The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-09
Congressman McClellan's Son Also Sold
Information About Pension Claims.
Like COopers Secretary, He Made Use of Knowl.
edge Gained in the Bureau for the Pur-
pose of Getting Money from Soldiers.
Hersey Tells Mr.. Enloe that His Master
Knew Nothing About the Business.
Cooper, However, Has Not Yet Explained How
His Signature Became Attached to the
Bogus Congressional Slips.
MORE CROOKEDNESS.
Congressman McClellan's Son Also Eng,
In Selling Pension Information.

MORE CROOKEDNESS.
Congressman McClellan's Son Also Engaged
in Selling Pension Information.
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal
. WASHINGTON, April Sand still they
come. IT the Raum investigating commit
tee, created upon Representative Cooper's
resolution. continues it's work of develop.
ing questionable pension transactions
upon the part of Democratic Congressman.
it Is doubtful if many of the Democratic
members from Indiana will escape the
talnt of pension agents and the class of ex.
torfion from the veterans. their widows
and orphans, which has been traced to Mr..
Coopers door. The committee to-day sue.
ceeded in extracting from Jersey, the
private secretary of Mr.. Cooper, the in
formation that clerks or secretaries
of other members of Congress from
Indiana were using the official position of
their employers to turn shekels from the
pockets of pension claimants into those of
their own. When asked whose influence
was being thus used Hersey replied: NC
Clellan and Martin. of Indiana" He then
went on to say that information, such as
he himself had gotten out of the Pension
Office upon the name of Mr.. Cooper, was
being secured by young Mcclellan, son of
the Congressman from the Twelfth Indiana
district and that it was sold, the same as
he had been selling it; that he learned this
fact incidentally from young Mcclellan,
who had an office in the Same building as
himself.
There have been intimations made sew
eral times to the Journal corresponds Mt
that young Mcclellan was using his
fathers official position TO further his PEN
sion business and that he was charging "a
fee for the information which other Con-
gressmen were giving their constituents
free of charge, but your correspondent
could hardly be made to believe il. The
impression here is that the names of Mar
tin and BrOOkshire were used for mercenary
purposes without their knowledge or con-
sent.
COOPER OFFERS NO EXPLANATION.
No apology OF explanation is offered on
the part of Cooper or Mcclellan. 1t hos
been repeatedly observed that it was, to
say the least, very bad taste and policy for
Congresyman's son to open a pension Of
flee and use his fathers official position to
obtain Information for use in an office bust
ness.
There has been much comment made TO-
day upon the revelations OF yesterday af-
fecting Representative Cooper's name. 1t
has put to blush almost every member of
Congress, for it has cast Odinm upon the
very office of Congressman. No one here
believes that the Fifth district will have
the bardihood to attempt to send back 10
Washington for another torn their present
Representative. and. furthermore. the reve-
latiOns made respecting Cooper have prac-
tically knocked the bottom ont of the
Pension Office investigation.
When the Pension Office investigation
committee began business this morning,
Representative Brookshire voluntarily took
the stand. He testified, says an Associated
Press dispatch. that he at first attempted to
attend to all the business himself, but he
had scrivener's paralysis, and, while he did
considerable of the work himself. he EN-
plOyed Mr.. Hersey to look after his pension
business. If nything had occurred which
had resulted in the abuse by his secretary
of the courtesies extended to members OF
COngre IS, he was free to say he was very
sorry, and knew nothing of it. He never
had any knowledge that Hersey was using
his name tor his personal ends, and never
authorized him to so use it.
Representatives. n. X. Gantz of Ohio testi-
fed that he had employed Hersey to look
after his pension claims, because he under
stood Hersey to be very efficient in that
work. Witness said he did not know Her
sey had misused his name.
HERsEY's STORY.
Samuel r. Hersey. the pension attorney
who was charged with calling up cases on
congressional slips and furnishing infOrmn-
ton to attorneys for pay, was then ex-
amined. Hersey testified that he also
worked for Representatives Durborow. of
Illinois, and Perkins of Iowa. In the last
Congress. in addition to the members
named, he worked for Messrs. Martin and
Struble. Witness had no understanding
them good service, and mono Of them knew
witness was receiving pay from attorneys.
He knew that other clerks to Senators and
members called up cases signing their
ceived pay for information furnished.
Hersey said he had sold the information
he got as COopers secretary. and had alsO
used the slips of BTookshire and. he
thought. of Mr.. Perkins. of Iowa. He had
Plnmb's private secretary. b. F. Flenni-
ken. was one of the Senator'S clerks
who, witness believed. called up cases for
attorneys for compensation. Witness said
he knew two men who worked for men,
bers who sold information TO pension at
terneys.
After good deal of pressing Mr.. Payson
learned that the two members clerks were
MIR. Maddox. who worked for Representa-
Mr.. Mcclellan. who worked for his father.
Representative Mcclellan. and Mr.. Martin
of Indiana. With reference to the visit of
Mr.. Morgan. of Indiana. to witness's office,
Mr.. Hersey testified that Mr.. Cooper had
introduced Morgan as bein in the same
business. They talked about pension mat
tiers. If Mr.. Cooper had said, If you have
anything worth paying for Hersey will at
tend To 1t for YOU" witness certainly had
not heard IL. He did not remember having
replied that he wouId be glad to assist
Morgan. Mr.. Cooper showed witness let
ter in which Morgan had sent him Mr..
COOPER SOS, and said he did not understand
it. Witness said to Mr.. Cooper he pre-
sumed il was pay for some expert examina-
tion he had made for Morgan. Mr.. Cooper
replied that pay could not be taken for any
such work, and said he would return 1t.
Witness testified that he had been dis
charged from the Pension Office by Com
missioner Raum about two years ago, but
for what reason he could never learn. He
said that If there were any moral obliquity
or turpitude involved In his acts no mem.
Der of Congress was responsible.
II. l.. Lineweaver. confidential clerk to
Commissioner Raum. testified that Green
B. Rsum. jr.. and not the Commission
bad brought Examiner Sproesser here to
watch Fleming. aud recently witness had
heard the Commissioner ask: what il
Sproesser doing herei" This is in contra
diction of the Commissioners own state
ment that he brought Sproesser here.