St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-15
BURNS HEARING CLOSED.
c0MBIS SI0NERS MEET WEDNESDAY,
TO SI5N THE TRANSCRIPT. =


Tears-Matter Will Soon Be in
the Governors Hands.
Al the opening OF the Burns investiO
CATION yesterday Mr.. Burns again took
the stand and identified the delinquent
list of personal property taxes as turned
over TO the clerk Of the court for 1890.
The list covers sixty odd pages of legal
cap, and embraces about 1880 names.
From this list 652 names had been erased
in lead pencil. principally small sums,
with no record of any kind as to why
they were erased or on whose authority.
The taxes were almost invariably less
than s., many of them less than 81, and
the presumption Is that all We're prop
| erly cancelled; but the claim of Burns
was that in order to check what seemed
to be irregular he had instituted the
plan of initiating, in order to fix he re-
Sponsibility, and that he not only in-
itialed but made record and pub
lished the record of those stricken
off by him. Clerk Of the Court
O'Connor was called to testify that
Burns first spoke to him about it, but
his testimony was not conclusive Oh
that point. He also wanted it done for
the protection of his office. Burns may
have mentioned it first. At any rate
the plan was agreed upon before the
list in question went into his hands.
He had not instructed Redding to call
II Burns and ask him to initial those
stricken off by him. Lavallee also
claimed that the initiating was in
stltuted by him for the protection of the
committee. All conceded that the
matters had previously been conducted
in loose and irresponsible manner.
O'Connor identified the list from which
the 652 names mad been stricken i'll
1890 as the one filed with his
office Mr.. johns offered fifty-tWo
witnesses to prove that they were able
to pay the taxes which had been cat
celed by the commissioners, embraced
on the list of Cancelled taxes for 1892;
| but the chairman ruled out the evil
! deGce, though Mr.. EdgertOn declined to
| object, and Mr.. Lavaliee urged them to
put in the testimony, as the committee
was ready for tie fullest investigation.
In rebuItaI, Mr. iavallee denied that
! he had the conversation testified to by
| Burns, or any such conversation at any
| time. Denied that he plead for himself
| or family or cried, but admitted that he
had a conversation with Burns, and
that he called him aside i'll the vault
and told him that he had borne his
| ISLANDERS and insinuatiOn rs as long as he
| intended to do SO and that they must
| stop. He denied that there was a Jer-
sey hefer i'll the conversation; said
he did get heifer from Hill in
exchange for another about four years
| ago and before the road mentioned by
| Burns in his testimony was talked of.
| He denied being in Burns office that
morning before the meeting of the
| board; denied having directed Burns
| to strike Off any Of the names; denied
| having any knowledge as to the names
| having been stricken off until about
| three weeks ago; denied Burns having,
or having been given authority to strike
Off evea those names abated by the
state auditor; he swore that Jessrang
! and Egan were either mistaken or their
testimony was willful perjury when
they said he was there; sw0re that
Scannell'S was false. tie explained in
detail where he was and what he did
that morning, aud declared that 1t was
in the commissioners room that the
name Of Gueren was stricken off, and at
the suggestion at that time of Commits
Sioner Seng. 1t W as initiated in black
| ink because he had laid aside his red
ink pen and took up another for
hot laScroy,
talked with him about names two weeks
before this. He was positive that all
| the names in blue pencil were erased
| after the list left his hands, and that he
| never knew of it until three weeks ago.
| He denied that he had raised or lowered
| assessments for personal considerations;
said he found Tibblls, corner Fourth
| and Colbert, with a sworn return, claim
| ing only $500 valuation. He raised his
| assessment to $1,000 and Tibbils never
| kicked, but said he was glad they did
not raise it more; said Iib1ilS was car
| rying a stock Of $4,000. Wright, Bar
| rett & StlWell were on the returns for
| 50. 700 and he raised stheir assessment
10 1000. He knew more about the
| attachments made to the wholesale
| houses than he cared to tell; could give
| them other Instances of raised assess
ments as the result Of his action if they
| wanted it, and detied them to show any
| corrupt action. On crOSS-eXamination
| he denied that he had given
| the auditor instructions 10 strike
off the abated taxes; denied
| his authority to do so without the
| authority of the board; denied that he
! had any authority even in case of pay
ments of duplicate assessments, and
| admitted that it was the duty of the
| clerk of court to enter the judgments if
not stricken off on the list as given to
| him, and that judgment would have
been entered in these cases even where
the taxes had been paid. He admitted
| that most of the names stricken off the
| list by Burns were improperly on the
list, and that he would have had them
| stricken off by the board if his attention
| had been called 10 them. Asked if he
| intended to use physical force when lie
called Burns aside in the vault, he said
he did not; but if Burns had two arms
he would be disposed to Stop his ISLANDERS
| by physical force II necessary. Burns,
| interrupting, insisted that lie would be
enough for him even with one arm. He
denied that he instigated these charges
against Burns or any other charges or
caused him or his associates any trouble
through any proceedings instigated by
him. He said he did hold up the bills
of the board OF control for i'll
vestigation, and refused to o. k.
bills for potatoes at 81 per
bushel when they were bought in the
market at 40 cents. The board thought
a contract was in existence which COM
PEELED them to pay 81 per bushel, but he
convinced them that there was not.
They did not buy ice of him. He said his
interest in the ice company was $3.50
and salary of 500 per month. but ad.
mitted that Eastern parties held an in
terest for him as collateral. He ad-
mltted that McDermott and McDermott
81 Kinsella were customers of the Ice
| cOmuany lint he did not secura them &C