Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1903-03-10
From a Stan Correspondent.)

The special committee appointed by
! Speaker Mockett from the house as the re-
/ suit OF resolution by Knox OF Buffalo 10
/ Investigate the circumstances surroundfna
the so-called cigar box, said to contain
l o US and other forms OF securities rep
resenting portions OF the S545 900 OF state
| funds embezzled by BARLEY while state
! treasurer, began It's work ght by taking
testimony OF three witnesses
The night sessions OF the house on the
revenue bill with its fifty amendments,
also began tonight This strenuous pace is
/ to continue until the revenue bill Is dis
posed Of and some result is reached in the
! Bartley case.
The members composing this investigat-
| ing committee are Representatives Knox
Of Buffalo. chairman; Nelson and Kennedy
Of Douglas, Ribble OF Saline and Ferrar
| OF Hall.
The witnesses who testified tonight we're
! former State Treasurer HILL who was Bart
/ leys immediate predecessor; r. j. Clancey
who was private secretary TO former Gov
ernor Savage, and Judge Holcomb OF the
supreme court, governor from January 8,
1895, until January, 1893, serving his frst
| term as BARLEY served his last as state
! treasurer.
| Nelson and Kennedy, the lawyers of the
| committee. did most of the questioning.
although Chairman Knox occasionally in
| terrogated a witness The nature OF the
! evidence tonight was not such as 70 lead
to any immediate unearthing OF tho c:sar
| box, which one Of the witnesses declared
! to be a mere myth or legend. The commit
tee has other witnesses. however. TO ex-
anime. II is very anxious to locate Cow
ernor Savage to request his presence by
wire. This anxiety is based largely uFon
| the assumption that the former executive
will be able to make some pertinent dis
closures, inasmuch as nc gave reason for
such theory when he made public 4 Jet
ter some time last year saying thar ut the
end of his official term he would tell where
this mysterious receptacle was ann gave
the general impression that its contents
would be made known.
Hill the First witness.
Ex-Treasurer Hill was the nrst witness.
He said:
IT turned over to Mr. Bartley>at the end
OF my term securities for all moneys in my
possession. / told him In what BANKS I
had funds deposited. / gave certificates
OF deposit in settlement With Barley, as
checks were not allowed. BARLEY objected
to accepting the certificates OF one o.! two
banks and the rest he accepted without
hesitation. As was customary IN The case
two bankers TO aid him in going over his
predecessors accounts. He chose Luther
Drake and Mr.. Balch Of Omaha. Every
thing was verified and BARLEY had ample
opportunity to throw out anything he OBJ
iected to. All the certificates OF deposit
which BARLEY accepted as cash later were
paid except those from the Capital Ma
tionaI bank. which failed. Neither my
bondsmen nor I made good any OF these
losses I turned over no personal securi-
ties / had not loaned money to any indi-
vidual or had any evidences Of any personal
Indebtedness l settled In full with Bart
ley according to the auditors statement
about January "A, 1898. In the suit that
was later brought against me and my
bondsmen the question was raised as 20
whether I ought not TO have paid over in
cash. This-wss impossible, and my settle
meut was verified by the decision Of the
supreme court l know OF no one Who got
money personally from BARLEY while treas
urer. Have had no dealings with him nv
self"
CIancey's Opinion OF Savage.
Mr.. Clancy was the next witness. Mr..
Clancy was subpoenaed by the sergeant-at-
arms OF the house in the city this after
noon His testimony came somewhat as a
surprise, since. owing 10 his intimate re-
Iationp as private secretary to Governor
Savage, who declared that he knew and
would tell OF that mysterious cigar box, II
was naturally supposed he would be able 70
give the committee some light that would
be valuable TO II, but Mr.. Clancy said he
knew nothing. He made this statement:
Il never saw the cigar box nor its con-
tents Don't know anything about Il ex-
eept what l have read in the newspapers.
Never talked Of II with Governor Savage
except in an incidental way. and look upon
Il as a myth or legend"
The most surprising part OF Clancey's
testimony was his answer 10 the questions
whether or not he knew anything OF that
famous letter which Savage caused to be
published in which he emphatically stated
that at the end OF his oficiHl term he would
disclose the whereabouts II not the con-
tents OF this box. Clancy said. in fact.
that he believed Savage dld not know any
thing about this box and, moreover, that
he didn't mean what he said IN that letter;
that he thought the governor was merely
joking when he wrote. or had the letter
written and did not himself really believe
seriously IN the actual existence OF any cigar
box only as a mythical. mysterious some
thinE- vague and Elusive. valuable only