The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-09

Reading of Evidence i'm the Greene
and Gaynor Given by Witnesses
Now Deceased-Goyernment's Case
Not Yet Concluded.

Savannah. Ga. March 6.-Thk vas
the day that District Attorney Erwin
thought at the end of last week might
bring the conclusion of the govern
ment's direct testimony against Greene
n Gaynor, but when the federal
court adjourned the close of the gov
ernments case did not appear much
nearer thar it did Saturday. The two
days had been consumed either in ar
gument or the reading of testimony
OF deceased witnesses. That Of two
Or three more, now deceased, at the
commissioners hearing in New York,
Is yet TO be read and thereafter Mr..
Erwin will put two more witnesses at
least On the stand. One will be Nat
ional Bank Examiner Johnson, who
will reduce to as simple a statement
as possible for the benefit of the jury,
the many bank accounts and transac-
tons that have been presented by tho
government.
Today was largely consumed In tie
reading of evidence given by w. H.
Venable, Thomas ]. Agnew and Charles
Van Deyenter, all since deceased, and
in the interposing and answering of
objections offered to certain portions
Of their testimony.
Judge Speer today admitted the tes-
timony given before Commissioner
Shields in New York by witnesses now
deceased, when the removal of the de-
PENDANTS from that jurisdiction to the
jurisdiction Of this court, was sought.
Judge Speer said: The witnesses all
did l,rri~~ $Io. ,n-sol ~ -hTxh -Ia
accused had absented themselves from
the jurisdiction of the court, and while
the government was resorting to judi
ciel proceedings in order TO secure
their return from Canada to which
they had repaired. Had the case been
brought to the trial at the time wnan
it was originally assigned, all Of these
witnesses were in life and all might
have testified. The contention of coun-
sci for the defense is utterly inconsis-
tent with the exigencies of society.
and reduced to it's last analysis might
even exclude on the trial the dying
declarations of the innocent victim Of
|unprovoked and secret murder or i
damnable outrage"
Thomas ]. Agnew, n Of the dead
witnesses, testified as to trouble he
'-AIdd cApCl iClCCu III ScCulluS SpCCll1Cd
lions for the Cumberland sound con-
tract and finally he said he had to re-
sort to his family physician and get
him to make application for the speci-
fications. Edward H. and John F. Gay
HOr,he said had offered him $500, not t
bid. When he would not accept, Ed
ward H. Gaynor, at the last moment,
picked up from Carriers desk one bid
O md c,thSfit1tol anothor RI orofor UThar
the bids were read they did not con.
tain the names of the Gaynors as bid
ders. The bid substituted by Gaynor.
District Attorney Erwin c%ontended,
W. prepared by M. A. Connolly, Car.
ter's secretary, who forged the name
of Arson M. Bangs, who was awarded
the contract"
This bid, it was held, was kept in
readiness to meet the emergencies de-
mand should Agnew persist in his de-
termination to bid. The price bid for
mattresses, Agnew had said, was about
one half what Green and Gaynor mad
previously bid, the eleventh hour lid
having made the reduction.
The testimony of the late W. H. Ven
able, of Atlanta, showed how Carter
had e~ndeavored to Chilli Venable's
determination to bid on the Cumber-
land Sound work. John F. Gaynor,
he said, had tried to make him turn
over his specifications, Gaynor telling
him he tGaynor) had the others.
~whereupon Venable told Gaynor he
would not be a party to any conspiracy.
Gaynor, he said, told him he had two
sets of bids. One was $500, 900 lower
than the other, and it was the low
one he purposed putting in in the
event IN unexpected bidder should APP
pear. After some further testimony.
court adjourned until tomorrow.