The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-23


/ dismissed but were held over to await
the result of the Jury's action.
The most important witness for the
] government Wednesday was William Z.
/ Cochran, who was chief pOstOffice in
+ spector at the time Senator Burton was
indicted. Mr.. Cochran had previously
/ been called by the government in laying
the foundation for its case and was ask
4 ed to relate the details of the various
| conversations he had had with Senator
Burton. Cochran as chief postoffice in
I spector had charge of The inspectors de
tailed in the Rialto cOmpany's case. He
had in all five interviews with Senator
/ Burton. Three of these interviews were
/ in COchran's office in the pOstoffice de-
partment and two were in Senator Bur
/ toms office in the Maltby building in
Washington, to which Mr.. Cochran had
been summoned by the request of Sen
ator Burton.
March 26, 1902, Cochran testified that
Senator Burton called to see him and
asked him whether there were any com
plants against the RialtO company.
Cochran informed him that there had
been complaints fled and told him what
they were.
Colonel Dyer for the government ask
ed Cochran: Would you have given
this information to anyone inquiring2' p
Cochran answered: 'I would not"
why did you give it to Burton?"
Because he was a senator of the
United States"
Establish Harmonious Relations.
Within two weeks after this interview
occurred Senator Burton called again
to see Cochran. This time the senator
asked whether the two persons whose
names he gave were postoffice inspec-
tors and whether they were inveStigat-
ing the affairs of the Rialto company.
The witness told him these men were
not DOstOffice inspectors. On the third
visit Burton brought Major Dennis with
him. This was shortly after the time
that Dennis, the president of the Rialto
company. had been indicted. Burton
said he wanted Cochran to meet Dennis
and see what a fine looking man he was,
and explained that he wanted to estab-
lish harmonious relations between the
department and the company.
Cochran also told of a visit that he
and Burton made to the fourth assist
ant postmaster general, Mr. J. L .Bris-
tow. when the case against the R1alto
company was talked over. During this
visit the same statements were made by
Burton as had been made previously
to Cochran. Cochran, Bristow and Bur
ton-the witness was not sure that Bur
ton went with him at that time-went to
the postmaster general, and as result
telegrams were sent by order Of the
postmaster general to Inspector Dice at
St Louis in regard to some papers thaL
Dice had in his possession that Burton
insisted should be returned to Major
Dennis
Cochran told of a conversation he
had with Burton February 3, 1903, at
the Maltby building at which Burton
urged that the books in the possession
of Dice be returned. On still another
occasion Cochran said Colonel W. w.
Smith, the private secretary OF Senator
Burton, had asked him to come TO the
MaItbv building and talk with the SEN
ator. In this Interview Burton urged
that the Dice papers be returned
Talked Of Indictment.
On still another occasion-after his
Indictment by the grand jury-Burton
had sent for Cochran. At this inter
view Cochran was accompanied by Mr.
VicI<erv. now chief postOffice in
sDectoTs& In this interview Senator
Rurton had said that he wanted to
talk with the witness about the tndIct-
ment which had been brought against
him Cochran said he was witness
before the grand jury and had been
sworn to secrecy; he also asserted that
his official position would prevent him
from discussing the testimony IN the
case.
Senator Burton wanted to know
how he had offended. He told him thaI
he was charged with the violation OF
section 1882 OF the statutes. Senator
Burton asked him what that section OF
the statutes provided to which COch-
ran replied that it was long sectlon
containing many provisions, Dut thaI
generally speaking it forbade members
of congress from appearing before any
of the departments for pay. In one OF
his interviews with the senator at the
Maltby building, Mr.. Cochran said the
senator said to him: Cochran, want
to appear in this and other cases be-
fore the department. but I want it un-
derstood that in so doing I shall never
antagOnize the department, and my ef-
forts shall rather be used the other
way
Wanted to Pay Old Debts.
The senator said he could make
some money this way and apply 1t on
old debts; that he had lost heavily
during the panic and that he had paid
in $40 600 on which he was not legally
liable but if there was any just claim
against him he would never plead the
statutes as a defense He said that
other senators had done this, men
tioning the name of Senator Edmonds
Mr. Vickery's testimony merely cor
roborated that of Mr.. Cochran.
Richard H. Lindsay, the Washing
ton correspondent for the Kansas city
Star. was placed on the stand to teSUlIy
to the correctness of an interview with
Senator Burton the day the senator
was indicted. The witness said he mad
interviewed Senator Burton over the
telephone and had written the inter-
view down as it was given. In that
interview Senator Burton said, among
other things. that he had assured Mr.
Cochran that he had appeared before
him in the capacity of an attorney and
was representing his old friend, Major
Dennis. He did not know at that time
for what offense he had been indicted.
julie H. Auhere. the washington cor
respondent of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. testified that Senator Bur
ton had dictated to him an interview in
the afternoon for his paper and had
called around before it had been tele--
graphed that night to change some Of
the statements in it. It viii be estab b.
lished by the government that the
changes in this interview were made
after Senator Burton had been in
formed of the nature of the indictment
brought against him.
Two New Witnesses.
Il. --it.,o.sas --an did not anraar