The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-05

7 the government yesterday put former
J Surveyor General Meldrum. of Oregon, on
/ the witness stand 10 testify in the case Of
Binger Hermann indicted on q charge Of
/ destroying government property while
/ Commissioner Of the General Land Office.
The evidence of Mr. Medium related 20
! "a number Of conferences he said he had
with Mr. Hermann in relation TO school
/ land in Oregon The witness testified that
/ at one Of these conferences Mr. Hermann
/ told him If YOU have any money TO in
vest In school land. it's a good thing, and
there Is lots OF money In it, Meidrum
said he told Hermann in reply that he
didn't have any money; that ne was
broke" ard that he could not 80 into
/ the proposition.
/ Senator Fulton. OF oregon, testified to
/ the good character and reputation Of Mr..
/ Hermann, whom Senator Fulton said he
/ had known for the last twenty-five years.
/ In reply TO a question put by District At
torney Baker whether he knew william
f. Burke and William G. Goslin, Senator
: Fulton said he thought he did not
Senator Fulton on stand.
/ A lively tilt was brought about by Dis
trict Attorney Baker trying TO introduce
letter which he stated Senator Fulton
had written to Mr. Hermann while Com
missioner Of the Land Office. requesting
/ him 10 write to United States Attorney
Hall. of Oregon, TO the effect that IN
dictments returned against Burke and
/ Goslin be noile pressed. Senator Fulton
denied having written the letter. and
d.
letter I'm court. Mr. Fulton qualified his
denial by saying that be did not rsmem-
Der OF having written il. Mr.. Worth
ington. counsel for Mr.. Hermann. after
reading the letter ia question. ruled that
certain clauses in the letter should be
withheld. and that the rest may be ad-
mitted as evidence. 1t was then read %
/ the jury.
Richard ". Dalton. who was a mes
Isenger when Hermann was Commissioner.
and Horace Wilcox, another messenger.
/ testified as to the distribution of the mail
ana the Instructions they received from
Mr.. Hermann 10 deliver 10 him ali the
stamped mail from oregon. and also all
mail stamped or franked that came ad-
dressed personal or private"
Wrote Many Personal Letters.
Wilcox further testified that Commits
sioner Hermann wrote about fifteen per
sonal letters DAY. and that on an aver
age. two or three Of these would be
stamped. while the rest We're mailed in
official envelopes. District Attorney Baker
said he would show that part OF the
books Hermann is alleged 20 have de-
stroyed were carted away some time in
January. 1905.
/ J. W Donnelly, a clerk in the Office IF
the chief clerk Of the Land Office identi-
+ fed a number Of letters from the files Of
/ that bureau Mr. Donnelly stated that re-
+ plies 10 letters should have been copied in
/ the Ietter-press books Of the divisions. He
said he had searched the records and
failed 10 ind them. Tt was further alleged
that the original letters were indorsed
/ Answered by Commissioner. and Dis
+ trict Attorney Baker offered the files n
{ evidence as indicating the character OF
/ answers which must have been written
and copied in the destroyed letteT-press
/ copy books. Benjamin SpaThaWk, another
clerk In the Land Office. identified letters
/ that were answered by Hermann. but the
/ answers thereto. he said, could not be
found IN the official letter books of the
J divisions where the letters belonged.
/ Walter T. Payne and J. W. Casey. Land
/ Office clerks. identified letters which were
submitted to them by the prosecution for
/ identification. for purposes Of proving that
| the replies were written by Mr.. Hermann
and copied into the destroyed books.
] BY pursuing this line Of evidence the
I prosecution cndcavOrCd to lay the lounds-
tiOu TO prove later on the many exhibits
added 10 the case We're Of nature nee
/ essarilv involved in the business Of the
/ Land Once. This is done 10 support the
/ allegation of the prosecution that the
/ thirty-hve alleged personal letter books
] wcre government nronertv.