The National tribune., 1892-04-21
PENSION BUREAU INVESTIGATION.
Confirmation OF the Testimony Taken BY thu
unuse Snecial Committee.

| Continuation Of the Testimony Taken BY thu
| House Special Committee.
B. w. Flenniken, who was private Secretary
| for the late Senator Plumb testified before the
| committee investigating the Pension Bureau,
| that the charges made by Hersey in his testi-
mony that he (Flenniken) had received com
| pensation for status of pension cases was with
out foundation in fact, and that he had never
| received money for these cases from anybody.
G. w. Wayson, a Special Examiner in the Bu-
| reau, denied that he had ever received or Dor.
| rowed money from Examiners in the Bureau
| who wished to secure duty in the field, or that
| he had authority to assign men to such duty.
When questioned regarding money transactions
with man named Conley, he said this was
private business His official business was open
for inspection, but not his private affairs. lie
declined to answer questions regarding his pri-
vate business Chairman Wheeler then pro-
posed that Wayson's record be submitted to
the House, together with resolution request
ing Gen. Raum to discharge Wayson from
office.
Harvey Ellis, an Examiner In the Bureau,
declined to say whether he had ever Endorsed
Wayson's notes, but admitted l0aning him 500
a long time ago. He thought there was diff
ference between telling of this last Transaction
and the indorsing part, which he said was his
private business. Mr.. Enloe remarked that
the investigation could not proceed while
paddock was upon the mouths of Pension Blu
reau employees. to which remark Judge Payson
objected, characterizing it as an inference, and
said Congress had nothing to do with witnesses
answering questions, as they alone were &C
countable.
Several other witnesses were examined on
this subject, and it was shown that the practice
of borrowing money was pretty general with
Pension Bureau employees.
Mr.. Cooper, of Indiana, replied to the
charges made against him by Gen. Raum,
which showed that Cooper's private secretary,
Hersey, had violated regulations of the Pen
sion Bureau. Mr. Cooper said, "Whatever MIR.
Hersey did in the way of furnishing iniorma-
ton in the manner charged by the Commits
sioner was done without my knowledge or
consent, az he has already testified The Com
missioner has shown that he was cognizant OF
facts as early as September last which led him
to believe that Mr.. Jersey was abusing my
confidence Indeed, in January of this year,
Mr.. Raum asked mo whether Mr.. Hersey was
authorized to sign my name a thing which
think he already knew. and yet instead OF tell
ing me his suspicion, he did everything in his
power to bring about his fall, arranged, as he
himself has testified to have him bribed and,
in the hope that he might somehow entrap me,
has spread net over two or three States and
called into requisition the spies and ipformers
who are his creatures and DO his bidding.
bS hIsD l. Hdd 1iihu u.i- AiSA
sey was receiving pay for work done over my
signature was when / received the letter from
Morgan containing $25. / Immediately sent
for Mr. Hersey and told him that could not
allow him to receive pay for that kind Of SER
vice. and returned the money 70 Mr.. Morgan"
al say here" continued Sir. Cooper, " that
never at any time did I ask or accept one sim
gle cent for any service growing out of my
connection with my public service, neither di-
racflv or iudiraafIx- and GefV human
ing to show to the contrary"
IN reference to J. Y. Maring, OF the firm OF
Naring, Slusher & Co., Mr. Cooper said that
Maring was Republican, and at one time was
mentioned as q probable candidate against
him. When first in Congress. in 1889, he
knew absolutely nothing about pension laws.
Maring came to him and said he desired To use
his name in calling up the cases for the
boys" and that it was usual for members of
Congress to make such calls On the under
standing that this privilege was to be used
only in behalf OF the soldiers il his district
Mr.. Cooper consented, and afterward learned
that Maring was using the privilege in his
general business. The witness wrote to Com
missioner Tanner explaining the transaction.
"Tke letter to Commissioner Tanner" con-
tinued Mr. Cooper, ~ cannot give as ] have
kept none of the correspondence, and Commits
sioner Raum. for purposes which will be per-
fectly plain. has either destroyed or In some
manner suppressed the whole OF this CORE
spondence. If that letter and my other CORE
spondence with Commissioner Tanner were
produced, Raum's criticism would be answered
in advance"
F. NJ. TAYLOR, former Special Examiner,
testified that he bad fled letter from Gen.
Logan, and that Theodore Smith, a Division
Chief, had distracted it. He had investigated
the pension firm of Fields & Co., aud found
that T. A. Fields was employed by George Z.
Lemon, and that his wife was the company.
Lemon had subsequently discharged Fields for
using his place In his (Lemon's) office 10 get
business for his wife, Fields is now in the PEN
sion Office.
In the course Of his testimony witness said
he had discovered that q negro named Jcmar,
and LatouEette, money-lender, had been yio-
lating the law by loaning money on pension
certificates. lie had them arrested. The
negro was convicted, but Latourette had never
been tried.
Witness said if he had toadied to the Com
missioner of Pensions, as did others, he would
have remained in Office
James Morgan, the Bloomington, Ind attor
ney, was called to the stand. and very i'm
portant admission was obtained from him by
Mr.. Enloe, the witness acknowledging that he
had written the letter inclosing the So to Mr.
Cooper at the suggestion of Special Examiner
Greenwalt, of the Pension Office, whom Com
missioner IaHtn HaQ sent out 10 investigate Inc
matter. Mr.. Grecnwalt had practically framed
the letter, and had himself sent the money in
registered letter, instead of by n draft Or
check, to Mr Cooper, instead Of to Hersey, in
order that the matter might be fastened on
Dir. Cooper and he be entrapped.
Greenwalt said the Office suspected Herscy
was calling up cases under Mr.. Cooper's name
and with his knowledge, and that Mr. Cooper
was party to it. 1t WAC decoy letter. the
witness admitted, but it failed, because MIR.
Cooper had returned the money in a letter.
stating that Hcrsey could take no money for
work done for him COOPER. Witness denied
having written the letter for GreenwalG be-
cause he feared disDarment. lie was Gepub-
ican.
Chairman Wheeler-After you knew this
matter was wrong you cent this so for Mr.
Greenwalt to member of Congress for the
purpose Of seeing if a Representative in Con-
gress would accept money for illicit inlorma-
ton,
Mr. Morgan-Mr. Greenwalt had come there
and fguratively taken charge of me- | did it
because he commanded or requested it Of me.
Greonwalt told me a condition of things that
surprised me very much. lie spoke of having
information that Hersey had got valuable in
formation from the Pension Office and had used
the official capacity Of Cooper TO get it, and had
been selling Ii broadcast and was making
money out of it.
To Mr. Lind he said this statement Of nv