New-York tribune., 1909-06-25
BRANDENBURG'S STORY
REPUDI4TES SIGNATURE.
Also Says He Wrote CIeUeL0nd
article from Notes Furnished.

When Broughton Brandenburg took the witness
stand in the criminal branch of the Supreme Court
yesterday in his trial for grand larceny he was as
immaculate and rnpertur bable, cool and much
a though the temperature were twenty de
grees lower The magazine writer spent the greater
part of the day before Judge Fitzgerald and the
jury
Speaking in his own behalf Brandenburg declared
that the disputed Grover Cleveland article, intro
duced in evidence. not the original prepared by
him and signed by the ex-President. He declared
also that the signature offered by the District At
torney was not the signature made by Mr. CleVe-
land 20 the carbon copy of the manuscript He then
went into details to how the article Whlch
brought about his trial was prepared.
Brandenburg's counsel. Samuel Bell Thomas and
Oswald N Jacoby said they had been unable to
secure another handwriting expert to take the place
of Benjamin F. Kelley who dropped dead IN
Broadway Wednesday.
Did you have relations with Mr. Cleveland dur
ing 1852 asked Mr.. Jacoby after few preliminary
questions Brandenburg replied that he had com
mission interview Mr.. Cleveland February -,
and on March he had delivered to The Herald
article by the ex-President.
"On the previous day this matter was begun.
said the witness. pointing to the disputed article
Mr.. Cleveland complained that he was being both
cred by intervtewers. l asked him to put his
political feelings into series of articles and let
me sell them. The idea pleased him, and sug-
gested three topics to him-irst. the general field
of the campaign; second, the developed issues Of
to be published Just before election.
He asked about compensation. and told me
what he had been paid; I told him he had been
taken advantage Of and offered him S2ooo there
and then for a series of three articles. and told
him I'd get my compensation out OF what l got
above that"
Brandenburg said that on March he visited Mr
Cleveland in his office at No. ! Madison avenue
Mr.. Cleveland greeted pleasantly" he cor
tinued, and pulled out clump of papers He
said: Here things I have written out
There some things I have wanted to say and
have never said " tBrandenburg produced from
his pocket Of yellow paperD IT a scat
tered of material l picked up the sheets and
looked them over. I suggested changes and some
he suggested. There were several chanEes-I put
a whip cracked on the end of paragraph"
What became OF these sheets?"
I left them Mr.. CIeveland's desk at our final
interview"
What were the contents of those sheets?
The that made into the article of
August 50 and signed ny Grover Cleveland"
What did you do then with those yellow sheets
Il transcribed them leaving plenty of room for
alterations, doing the work myself on an Under
wood typewriter" He said he did the typewTiung
the night he got the yellow sheets.
Did you show these sheets to any oue?'
They were read by number Of persons
When next did you Mr.. Cleveland7'
Either March : ! took the typewritten
copy Of the yellow sheets and the original sheets
Re went over the typewriter article. and changes
terview lasted about hours took the cor
rected article and the yellow sheets home a.u
and made fresh draft. inserting the corrections
Brandenhurg said that he last saw Mr.. Cleveland /
between March Il and Is. when the oxPresidert /
was ILL., Mr Cleveland, however. went over the nev /
draft carbon copy.
There was a first page that had the titles of ar
icles follow Ar. Cievelands name. and possibly
some other Ar Cleveland looked the art
,le over casually with pen in his hand which -
uas continually dipping in the ink, He made 10 /.
corrections and when he through he signed .
the last page Of that carbon copy and did not blot
the signature. but allowed II dry, said Branden-
burg.
I show YOU a signature IN glass case and ask T.
whether you can say II that is the signature Mr F.
Cleveland put the article?"
L can state positively that Il IS not for two rea
sons This is heavier than the signature Mr.. Cieye-
and wrote, and IN the Z he wrote there was "A I
7aw that the INK through the paper. max /
ng spot about the size of & pInhead."
When did YOU first the signature you hoiG'' I
When it was produced by the District Attorney I
the first day Of the trial"
Why did you fee from the State Of New York 1
when first called 10 triaIo" asked Nj Jacoby sud
denly.
Under the circumstances that then existed eH- /
Dected to be convicted Ny not prepared /
the District Attorney was pushing my case, and
had 10 borrow the money 10 get out OF town"
The trial viii be resumed this morning.