Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1907-01-30
(From the Galveston News.)
Gruet at Night Session.

nTiSt Time, ana he leSIlIleu lnTOuSuou'
the entire session. The direct exam
ination was conducted by Mr.. Crane
He said he had been auditor, then sec
rotary, then vice president, and again
secretary of the Waters Pierce Oil
company, beginning his connection
with the concern September Is, 1890.
He was asked to describe the business
relations of the Waters Pierce Oil
company with 26 Broadway He said
they made detailed reports of practi-
cally everything, and auditors from 26
Broadway came out about once year
and checked them up. The only
change made in this regard after the
were sent to r. H. McNall at &c Broad
way. Mr.. McNall was called CONNER
cial agent for the Waters Pierce Oil
company, but witness said he was a
clerk in the office of H. NJ. Tilford
He said no change whatever in the
forms or methods of business of the
after the reorganization was made.
Mr. Gruet said he continued with the
company until February, 1905. He
left, he supposed, because they want
ed to get rid of me-" After that for
about eight months he was nominally
in charge of the Pierce Investment
company, but he said that company
never did any business.
Mr.. Crane then produced the vouch-
ers, first handing Mr.. Gruet that for
$4,000. He recognized the voucher;
said he had approved the payment of
1t and that Mr.. Pierce signed it. The
body of the voucher, he said, was in
the handwriting of his son. The words
ION account of Texas cases." he said,
was in his own handwriting, which,
he said, was inserted there at the
. time the voucher was made, but he
couldn' remember if that was before
or after the voucher awas audited He
Fsaid Mr.. Pierce told him to put that
notation in the voucher. His relations
with Pierce and the oil company at
that time were friendly, he said, and
he did not have any animosity against
Senator Bailey, or any desire to injure
him.
He was asked how he came to be
in, possession of these vouchers after
leaving the Waters Pierce Oil COM
pany, and he said:
Il kept these vouchers by and with |
the advice of and consent of Mr.. H. C. |
Pierce in a steel file in my office. |
which was locked at all times for the |
purpose of not having them in the
general voucher case, which was open
TO everybody. They were taken away |
from the Waters Pierce office in a bun |
die with my private affairs. / had
been out of the Waters Pierce office |
month and a half, and these were
taken to my house, and / found them
mixed with my papers because they
were in a private file of my own where
/ had personal matters Mr.. Pierce
never said why he did not want them
left out accessible to everybody. but
he said that confidential matters ought
to be kept under my charge and away
from other people, and we never talk.
ed about it any further than that"
Approved by Finlay.
The Henry G. Stribling voucher was
then taken up. He said the notation
of the pencil slip, account Waco anti
trust civil cases." was in the hand
writing Of A. NJ Finlay.
He said he made out the $500
voucher on the strength of the tele.
gram FROM H. c. Pierce in Wisconsin
TO A. NJ. Finlay; that Finlay got the
telegram and sent it down to him
tGruet) and when II got down to him
II had the notation on it Sight draft
drawn by Bailey for $500" He said
that in the voucher which accompan-
led the telegram the word fee" was
scratched out and the word expense"
inserted, and that this was in Finlay's
The voucher was o KID
by J. d. Johnson, the notation Draft
delivered to Mr.. II. c. Pierce by Mr..
Gruet, Nov Il, 1900, II. n was writ
ten by Mr.. Naudain," he said. and
believe the notation was made by my
direction. ! can not remember wheth-
err | ever saw the draft for $500. A.
NJ Finlay approved the voucher for
payment as vice president. John ID. ,
Johnson, who o KID the voucher. was ,
counsel, and never knew Of ,
him approving any expenditures ex. ,
cept on account of legal expenses. l In
DO not know of any legal business the I
had in Waco except the anti /
rust litigation and the criminal pro.
,eedings. There is notation on the 4
pack of the voucher, Charge to legal e
expenses, in the handwriting of nv q
son, and the voucher was audited by {