Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-07-05

partmelt was Samuel 3. Archer, d
newspaper publisher, at present living
in Iryin-tOn. \. j. lie said that a
few years ago he was engaged as
superintendent at the Liberty Machine
works, at No. D Frankfort street. He
applied for a license at that time as
d stationary engineer and submitted
TO the examination therefor. He
made ore stupid blunder and accord
ingly did not pass. subsequently a
sanitary policeman called at the office
and said that the witness could not
be examined again for six months,
when he would have to pay fee Of
So. If, however, he would pay $50
the officer said he thought he could fix
it so that he could undergo a second
examination at once.
The next witness examined gave his
name as John Mortimer braunagan
SearIes, and is said 10 be commonly
known 10y his own desireJ as Brevet
MAJOR John Mortimer Brannagan
Searles, although he requested Mi.
Golf to drop the title ANA cal him Nh.
Searles. he produced his commission,
signed by President Andrew Johnson,
as captain ana rrevet major. lie also
exhibited other commissions and said
he had once been IN command OF Fort
SumIer and had served with Senator
Robertson IL the war.
After MI. UOI nuu allowed the Wit
ness to describe #Ilu uuc0 StStO his
early career, AID drawn from hum
the fact that he Kept his valuable
papers, lie suddenly ,tSnea him II he
had retained Il certain Letter that he
had receIN ed LIU44 Ponce Commits
Si0ner Suee4un. Inc witness SQuirIned
Il little and Jne4 explained VIII some
yerbOsIty that the letter mac UceH de-
strUyeu uuIIng the May AOuse-c4eanlnG.
Then the MAYOR uIyerseu IUus enough
to explain that he was now i'll charge
Of puDlic DaLu No. L., ut Lne loot OF
Market strtvJ Asked to recall the Sub
Sauce Or tenor OF the letter, he said
he could not remember; d SABRE cut Oh
ms mead had rather affected his mem
Dry.
Wi ID much ironicaI courtesy NJ. Golf
referred the witness to the ursG sub
poena served upon HIM, Which lie had
neglected 10 RESPOND To, and asked II
ne (the cOunseV was correct i'll sdppoS-
oDngation of an officer and d gentle
man as superior to the oath OF d wit
ness. Major Searies responded il the
aurmauYe. The witness went on 10
say that he was in Philadelphia at the
time the hrst subpoena was served.
Continuing his examination Nj. Golf
began to push the witness ia Il corner.
He asked hun, after some fencing, il
il was not true that he had received
S1OO for destroying certain letter
from Police Commissioner Sueenan.
The major denied the impuIallou with
much Indignation, and pointing to a
man sitting near Mr.. Golf said he sup
posed that thing" had told that story
to Mr.. Golf, and he expressed surprise
that MIR. Colts society" should hire
such detectives. Refreshing his mem
Dry the major suddenly recollected
messenger in the department and had
received a reply from Mr.. Sheehan.
He explained that ne stood at the head
of the civil service list and that was
why be made the application. Thus
the contest went on between Mr.
Golf and the witness, the lawyer
treating him with the utmost courtesy
and politeness, but occasionally ask
ing him questions which intimated
that he was lying and that he had
been paid for keeping out of the way.
The next witness was Matthew D.
O'Connor. He said he had been en-
gagged in the railroad business, but had
been driven out of business by Tam
many hall. He testified that the previ-
Gus witness had shown him his sub
poena and said that he had just re
turned from Philadelphia, where he
had been having a deuce Of a spree on
500 paid to him by Jim Boyle, the
Tammany leader Of the ninth assem-
bly, district. He said, the witness
stated, that he had been paid that 500
to keep away from the city while the
senate committee was in session and
to lose" certain letters received by
him from Police Commissioner Shee-
han. Searles also told the witness that
he thought he would have no difficulty
in getting reinstated in the depart
ment Of public works.
Mr.. Golf having got all he wanted
from Mr.. O'Connor about Searles,
asked him to relate his experiences as
a railroad and steamship man with
the police. The witness first of all
said that Patrick H. Roche, Tammany
leader Of the ninth assembly district,
had succeeded in getting him dismissed
from his place as foreman on the dock
Of the New Haven and Hartford Rail
road company. Prior to his employ
ment by that company he was hired
by the Monarch Steamship company.
While in that company the witness
said he knew of policeman steering
passengers tC that company's Office
and said that he had himself paid as
high as 500 a month for commissions
to a runners " pool, which consisted
Of sergeant, a roundsman and pa
trolman Of the Broadway squad. The
sergeant's name was Lewis; he is now
retired. The patrolman's name was
Murphy; he is also retired and is now
employed, the witness said, in the
stock exchange.
Mr.. Ransom mined the wit
ness and attempted to attack his
credibility by questions in relation to