Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-18
Sum Of So, 303, 80 Extracted from State
Treasury for that Purpose.
PAYS THIRTY DOLLARS A MONTH RENT
This Leaves s2l.l8 Monthly Over and
Above that Sum.
SLOW IN SETTLING WITH HIS LANDLADY
Some OF the Business of the
Former Governor Revealed by
the Investigation Vow
Going on.

LINCOLN, July 17-(special.)-The sss-
sion OF the Investigating committee today
was short, but decidedly to the point. Evil
dence was produced TO show that Silas A..
Holcomb while governor Of the state drew
vouchers for house rent in amounts greatly
in excess OF the rent ne actually
paid and that he drew this money quarterly
In advance, while he compelled his landlord
to wait.
This evidence was brought out when Mrs.
Charlotte Gould was on the witness stand.
She testified that she had rented the house
to Governor Holcomb in october, 1895, at $50
per month and that he had continuously up
TO the present time occupied the property,
paying the same rate OF rent. She said that
the rent was supposed to be paid monthly.
but that It came irregularly, sometimes be-
ing delayed until the 18th or even to the
end OF the month.
Examination of the records shows that from
May, 1895. to January. 1899, Holcomb drew
from the state a total OF 81, 1903. 80 for house
rent" or at the rate of S51.1s per month.
This gave room for a little "rake-of" of
s21.1s per month for forty-ive months, or a
little more than is paid the average farm
hand during the busy months of the year.
Up to date the committee has failed to
find out what amount of rent the governor
Atd'ly Idlu pl ~ oSIODtE loNO. u ou
the date that he moved into the $50 house
belonging to Mrs. Gould the records show
that he drew $3.50 'for house rent for gov
ernor for quarter ending January 1. 1896"
This Is one of the vouchers TO which he
refused to swear, but he took the money ell
in a lump and paid the owner Of the property
when he got ready.
Governor Hoicomb having failed to put in
an appearance the committee took an ad-
journment to tomorrow morning. 1t is
probable that a trip will be taken TO York
tomorrow. where a further inquiry will be
made into the details of the ballot frauds.
Committee Replies to Holcomb.
The communication OF Silas A. HolcomS,
made public in The Bee yesterday morning,
has brought out the following official letter
from the investigating committee:
We have the honor to acknowledge re-
ceipt OF your communication Of the 14th,
which has just been received. In reply We
beg to say that on the 10th inst. the COM
mittee notified you through the sergeant-at-
arms of the taking Of testimony, and invited
you to be present. to which notification you
replied. in substance, that you had no inter-
est in the subject matter of the investiga-
tion. On the 18th a subpoena was issued by
the committee directed to you and COM
handing you to appear before them to tes-
tify relative to the recount of the ballots.
The sergeant-at-arms failed to serve the
subpoena for the reason that you were re-
ported out OF the city. In view OF the fact
that you have been courteously invited to be
present at the sittings of the committee 1t
would seem that your request to be present
and given an opportunity to refute the evil
dence already given is somewhat gratuitous.
The meetings of this committee are all held
with open doors, and they cordially invite
all persons TO come before them and give
evidence they may have touching any irreg-
artNf rnlaFfNr ~ h. NnnHIInf nf
the executive or other officers Of the
state. And We would further suggest that
when the committee is seeking to discharge
a duty imposed upon 1t by the senate OF this
state II would seem that in such proceedings
II should not be met with the opposition OF
or the questioning OF its power by one who
has held the office of governor OF this state.
II there was an attempt 20 change the fun
damental faw of this state by fraud by re-
marking ballots and filling out blank ballots
none ought to be more interested than your
self In discovering that crime and in pun
ishing the guilty parties. You should be in
terested. since you were governor at the
time when II is claimed that this crime was
attempted to be committed.
The will be glad to have you
appear. but you must come as a witness
prepared to demand and receive all rights
due to a witness, as wen as to submit &c
such examination as the committee may OF
its own behalf or by direction make.
The committee will be in session at the
Lincoln hotel at 2 p. n. today and will be
glad TO have you present TO answer sucr
questions as may be put TO you touching the
conduct of the executive office during your
incumbency and any evidence you may havs
touching the recount OF the ballots cast fol
the constitutional amehdrnent at the election
OF 1896.
We have the honor to be, respectfully,
+. N. PROUT,
]. Fl. VAN DUSEN,
JACOB ROOKIE.