Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-08

PROGRESS OF THE INVESTIGATION.
The Investigation into the workings OF the
weather bureau was continued Mt the Agricul-
tural Department yesterday afternoon. Al
though it tasted nearly two hours no startling
facts were developed and most Of the attention
Of Assistant Attorney General Colby and Chief
Clerk McCuaig was devoted 10 further consid-
GRAFTON Of the facts already gone over.
Secretary Morton came into Mr.. McCuaig's
room and remained there for some time as an
interested witness, though he did not take
very active part in the hearing. He happened
to be present when Gen. Colby was questioning
Hopfenmaier. the junk dealer who bought the
articles from Capt Braunon that were said TO
have been stolen from the weather bureau
Hopfenmaier made very good impression at
the hearing, although he seemed very much
averse to the publicity this case has
brought him. He insisted that il the goods
were stolen he had reason to believe
1t. Part Of his business Was the purchase OF
condemned property from the government de-
partments and he supposed that all that came
from the weather bureau had been properly
condemned He averred that he had always
| endeavored to be, as he put it, IAN honest
junk dealer. though high moral characters are
very rare in that profession"
WHAT SULLIVAN SAID.
'onn SULLIVAN was 'ne nrs' witness caleo 10
the stand. he has been a laborer In the
weather bureau for eleven years. He said that
ON the morninv of Decen,bar II 1900 tvo
WAGONS called st the hureau Nv Honfer-
maier's two men were with the WAGONS and
| they said they were sent for some old tyre,
betting and copper wire. About seven boxes
were placed in the wagons. They we're in a
| shed where all the property was kept that was
- l. 4
The men with the wagons said that fins old
stuff had been sold nv Cant Brannon
That same morning witness continued Gan.
Brannon told him that the wagon wou,d be nm
later for old paper. but he told Brannon that
he thought not. as the wagons had already been
W. On the 22d of the same month the wagons
came again after some old type and paper.
This last stuff was taken from the paper shed
and not from the condemned shed. The two
sheds adjoin. Witness remembered having seen
q roll OF linoleum removed from the place.
Last fall Can't. Brannon returned from the
west and he overheard Capt. Brannon remark
to Capt. Stone that there had been a good deal
Of stealing going on In his absence aud if he
had not come back when he did the building
might have been taken away as well. On Oc-
tooer ~ Witness FOUND ABOUT ioo pounds OK
III h ILL ~ ...en,;o,, :. a., p inc
to it and asked where he wanted it stored. In
December he saw VIM. Plummer packing these
same boxes and asked him where they were going
Plummer did not know and witness told him
they were going to Hopfenmaier's. sullivan
said that be met Brannon in front Of Horfen-
maier's place. Brannon asked him if he was
keeping q watch on him. sullivan told him
thai he WAS not; this was to throw him off his
guard Witness had never had any difficulty
with Branuon except once when it was in con-
nection with the condition Of the horses backs
in the stable.
Witness said that about . year ago 1000
pounds of new ledgers were taken from a shed
and turned over to Brannon by Ryan and they
were pu. ~ pass " hopi s,. men ana
ons YEA * ooo nnnnds Of hoors W. -er,nrad
by Brannon's directions TO Hopfenmaier's
place. They were old records and were
sold as old paper. The unused books
were marked with the name OF the
sa8nai service ana TINS was after the
weather bureau Was turned over 10 the Agrl-
cu'urai Departmen.. stone step DeiohgihS
to the main ouhdlng and about nfteen IRON
strlngers were also SOLD al Brannons directions
Some Waxed paper was also sold to Hopfen-
maler as waste paper, brannon giving as . rea-
son tna' II was Oh no use 70 'ne bureau.
THE STONE STEP.
James K. Kerr, a gardener in the employ of
the government since 1861 was next called He
a.,
was asked ABOUT 'ne stone s'ep that was re-
moved from the weather bureau, but said that
he knew nothing ABOUT IL. he had seen IL, but
did not know anytnihs ABOUT i's oeing taken
| away. and would Ike TO see the man that
could say ne dlo.
mat was ali lot Mf; herf' ana :" m. RUNNER,
coIoreo iaporer az me bureau. was put upon
the anxious pencn. he told OF his having
PacAed ABOUT seven boxes OF type AT the direc-
ton OK ny. Ryan. bld not know what became
OF H. he also packed the wa1eu paper and
placed 1t IN Capt Brannons ROOM urder the
impression tnat IL was 10 De sent out 10 some OF
the statlous. ne oio not know wnetner or not
II was condemned goods.
MIR. HopFENMAIERs TESTIMONY.
Ior;s Honfenmaier the hid ord ;,,,r ao.,or
-. :. - N
VINO Pia.s suen pioniineh' UNCERTAIN part
| In this investigation, said that In answer to a
telephone message he went to Ryan's house on
N street. Ryan told him that he had some
goods for sale and he went down into the cellar,
where he found q considerable amount of sta
tionery, drawing paper, writing paper. pens
| and pencils Ryan, whom he had known at the
weather bureau, said that he wanted to sell the
goods right away. The stationery was new and
| in the original packages. 1t was weather bu-
reau paper and witness refused to have any
| thing to do with it. Ryan's explanation Of his
possession of all this stuff WAS that it was sur
plus matter and had been given to him BY Off
cials of the bureau.
That's a new way of disposing of q surplus"
remarked Secretary Morton. Every one smiled.
| for this was the first break in a rather unin-
| teresting hearing.
As to the removal of the type, Mr.. Hopfen-
raier stated in the most enphatic manner that
he had never taken a single pound of type from