The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-05
letter BOOKS
HIS PROPERTY
Rinuer Hermann Makes No De-
NAL of Having Ordered
Them Destroyed.
nEED DONE IN GOOD FAITH
Nh SECRECY REGARDING THE
MATTER.

Washington, April 4-Biuger Hermann
testified in his own behalf during the
ofternoon session of his trial today, the
morning session being interrupted be
cause Of the illness of a juror. Mr.. Her
mann detailed the circumstances Of TIE
obstruction of his letter books. for which
he is being tried The destruction, ne
saws took place few days before ne
retired as commissioner Of the geheI al
land office ana was conducted duTlllS ol-
flee hours, publicly, in Mr. Hermann o.
u think 7 indicated how 20 destroy
hem" continued Mr.. Hermann by SIM
piv tearing the leaves IN half, AFTER Whlcu
they were taken down to the waste pa
ner bin When / gave the order / turned
either TO Mr. HOughr my SJehGSIapHet,
or 40 Mr.. Dady, my financial cierh' ana
II have no earthly use for these ola
books and it is only an unnecessary eN-
panse to send them across the continent.
They simply cOtnain my personal CORE
spondanCe
Done in Good Faith.
This was Done in the best of faith.
and not 10 destroy anything ] regarded
SIS official Ny motive was SIMPLY that
I had no further use for them ! had
no occasion to refer to them during the
several wears they had been aCCumu-
iating They had answered their pur-
pose. and ! considered them as belonging
10 me, as much my property as the coat
81 object to an argument interrupted
United States Attorney Baker.
'.The statement is proper 50 far ruled
Justice Stafford.
Il want to bring out that the defen-
dant saw nothing wrong or criminal in
his act" suggested Attorney WOrthing
Il did it as fnnocently as I would de-
strov an old letter from my mother or my
wife" concluded Mr. Hermann.
Dealings With Benson.
Mr.. Hermann next detailed his dealings
with John A. Benson, who is to be tried
here in connection with the Hyde-Ben-
SOB DimOud-Schneider alleged land frauds.
Hermann said he met Benson about a
year after be became commissioner Pre-
vious TO this, he said, he had defeated
the payment to Benson of claim for
surveying public lands. The case was
the first which Mr. Hermann encountered
as being what he termed crooked
Hermann said that two or three years
before he went out of office he had
2 stormy interview "ith Benson about
land surveys. the witness saying he had
ascertained that Benson claimed pay for
lands which had never been surveyed.
Il lost my balance said Mr.. Her
mann, ''and though I don't usually use
comment and expected to be put out OF
lffiCe."
Benson Wanted Pay.
Some time after this. the witness said.
while I'm San Francisco. he was asked
60 come TO the office Of the state su-
peIintendent of surveys He went and
found there Benson, Senators Perkins and
White OF California, and he believed
Representative Loud. although he said
Mr. Loud did not remember the occur
renee. Benson again wanted pay for
his surveys, but when Hermann again
became indignant and explained the whole
situation Senator Perkins remarked that
If Benson had entered into d contract
TO resurvev. and had not done it, he
tPerkinsJ would have nothing more to
say.
Previous to these statements Mr.. Her
mann, having various letters to lnspec-
TOR Loomis and State Forester OTmSby.
both of Oregon, before him, indicated
that while he was commissioner he al
way considered that official" mail was
that which was prepared in the vaTi-
Gus divisions. as distinguished from per
sonal" mail which he wrote himself.
Court will sit tomorrow and Justice
Stafford announced that hereafter the
trial would continue five days week
instead Of sOur.