Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-08

Members Of Congress Explain Their Rela-
lions With Mr. Heasey.

lions With Mr.. Heisey.
MEssRs. BRooxsHIRE AND eANrz TELL How
THEY CAME TO EMPLOY HIM-HERsEY HIMSELF
TAKES THE STAND AND MAKES A STATEMENT
OF HOW HE oPERATED-oTHEns, He SAID.
WERE DOING THE SAME 1HiNa.
Representative Brookshire voluntarily took
the stand this morning in the pension Office
Investigation. He testified that he became
acquainted with 8. R. Jersey in 1889, and ascer-
tanned that Hersey had had considerable ex-
perience In pension claims. Witness
at hrst attempted to attend to all
the business himself. but he had
ScrlVeners paralysis, and while he did con-
siderable OF the work himself he employed
Mr. Hersey to look after his pension business,
paying him s25 and $40 month to look after
MS pension business and two secretaries to
attend to his other work.
The soldiers seemed to be well satisfied with
the service they secured through witness, and
ne never heard any complaint until yesterday,
when ne learned that charges had been pre-
ierred against Hersey. Witness told Hersey
he desired to render his constituents the best
service possible and. of course, never
expected to receive any compensation for the
WORK and would not have permitted it for a mo-
ment: II anything has occurred which has
resulted In the abuse by his secretary
Congress he was free TO saw he was very sorry
ana knew nothing of it. He never had any
Snowiedge that Jersey was using hrs name for
MS personal ends and never authorized HIM to
so use it.
ABOUT DISSEMINATING CONGRESSIONAL INTER-
FERENCE.
CHAIRMAN Wheeler-What would Won think
OF the propriety of disseminating all congress
slonal interference with the pension Office.
Mr.. Brookshire-I cannot see' anything i'm
proper about 1t If the work is carried on in
sion Office
MIR. Brookshire did not know how many
clerks 1t took to answer the daily pension calls
OF congressman.
MR. GANTz's EXPLANATION.
Representative N. X. Gantz of Ohio testified
that he had employed Jersey to look after his
pension Claims, because he understood Hersey
to be very efficient in that work.
Witness paid Hersey for all work he did for
MN and had no knowledge that Hersey re-
ceiVeo compensation from any one else. and did
Mos no" know Hersey got pay from others.
Witness did not know Hersey had misused his
name.
HERsEYs STATEMENT.
Samuel T. Hersey, the pension attorney who
was charged with calling up cases on congress
sional slips and furnishing information to
ATTORNEYS for pay, was then examined Hersev
testified that he also worked for Representa-
tives Durborow of Illinois and Perkins of
Iowa.
In the last Congress. in addition to the MEM
Ders named, he worked for Messrs. Martin and
Struble of Iowa.
Hersey said he bad sold the information he
got as COOper's secretary and had also used the
slips of BrOokshire and che thoushD of Mr..
Perkins OF Iowa. Had not used Mr.. Gantz's slips,
Had seen Mr.: Cooper personally only about
three times this year, as he got Mr. Cooper's
pension letters by sending his witness clerk
after them.
MIR. Payson-Did you not know you could
not have got this information except on a
members slip!
OTHER CLERKS OBTAINING sIMuAR INFoRMA-
TON.
The witness replied affirmatively, but said he
knew other clerks were obtaining this informs-
ton in the same way. He said he knew two
men who worked for members who sold in
formation to pension attorneys, and believed
he knew one Senator's clerk who did the same
thing.
After good deal Of pressing Mr.. Pavson
learned that the two members clerks we're Mr..
Maddox, who W orked for Representatives Cock
ran. English and Harter, and Mr.. Mcclellan
who worked for his father, Representative Nc
Clelian, and Mr.. Martin Of Indiana. He had
obtained the information in an incidental way,
AS they were all in the same office building.
On cross-examination Mr.. Payson called at
tentlon to the fact that witness bad used Mr..
Cooper's slips in cases in Ohio outside Of Mr..
Cooper's district in Indiana.
Witness replied that he had assumed the
member would have no objection, inasmuch as
the office did not object. He knew by signs
that Mr.. Raum was aware of what witness was
doing and believed although he could not
prove IT, that the commissioner was aware of
witness work before the investigation began.
Mr.. Payson stated that Mr. Raum had learned
the fact since the investigation started.
MR.. MoRGAN's VISIT.
With reference to the visit of Mr. Morgan of
Indiana to witness office, Mr.. Hersey testified
that Mr.. Cooper had introduced Mr. Morgan as
being in the same business They
talked about pension matters. If Mr.
Cooper had said, IF yon have ANYTHING
worth paying for, Hersey will attend to it for
you, witness certainly had not heard it. Did
not remember to have replied that lie would be
glad to assist Morgan, though he would have
been glad to have done SO. Witness had been sus-
it giving witness an impression that he was not
an honest man. He looked up a number Of
cases Tor Morgan. Subsequently Mr.. Cooper
showed witness letter IN which Mr.. Morgan
had sent him Mr.. Cooper S25 and
said he did not understand it. Wit
ness said to MIR. Cooper he presumed
it was pay for some expert examination he had
made for Morgan. MIR. Cooper replied that
pay could not be'taken for any such work and
said he would return it. Mr.. Morgan must
have known witness address, but had not sent
the money direct to him.
DID NOT DIVIDE THE FEES.
He denied to Mr.. Payson that he had ever
been in partnership with any one in an ar
rangement to divide fees arising from these
examinations
He had received letter from Mr. Peet.
whom he knew to be clerk to Marring l. Siusher
He agreed 20 look up cases for Mr.. Peet and
assumed that MarrinH & S!usher had rome
tough cases, the status Of which they desired
to learn.
Mr.. Payson inquired Cif this were proper
business for witness to be engaged in) why had
he written that the thing was to be regarded as
confidential and that his name was to be kept
confidential, as the present rulings Of the pen
slon Office forbade attorneys to see the recOrdsY
The witness-I did not want claimants to
write to me. as knew they would, but received
letters from claimants and had returned them
the money inclosed. / did not want to charge
them fee. Ii an attorney offered to pay me I
took it.
DEMOCRATIC MANAGERS.
Their Plan for Considering Legislative Mat.
tiers in the House.
1t was the purpose Of the democratic mana.