The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-24
TELL MORE ON
JOHN Q. CANNON
). I Whitaker and Other Witnesses
Take Stand in Investigation.
HIS BOOKS ARE MUDDLED
SCENE OF DISCOVERY BY *.
GOVERNOR PICTURED.

VesugatiOn into the affairs OF the
IAN fair commission was notable for
me searching examination of Director
General ;. t. Whitaker as to the dis
Ii1outlon OF The funds. and for the
/ Sohnrnatory testimony Of Josa,b {
I WeHs as 10 the actual converss+sor,
Muich TOOK place between ex-Gove~no-
- N, Wells and the ex-secretarv
I u the commission. John O. Cannon
j az an ONCE in the Dessert News buil5-
nls curing the latter part or Janu-
i. There was fair attendance when
the committee filed into Judge Morse-s
/ court room in the city and county
4 pulidlng shortly before 10 O'Clock and
! no tlne was lost in getting the search
ISL framed Among the witnesses
( INSIDE the enclosure Were eye 1-a-7,o.r
/ Wells, Director General Whitaker ~
: secretary of State James T. Hammond
John r Hansen. Herbert J. lanes
Lewis NJ Cannon. f. W Wilson and
CounJy Attorney Farley P Christen-
/ The first witness called was ex-Se--
/ rotary Of State James T. Hammond
] he said he was a member Of the state
board or examiners and that the in
Ueoteuness created by the commission
I was NOT authorized by the state board
state whether application was made
{ D@ the commission for authority to
incur any deficit said H A smith
attorney for the investigation commit
My recollection is that no formal
Application was made, though Cover
nor Wells made an oral statement con-
! corning conditions"
81. hat action if any. was taken by
the board relative to the matter2''
None whatever. because of its NOT
having been presented formally We
reached the conclusion. however. that
Ihe. state board had authority only 10
2 In
and this being a special approximations
IL was the sense of the board that
nothing could be done in the natter
No action. therefore. was taken. the
BOARD simply discussing the question
/ informally.
Refuses to Relate Conversation.
George J. Gibson attorney-at-Iav-.
was the next witness. He said he had
[ nothing 10 do with the Office of the
treasurer of the commission and was
not acquainted with the books. rec
/ ords- etc He was not Mr.. Sherman's
i attorney, but had been asked BY him
on one occasion since he retired from
the Office of treasurer for advice on
A certain matter He identified ex-
hibits 26 p, 2S, % 80. 81. o. So "A and
Do The first two We're the deposit
/ books of Mr. Sherman- the others
were transcripts OF the treasurer's rae--
counts. excepting % and 3d. which, rv-l--
resented cancelled checks drawn on
the Bank of Commerce and McCsor-
I hicks bank The witness was asked
/ TO explain the nature of the advice
he had given Mr.. Sherman on the oc-
CasiOn referred to. but he said.
i claim the privilege Of not answer
ing that question on the ground that
l was Mr. Sherman's attorney, and
that, while he did not say anything
about the accounts. 1 feel that I should
not detail our conversation"
The objections OF the witness were
sustained by the chairman Of the
committee and he was excused, Lewis
NJ. Cannon, assistant cashier of the
Zion Savings institution, tax
ing his place on the stand
Mr. Cannon said:
I do not think our bank has ever
Cashed amy of the checks Of the COM
mission. I am sure OF my personal
knowledge that I never cashed any.
but If any did so through the bank
there would be d record of IL. How
ever, 1t would take considerable time
to search the records to find the en-
tries. but if the committee 50 desires
il can be done
Did you ever make loans 10 sal
salary warrants2'' Queried Mr.. Smith
No, sir; never"
Were YOU ever requested to ad-
vance money on salary warrarts?''
NO, sir; never
Forged Orders Up Again.
Z. w. Wilson, cashier Of the Com
merciaI National bank, was next called
and he identified the orders pail
through his bank to John Q. Cannon.
secre tary, and the additional orders
that We're paid through the bank ID
other persons The orders and the varl-
Gus amounts paid TO John Q. Cannon,
testified to by the witness, are as fol-
lows: 43, $2i.75; a. $7S-25; A.. $165; IS,
$3.50. ia. $3.50; 12l, S93. 40s 126. S13S-4O.
lbs. S162.50; 132. S153.5O; 134. SI2S.50; 159.
S96-75; 100 $3.50; Isl, S212-67; 162. $3.50.
163. S7615, 172, $500; III, $295.15; 173.
$3.50: 124. So.
The additional orders, paid to persons
other than John Q. Cannon, are: IL,
S4S4.O1: 119. S41-7O- 40. SS6.11; 122, S41s IS;
123, 1927, 1Z1, S67Z-3l1 12S, S1sIl3, 130, So
OO5. draft from St Louis; 131, IS; 133.
S1452 %: 164. 1921. 0S. 100 $50. f66 $50:
I67. SS335: los. $685.: 169 $500 so draft
from St. Louis; 10, S2,503.O3; 125. S30.65.
I desire to make an explanation con
corning those orders paid to John @
Cannon" said Mr.. Wilson. When Mr..
Sherman went out of town, as he did
on a few occasions, he would send word
TO the bank requesting that any orders
of the commission that might be pre-
scented during his absence be paid and
on his return he would take them up
with his personal check. With that au-
thority to go on. and believing that all
the orders coming from the secretary
were authorized. we paid the orders
mentioned as having come from Mr.
Cannon Now that / know that the
signatures were fOrgeries, I viii say
that they are good counterfeits. If L
did not know that they were forgeries.
1 would pay them, they were so well
executed '
s T Whitaker, director general OF
the commission, next testified He SAID
in reply to Mr. Smiths questions
Il was appointed to the position o.
director general by the commission
early in 1903. but have not been active
in that capacity since Feb. 1. 1905. 1
have been secretary Of the commission
since Feb. 10. but I have no records.
Mr.. Cannon turned over nothing I
have not seen him for some time 1
have seen none of his records since I
became secretary, and I don't know
where they are.
ION my return from St. Louis I saw
Mr.. Cannon's books and they were in
poor shape, not being kept up TO date.
and the items not being properly segre-
gated. I mean by segregated that the
items for one department. would be
mixed up with those OF another. and 50