The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-31
SON ON STAND.
J. p. Gruet, Jr., Testifes at Wednes
day Mornings Session.

/
| tees Wednesday morning in the Bailey
matter. He said that he had been il
| the employ of the aWters Pierce Oi
company between eight and nine years:
First in the accounting department
and then in the general managers de
partment. The transfer was made il
| June. 1908 On March ], 1908. he sew
cred his connection with the concern
He had no access TO the auditing rec
ords The $4,000 voucher was display
ed to the witness. He stated that the
body of the instrument was in his
handwriting. Mr. Gruet said that the
voucher notation, Account of Texas
cases." was in his fathers handwrit-
ing He said there had been an era
sure in the Waters-Pierce voucher
book and his handwriting had been
written over it, giving the name of j.
W. Bailey. He said he made the en-
try on the books at the time of the
transaction. He said there was no al
teration in the handwriting of the
voucher.
Mr.. Odell. on cross examination, ask
ed ii he lGrueD had made the original
entry of $1.750 and then the correc-
ton. He said he had written Bailey's
name in the book, but did not remem-
Der the first entry. Witness said that
sometimes he erased mistakes and
sometimes crossed them out with red
ink. He said his custom was not to
cross out, but to erase mistakes.
He showed another C1ra on ntpp
four of the book Mr.. Odell looked at
both erasures with ma snifying glass
secured from Chairman O'Neal The
witness found still aonther erasure and
correction.
Young Gruet spent considerable
time looking through the voucher book
searching for more eraSures. He said
he used knife and an ink erasure to
remake ink from paper when mistake
was made. He said at that time he
was voucher clerk and A. ]. Hutchn-
son was chief clerk. He said he was
then located in the Odd Fellows build
ing at St Louis and his fathers office
was probably $50 feet from his desk.
1t was not unusual for officers to sit
beside chief clerks. He said he did
talk with his father about entries on
the book Tuesday night and Wednes-
Say morning. He said he saw vouch-
sers In the possession of his father
about March l, 1906
Young Gruet did not remember ex-
actly what the occasion was when he
was shown the voucher by his father.
1t was the least possibility that it was
about the time of his fathers case
with Pierce. He said the only CONVEX
sation he had with his father about
Bailey and the vouchers was about the
time the Plateau letter was written.
He said he and his father, it had been
stated, had been injected into the case
because of the unpleasant nortoriety
it would give Captain Plateau. He said
he saw the letter in the office of the
company he was working for. He kent
copy OF the letter for about week
He told of Captain Flateaus trip to
Washington, and said when Captain
Plateau was telling about his trip Bal
ley's name was mentioned, and he
(Gruet mentioned the voucher held
by his father. He said the letter was
Captain Flateau's own idea and he
wrote it in good faith.
tenor of the letter Said he was very
anxious to settle the case against
Pierce and thought that Bailey might
like to have the papers suppressed. He
said he knew the papers would be
used in the Texas case, and they would
probably be made public, Said he did
not consider that he (the witness} was
trying to blackmail Bailey. Thought it
was an entirely legitimate request
Witness was shown the $4,000 note
and other papers. He said his father
got them from the Waters Pierce Oil
He said the papers were in
his fathers personal files and when he
left the Waters-Pierce Oil company he
took them with him. He stated that
his Father might have been holdinb
them for future use.
Mr.. Gruet said he knew Jewell P.
Lightfoot and had met him last sum-
me- The first time he ever saw him
was when Ligfhtfoot called him up
and requested an interview. He saw
him several times after that. He said
he saw Lightfoot the last time on Com
merce street. St. Louis. Never showed
Lightfoot vouchers. to the best of his
Said he had never shown
vouchers to anyone except Captain
Plateau. Said he never exhibited pho
tographic copies to anyone except the
T. Steady Co. of
st. Louis. Said he saw Mr.. Evans of
the Chicago Examiner talking with his
father about these vouchers.
Yohng Gruet stated his father fell
out with Pierce about year ago. He
said his father had had misunder
with Pierce for. some time.
He said he remembered no serious diff
ferences a long time before his father
left Pierce.
He said he never had received re-
quest from anybody to come to Texas
except the chairman of the committee.
He said his father probably received a
telegram a week ago or two weeks
ago asking him to come to Texas.
Don't remember who it was signed by,
but Believed that it was received prob
ably a week ago. Thinks the telegram
was signed by Lightfoot. Not positive
that he saw telegram, and if he did,
he only saw it once.
Witness stated he believed he saw
the written contract for the amount his
father was to receive in testifying in
cases. Said it was to be one-third OF
attorneys fees. Saw contract
but once and it was in his fathers pos
session. Couldn't remember when it
was May have been in October
Caporal Crane crnSSpyaminpd y0unp