Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-25

ferred Everett It would have been to. suth-
erland. whom he had instructed to speak
for the state.
The committee sandwiched in a session
during the noon recess OF the house. Mr..
Stuefer was again on the stand. He stated
that after the Burt county bond deal he
never bought. bonds from counties, l-de-
taching coupons-not where he dealt d.
.rectly with the county. Some other trans
actions were gone overland then Mr.. stde-
fer stated ~thatsNefiek never figured in
any but the Cunning and Burt county bond
deals. He stated that while treasurer
most bond transactions were made through
brokers. Many times he bought through
Kelly & Kelly -of Tobeka, Kan. he said.
This was NOW By the Board Of Educa-
tional Lands and, Funds, under which he
operated. He did not regard 1t wrong hen
nor now and said; he never derIvedSa cent
of profit from any such transaction. Stue-
fer said it was not his custom to keep tab
on when counties were going to issue bonds
or go to county seats and to bid on bonds.
The custom was he said for som member
OF the board Of county COMMISSIONER to
call and see him. The only man who ever
came to see him. from Burt county, he said.
was J. r. Sutherland, and 1t develobedethat
his ~visitSwas only incidental and not for
the specific object Of getting stuefer to
agree to take the bonds.
Letters sent to stuefer.
John F. Piper, ex-county, treasurer Of
Burt county, was on the stand and testified
that he wrote a letter to Stuefer as state
treasurer for Franklin Everett, who was
chairman OF the Burt county board, asking
Stuefer at what rate Of interest he would
buy the bonds. A letter purporting to be a
carbon copy of this one and which was so
identified by Piper and later Identified as
to substance by Mr.. Everett was introduced
In evidence. 1t was brought" out that
two such letters had been written and
Piper and Everett both testified that nei-
Their were answered by Stuefer. Stuefer
had testified that he never received any
such letters. The testimony brought out
the point that Piper, at the time of the
writing Of these letters, was cashier of the
bank at Lyons, Burt county. in
which Mr.. Everett's two sons were inter
ested and where the elder Everett rot all
his mail, Which went through the hands of
Piper. Mr. Everett, in his testimony, stated
however, that he was pleased with the
sale OF the bonds at the time and at present
and further, stated that he had not author
lied Mr.. Sears to make the investigation
or this case, which was begun about A
year ago. He said the county realized
about $500 In premiums of the deal and he
considered 1t q good bargain. As to Mr..
sutherland, Mr.. Everett stated that Suther-
land did not tell him, as chairman Of the
board, that Stuefer had mi to take
the bonds at 81. He said no one ever
appeared before the board and made any
such statement. The point was. brought out
In this testimony that these bonds were
advertised in the Lyons n Tekamah
papers. -
J. X. Hancock Of Burt county then took
the stand and testified to having talked
with Mr.. Stuefer about these bonds in the
latter's ONCE in Lincoln in January, 1901.
and that stuefer said to let him know
when the bonds were to be sold and he
thought he would take them at 3h per
cent. Hancock said that William Nesbit
was with him at the time.
K. ID. Beck, member Of the Burt Countv
Board Of County Commissioners. swore
that no one ever appeared before the boand
as a representative Of State Treasurer stue-
Ter and said that Mr. Stuefer would take
these bonds. He said he was once an
preached by Sutherland, personally. and
was told that the county could not get the
bonds refunded for 3h. Beck testified "a
to the two letters that. were said to have
been written to Mr. stuefer ana said thai
Mr, Everett told him that he had a clerk
Night SessiOn on stuefer
The night session began with Beck stiu
on the stand. He said that Chairman Ev-