New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-14
SPEER AFFIDAVIT GONE.
RECORDS TAMPERED WITH
Document Connecting Herrick JCitb
'4rgus" Case Disappears.
Isr TELEGRAPH TO TIE rn1BrxE,I


Albany. Oct 13-The Supreme Court rec
ords Of Albany County have been tampered
with. and document connecting D. Cady Her
rick the Democratic candidate for Governor.
with The Albany Argus case Of 1893 is no
longer a matter of court record The missing
document is an affidavit made oy William Nc
Murtrie speer editor and treasurer OF the Ar
gus Company. that he had been summoned BY
Justice Herrick to the Iatter's home. where the
policy OF The Argus was discussed while the
affairs Of the publishing company were in Hti-
CATION Attached 70 the AFFIDAVIT. il is said.
was card which Mt sDeer declared he had
received from Justice Herrick. It bore this
message: Come up 10 my house any time be-
fore II o'clock"
Neither the card nor the affidavit could be
found to-day when the Tribune correspondent
examined the papers in the Argus case The
officers in the County Clerks department were
unable 10 find the document or account for its
disappearance. Deputy County Clerk Baerends
stated that the records were not locked in a safe
but were fled away in a large cabinet and were
After business hours the -oon.z are in charge OF
a watchman. The County CLERKS office and the
Supreme Court chambers are in the same build
ing. In 1898 the watchman was an appointee
Of Justice Herrick The court records are not
copied, except in the case of orders signed by
The justices. At present there is a register de-
scribing each document fled with the Supreme
Court cases. But such a record was not kept
ten years ago
The Argus" in 1898 was controlled by prom
inent Democrats of this State. The case in
court was brought by J H Manning. a Herrick
Democrat who was Mayor. and Frederick A.
Manning against Lucie r. Cassidy and another.
and involved the ransfer Of some OF The stock
Of the publishing company. \ decision favor
able TO Mr.. Speer's interest had been rendered
and later Justice Herrick granted the represen-
tatives OF the Manning interest stay OF pro-
ceedinss. William NJ Cohen lawyer. OF New
York. Mr Speer's attorney withdrew IRON,
court, objecting TO a trial of the motion for a
stay before Justice Herrick. and alleging that
the judge had been attorney for Mayor Manning
anu was Also the law partner OF Mr. Mannins's
brother-in-Iaw- Mr.. Cohen also charged that
Justice Herrick had discussed the policy Of The
Argus" with it's editor
Following this Mr.. Speer gave the an1dav,+
which cannot be found now. The documents OF
the case include Justice Fursnan's order disco7-
tiuuInG the action. This order mentions an affi-
davit of William MeMurtrie speer verified on
October 10, 1893.
THE TENT OF THE AFFIDAVIT.
II the Tribune article OF Sunday October -
giving important incidents OF the political career
of ex-Justice Herrick. the speer affidavit ap-
pears in full In his sworn statement the editor
said:
am one of the directors Of the above named
petitioner. the Argus company and the treas
urer of the said company While I was negotiat-
ing for the purchase Of the Worth ns-ton stock 80
called and the Cassidy stock so-caIs,I of the
Argus" company. on several occasions received
messages from the Hon. d. Cady Herrick de-
string me to come 70 his house to See hin, with
reference to said matter. On the evening ~
March 20 last was sitting in the dining room
Continued second page.