The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-10
Investigation Is ON
Captain Stiles Is the First
Witness Examined.
TELLS ABOUT ROSENBAUM
Ravens Bill Special Order in
the House Today.

Guthrie, o. T, Feb. 9.-CSpecial) 1.-THE
Initial session Of the joint INVESTIGATING
committee, which was held this morning.
was OF two hours duration and adjourned
without completing the examination OF the
first witness called, Captain D. +. Stiles.
The committee took reness unit. 9 O'Clock
tomorrow morning, TO give the stenogra phi
er an opportunity TO transcribe his notes,
and at that time Captain Stiles viii be
again heard.
The testimony of Captain Stiles this
morning was entirely in re-ation to mat
ters pertaining 10 the conduct of the mill
iary affairs Of the territory by Phil Ros-
euDaum, who was Quartermaster general
under Governor RenfroW, and afterward
adjutant general under Governor Barnes
The witness testified that he was retired
officer in the United States army and that
while colonel OF the First regiment, Okla
homla national guard, i came 10 his knowl-
edge officially that property belonging to
tie guard was being sod and given away,
and funds were being illegally used. He
spoke 10 Adjutant General Jamison and
Governor Renfrow about these shortages
al they agreed with him that an effort
should be made to trace the lost property
and fix the responsibility. The officer who
had charge OF the inquiry afterward re-
ported that he had found some camuaign
hats that had been given to a farmer by
4 member of Ros Q baum's family in ex-
nhange for a load Of wood. The witness
also told of some military cloth that he
heard, had been made away with By one
Jay Mann, a quartermaster sergeant, in
1885, but could not testify to that fact
of his own personal knowledge. There
was also a package of blanets from when
some of the contents were missing but a
board of survey called for that purpose
failed 10 fix the responsibility. Captain
Stiles also testified that he had ascertaineo
that money was being misapDlied, and
spoke to Adjutant General Jamison about
1t and that official agreed that the voucn-
ers were exOrbitaBt. Governor Barnes
also stated 10 the witness that Rosenbaum
had brought in vouchers which he thought
exorbitant and he had refused to a21rove
any more of them. The witness related
the territorial auditor in which he Called
that officials attention to the fact that
Ae was paying vouchers on the military
fund without authority of the law, and
that afterward the auditor informed him
that he had allowed these accounts upon
the written opinion of the attorney gen
eral and the approval of the auditing
board, which had approved the vouchers
and ordered them paid.
The witness told Of being approached by
one E P. MnCabe, who volunteered to fur
nish the witness with any information he
desired in the auditors Office, but the wit
ness concluded that he was simply irving
TO find out his purpose. Afterward when
ne went 20 the auditors Office with a stem
ographer for the purpose Of checking up
ROsenbaum;s accounts he was informed by
this same McCabe that the vouchers were
in the safe and that Auditor Hopkins had
the key He was permitted TO use the /
auditors stub book, however and was fur
nished a desk TO facilitate the work, but |
had not progressed very far when NcCa5e I
too the stub book away, with the remark |
that the governor wanted it. At that time |
there was a court Of inquiry IN session |
and he day after its adjournment McCabe |
came to the witness and said he could |
have the stub book, but the witness had to |
return home, and declined the offer.
In answer to a question suggested by
Senator Clarke, the witness stated that he
had reason 10 believe that warrants had
been raised or altered during the Rosen-
baum regime but never saw the vounhers
that would bear out this belief He told
Of the governors refusal to approve a
voucher for Rosenbaum's expense while
attending a meeting of the adjutant gen
erals OF the national guard in st. Louis
unless II was made chargeabIe to the ad-
3utant generals contingent fund. and that
after the governors signature was OBJ
1ained the voucher was altered and charg-
ed to the quartermaster's department. The
witness also told of other hearsay in
stances Of vouchers being altered by Ros-
enoaum after receiving the governors sig
nature. He told Of Rosenbaum's sleepinr
rooms, but admitted that he had discovered
no instance where the territory had paid
the bills for the furniture although Rosen-
baum had made an effort in that direction.
The witness, as a military man. thought
the governor had not followed the proper
course IN detailing "a line officer to perform
the duties of adiutant general. but he
should have appointed a staff officer