The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-09-17
GRUET CASE HAS
 BEEN CONTINUED
H, Clay Pierce Is Being Sued
 for $25,OOO Back Salary
WITNESSES ARE NEEDED
Mir Pierce, on Witness Stand. clalms That He Has Received Nothing From the Standard oil
 Company.

St. Louis, September 16-The hearing of witnesses In the suit of John P, Grnet. formerly secretary of the Waters-Pierco oil company, against Clay Pierce, chair man of the board of directors, for s25. coo which Gruet claims is due him as back salary, was continued yesterday until next week in order to secure additional wit nesses.
 On the witness stand Mr. Pierce testified that he had obtained nothing from the Standard oil company of New York for over sixteen years, and that Gruet had rendered the Waters-Pieree company val uable services during a long term of years. In February, 1905, Gruet was dropped from the company and later appealed for re- employment. He was given elearieal position with the Pierce Investment Trust company
 Immediately after Mir Gruet's employ ment, effective April 1, 1905" said MT. Pierce. MT. Gruet came to see me In New York. I told MT. aruet that the af- fairs of the Tennessee Central Railroad company of the Tennessee Construction company, of the Briar Hill collieries and the Cumberland Coal company required Investigation, and as I had placed my interests in these matters in the hands of Senator Bailey of Texas with power of attorney from me to handle them as he saw fit, I wished MT. Gruet to place him. self at the disposal of Senator Bailey and make such investigation into the interests mentioned as Senator Bailey desired.
 Returns to St. Louis.
 MT Gruet readily assented to my sug- gestion and returned to St Louis within day or two where he met Senator Bailey and received instructions from Senator Bailey in regard to the investigation which Senator Bailey made at Nashville, Tenn, which was the headquarters of all these companies.
 "Mr. Gruet went over to Nashville un- der instructions from Senator Bailey and remained there some time
 He returned to St. Louis and was elected by Senator Bailey who had charge of these companies, president or the Briar Hill Galleries company, and l think he was given some official position in connection with the Cumberland Coal company and also the Tennessee Con- StruellOH cOilpdHy.
 He became auditor of adjustment of accounts of these properties under Sena- tor Bailey, all of this time; and practi- cally up to the end of Gruets employ ment by the Pierce Investment Trust company"
 Pierce went on to explain that Grulet put in several months In Nashville mak- ing Investigations under the direction of Senator Bailey and then went to New York to make reports to Mr, Pierce. MT. Pierce continued:
 Senator Bailey expressed the opinion that Gruets examination at Nashville had been without value; that he had simply copied the accounts instead of investi- gating and checking them up, as he was sent there to do, and the reports were of no value; he had simply repeated the statements he had copied from the books. and the work of subsequent auditors put upon the work proved that Senator Bail ey's impressions were correct and that Gruet had simply gone to Nashville and copied the books and came back here and came to New York, and he did not even turn In his report"
 On oross-examination Pierce estimated his own interests in the properties at l $19,0O00 900.