The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-15
POSTAL CASE
 DRAWS CROWD Court Room Packed to Hear John J, Ryan Testify NEW SENSATION SPRUNG stenosrapher Was Concealed In Office When Miller Was Examined and Every Word Uttered Was
 Taken Down.
NEW SENSATION SPRUNG

Cincinnati October 14-Standing room was in demand in the United States dis trict court room on the second day of the trial of Miller and Johns for conspiracy to extort a brlbe In connection with the recently exposed postal frauds Nine witnesses were examined today and the government has four more to call so that the defense will not begin until the afternoon of the third day and the case may not get to the jury until the last day of the week.
 The principal witnesses were Ryan and the officials from Washington. The de- fense was not taken by surprise until the afternoon. when the stenographic re- ports of the secretaries of Fourth Assist ant Postmaster General Bristow and of General Robb, of interviews with Miller. were introduced as evidence.
 Joseph T. Watson, secretary and stem ographer to the fourth assistant post master general. testified to being con cealed In the office of his chief when General Robb and Chief Inspector Coch- ran had their first interview with Mill Ter about the reports of the post office inspectors regarding the decisions in the Ryan case and the discovery of his re- lations with Johns.
 He then read from his original steno- graphic notes all that was said during the two hours and half that the officials were thus questioning Miller regarding the case.
 Produced the Copy. Fr1.. .p on the stand was followed soon after ward by Charles H. Robb, assistant att torney general for the post office depart ment, being called, and he produced a copy of the transcribed stenographic notes of his secretary, MT. Tullis, of an- other long interview with Miller, when the same parties were present. At the first meeting of Miller with Robb and Cochran. the defendant did not know that a stenographer was concealed in the room, as he did in the last case, when he made an equally lengthy statement, and signed the report made by MT. Tul- lis. The extent of the detective work that has been done In these cases by the government was never disclosed until during the afternoon session. when ver- batim reports of these interviews of Mill Ter were submitted in evidence. notwith- standing the objection and exception of counsel for the dffense
 Then Ryan was recalled. Judge InOmD- son ruled that some further reference to Miller had been impressed with the wit ness In Washington; that Miller's salary of only $2oOO was small there. and that both needed money. Ryan claimed to have made two contracts with Johns at the Filbeek hotel at Terre Haute, one for $2500 for a favorable decision and the other for 5000 for revising circulars and other advertising, so it would pass through the mails. Ryan testified that Johns insisted that the amounts would be small when divided
 Cross-Examination Terrific. | The ss-examination of Ryan by Charles Baker was terrific. the most prominent question being: "Of how many murders are you guilty?"
 1 When Ryan replied that he had been ac- quilted of the only murder he was tried for, then followed questions of shooting scrapes and arrests mostly connected with a saloon formerly conducted by Ryan n St. Louis. He was examined at length in his trial for alleged passing of bad checks. While he was questioned about different arrests, one was for securing the corpse of a Chinaman. Baker had Ryan admit that he gave Johns in his own handwriting a complete statement of his bookuaking so the latter as his attorney coulo present the case 10 the poStoI1lC9 depa iment. This document was on the letter-head of the Flbeck hotel at Tercs Haute, and submitted In evidence. as were also the contracts for $2500 and olso. for 5000 on the same letter-heads and in the same handwriting of Ryan It was brought out there was to be no division of the 5000 for the revision of Ryans ad- vertising literature. Ryan admitted that he took fin over million dollars through the mails. and had s2O0,OOO on hand when the postoffice inspectors took charge of his concern.
 Hiram Rulyson closely examined Ryan to why he had not been indicted as we'll as Miller and Johns. Witness denied that any bargain had been made or iin- munity promised him. On direct testi- mony Ryan testified that Johns dictated the statements and contracts that were in his handwriting on the Filbeck letter beads