The Red Cloud chief., 1899-03-24
Mr.. Pool on the stand.

Mr.. Pool on the stand.
LINCOLN, March l5.-Thc Legislative
investigating committee rcsumcd the
taking of testimony last night.
j. ID. Humphreys testified that Mr..
Palm wrote insurance at the time he
was acting as examiner. lie spcci'
fed certain policies written for Mrs.
Finncy. l.. o. Hedlund testified con
corning some of the details OF the work
of the employees cf the auditors Office
and especially as to the matter of pre-
pairing and sending abstracts of United
States lands To county officers. Mr..
liedlund said IL had always been the
custom to accept fees for such services.
Books were called for and statements
made to show this to have been the
case. Mr.. lIcdlupd said, however, that !,
the abstracting had been completed by
Mr.. McGinity and that Mr.. Pool vir-
tually did the work over again. The
abstracts were To notify county clerks
of lands proved up and ready for taxa
ton and were taken from report from
United States land department officers.
Mr.. Pool was called and asked from
what counties abstracts originally sent
from the auditors Office were returned
to him requiring him 10 make corrcc-
tons for which service he had drawn
pay. lie could not tell one county. lie
received in 1897 sos for labor and the
committee endeavored to find how much
Of this was for correcting abstracts
and how much for making new ones.
but could gain no information as to.
this.
The witness said Mt the time he was
doing the abstracting he received sal
airy at the rate of 81, 700 a year. The
extra work was not strictly a part Of
the work. of the auditor, yet the audit
or's Office was responsible for IT,. The
work had been lone with the auditors
knowledge. Mr., Cornell approved the
voucher On Mr.. Pools statement of the
services performed.
Mr.. Pool further said that he had
never been told by MIR. IIedlund that
this work had been done by Clyde Nc
Ginity, but that il would be done. The
witness wanted to be understood that
Mr.. Hedlund never told Mr.. Cornell in
his presence, or himselfin Mr.. Cornell's
presence that Clyde McGinity had done
the work Mr.. Pool performed after
wards and had been paid for il.
Mr.. Pool admitted that he did know
it was n fact that the attorney general
believed the voucher illegal, but he
stated that he didn't think he had a
conversation with anyone in regard to
giving it back. Witness could recall
40 conversation he had had about re-
turning the money. lie positively de-
MED that the MUTT investigating com
mittee had had n conversation with
him about it or that any member of
the committee interviewed him about
it.
Mr.. Pool said he had had the alb
stracting work done for 1897 by his
family, but had not presented his
claim yet, as there vas so much dis
cussion in relation to il. He was asked
how much the work for 1897 amounted
to and whether he had an account
of il. He said he thought that he had
no account Of the work.
"Have you any idea now Of the
amount"
II nave an idea of the number of
entries"
How many were there?"
About ZOO at 10 cents each, that
being the usual charge"
"Do you expect to present a billP"
II cannot say either yes or no."
"What relation are you to Mr.. Cor
nell?" asked Mr.. Prout.
Not at all. Not any nearer than
the beginning of man
Neither by affinity or consanguini-
typ
mo. sir"
Mr.. Cornell cross-examined Mr.. Pool
at length.
o. w. Palm was next examined as to
what companies he had examined in
the endeavor 70 learn whether he had
omitted any in his previous testimony.
lie had the list at his tongues end.
Mr.. Palm was asked II he had filed
out the book OF examiners fees; ne
said he had not. He said he was will
ing to do SO as a courtesy TO the com
mittee, but he wanted it distinctly un-
derstood that there was no law COM
polling him to do so. Before leaving
the stand, he denied signing any poll
cy as Mr.. Humphreys had testified.
The policy had been issued by his wife.
The committee adjourned till to-
morrow morning at 8 o'clock, TO exam
inc Mr.. Abbott. No session will Lx
held this evening.
Abbott's Evidence.
LINCOLN, NEB., March l6,--1he lecil