The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-20


Jur, IN Brooki,n IN the Former con.
CHEESEMAN'S Casa Former Door.
keeper ct the House Tells what lie Dih
for the cashier" Company for IA,
A.-u- II the Depart ment's Inquiry
Widening Discovery That There
We're Two Promotion S,ndlcates
WAsHiNGroN. June ia positive state
men, was made at the Post Office DEPART
mont this afternoon that former Congress-
man briggs of BROOKLYN, who admits having
received a salary OF $i2,5OO n year from
he Brand, Cash Register Company while
hc was n member Of the House OF heplr-
srntaIive4. would bc in dicted bv the Fed
e,al Grand Jury in New York II was laid
hat tho CIR and Jury was expected to bring
in this indictment to -lnorrow, Officers
asserted that Mr.. Driggs's alleged defence,
hat the statute OF limit al ions renders
persecution impossible in his case. was a
vrrv poor stand for lawyer to take.
II was pointed out tina; while Mr.. briggs
severed his connection with The House of
Representatives more than ,wo wears ago.
II IL ktlNWH lItI IN" HIlHI IdNI'UI VI us
salary or commission, or whatever il WAS
from tho Brandt Company was made fol-
lowing tho delivery of consignment OF
registers to the Pos, Office Department,
ard within the period not covered by the
statute 1t il said there vii! he severa.
counts in the indictment, one Of which WI!
be bribery and another conspiracy 10 de-
fraud the Government.
T. al lua, h;.,h II bpr y
at the Departm ent to-day that other indict-
lnens are expected in the New ioti 'urls-
diction tomorrow or Monday II was de-
med tina, these indictments were in regard
to the promotion syndicate, for the reasons
given above, and it is probable that several
are related to the briggs 50 and that the
indictments will be brought on like charges
of bribery and conspiracy to defraud the
Government.
The Federal Grand Jury in Brook Ign
examined number Of wit nesses vest erday
about ex- Congressman Edmund H. Driggs's
connection with the E. j. Brandt Dent
Company OF Watert own, Wis. which manu-
features automatic machines called cash
iers' which are used in post offices.
Mr.. briggs in a statement has said that
while In Congress he secured for the COM
pany an order for $50 machines TO be used
In post Offices and that he received
Slo 500 from the company for work which
he did for the company.
The Grand Jury had an all day session,
but nothing was laid before it except evil
dence relating to this phase OF the Post
Once investigation. About a dozen wit
nesses were examined. Some Of them were
Edward J. Brandt. tho president OF the
machine company. Robert Don't. W. 4.
Woodward. cashier Of tho National Bank
in Watsstown; Bruce Corren. who was an
assistant doorkeeper OF the House Of Rep
resentatives at Warrington: George F.
Miller. who Is tho New York agent for the
machine company; Winfield s. Strawn.
former employee Of the company, who is
now suing 1t for $50 900 damages; his brother
q. E. Strawn Harold Hanson and Paul Arm
strong. agents OF the company, and In
spector Little. All Of these witnesses
have been in Washington and were eI-
amined by the Attorney General there.
The Grand Jury adjourned at O'Clock
until 10 O'Clock Monday morning. District
Attorney Youngs announced that no IN
hictments had been found, but he wouldn't
say anything about the proceedings before
the Grand Jury. Il is said that eight or
inc witnesses are still to he heard.
Mr.. Cornell was not backward in telling
what probably brought him here from
his nome in Canton, Ohio. For three years
ha was employed in President McKinley's
Jaw office Mr.. Correl SAYS that while he
vas Il doorkeeper in the House, repre-
sentative of the Brandt Dent Company
came to him and asked him to arrange for
an Introduction to influential members OF
the House OF Representatives. Cornell
understood that he was to be paid for what
he did and he says he introduced the Brandt
Dent Company representative TO Mr.. briggs
and two or hrce members OF Congress.
Correll says that he had two sons who were
preparing for college and that any little
extra money he. earned would come in
mandy. He didn't know what the Brandt
Dent Company representative wanted to
meet the influential Representatives for,
hc says.
But Correll didn't get the money he ex-
pcc'ed and now he is suing the company
or 500, as he saws he carried out his part
If the contract. Cornell spotted Mr.. Brandt
outside Of the Grand Jury room and stopped
telling very humorous story long enough
Ia remark:
There's Brandt now. He's making out
he doesn't know me. He's making be-
love that he never saw me before. / guess
I'm disguised"
Corre1 said that George F. Miller. the
Now York agent Of the company, was in a
committee room in the House shortly before
Congress adjourned and he says he had to
ask Mr. Miller to leave.
books and number of papers were taken
into the room. 1t was said that one thing
under discussion was how Mr.. briggs re-
cnived the S!2.5OO from the company for
services rendered" One explanation was
that Mr. briggs received a promissory note
or paper Of some kind in the form of a
contract, and that the money was paid him
in installments. Every time he got an in
-tallment, it was said. the amount was
noted on the back of this paper, Soon 80
many Independents had been, made that
tho front OF the paper had to be used,
There was some question IL Mr.
briggs could be prosecuted, because Of
the statute of limit atoms should anything |
criminal be found in his transactions with |
the machine company. Mr.. briggs made
his agreement with the company, ac- F.!
"ording to his own statement, in May. 1899 |
Federal officials say that the statute OF |
limitations will not interfere at all and it |
was stated that a number OF the indorse- |
ments on the check or contract which Mr.. |
briggs got from the company showing when |
certain sums were paid are recent enough |
10 come within the time specified by law
Mr. briggs. who is a leading Democrat OF
Brooklyn and who was a candidate against |
Borough President Swanstrom last year, |
says that If he did anything wrong il was |