witness knew that other
clerks TO senators and members called up
| cases, signing their employers name and
he believed they received pay for the infor.
nation furnished. IL was not against any
| rule. regulation or order Of the bureau. Ii
was benefit to the soldier to give an attor~
| ney knowledge of the case. The witness
said he would permit the committee 10 ex-
anime his books, and all the records we're
| open. Id
Mr.. Enloe asked whot gave rise to the
necessity for the application by attorneys
| to other persons for information as TO the
status OF their cases.
The witness replied that in the last con-
gress and until recently attorneys could get
any information which the witness gave
them If they knew where TO find It. Recent
ly there had been an order prohibiting at
torneys from looking at the record or any ad-
verse testimony or the reports Of examining
surgeons. Members of congress, however,
had that privilege. The witness said he
knew men who worked for members who
sold information TO pension attorneys, and
believed he knew one senator's clerk who
did the same thing. After good
deal Of pressing Mr.. Peyson learned
that the two members' clerks were Mr..
Maddox, who worked for Representative
! Cockrell, English and Harter, and Mr..
Mcclellan who worked for his father,
Representative Mcclellan, and Martin
of Indiana. ne knew by
| the signs" that Commissioner
Raum was aware Of what the witness was
doing and believed, although he could not
prove it, that the commissioner was
aware of the witness work before
the investigation began. He had called up
about 900 cases on congressional slins and
had been paid in 200 Of these cases. He had
less than 100 cesss himself as an attorney.
The witness said that il there were any
moral obliquity or turpitude involved in
his acts, no member Of congress was re-
spon6ibIe