The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-27
WENT INTO ''GAME"
But KNEW NOTHING
Testimony of Seattle Banker i'm
Alaska Coal Land Eases
Almost Funny.
IN HABIT or SIGNING
UNREAD AFFIDANITS
ANYTHING That Cunningham Said
Went Without Question or
Argument.

SEATTLE. Wash. Nov. 26.-Humor
was injected into The Cunningham coal
claims this afternoon. when Horace T.
Henry. the Seattle banker and railroad
builder, was placed on the stand bv
the defense and naively admitted that
he mad joined the claimants without
knowing anything about the PROPOSE
tlon. and that he had signed numerous
aftidavits without knowing what they
contained
got so in the habit of signing
aftldarits that | Just signed anything
that Cunningham and CLAWS asked me
to, said Mr.. Henry during his cx-
animation
Henry said that he was approacbc
by Cunningham in 1908. Cunningham
told him that c. j Smith and former
Governor Moore of Washington were
interested IN the claims and asked if
Henry wanted TO file on ono.
Just Went IN
told him 10 go ahead and put
me in. - said the witness. IL told him
mat VI he wanted any money. to draw
ON me. He always did. | didu't pay
any attention 10 the claims or what
The other claimants were doing. because
J was too busy building railroads. In
the spring of 1906 / look the contract
10 build moro than 800 miles of tho
coast extension of the Chicago. Mil
waullce 4 81, Paul railway, and for two
Years | had from 5000 10 10000 men
at work and did not have time 10
bother with this coal claim.
let Cunningham look after il, and
everything that he said went with nc
Everything All Right
81 didn't have anything 10 do with
the Guggenbcim negotiations and
didn Z know that they were being car
ried on. Later, when | heard about
the Guggcnheim proposition. ! thought
that 1T was all right. ] knew that il
would cost close 10 81 100000 10 build
a railroad and docks TO handle the coal,
and ! knew that ono man couldn t do
ii alone. When the Guggeuhelm ncgo.
tiations fell through We organized ihe
Bebring River Railway company. VIC
didn Z have any intention Of building
Il railroad then. but merely wanted to
get a right fway so that some one else
could not come in and bottle us up BY
getting the only available route. -
Mr.. Henry was shown an affidavit
signed by him in which it was stated
Did Not Know Facts.
"That statement is false said
Henry. ~ know only three or -four
Of these men. This shows that I signed
afiidayits without looking at them. Gun
aud asked me TO sign the affidavit. They
said ii was all right and I signed ii
/ didu { read IL over, for If ] had ]
wouldp Z have let false statement like
that get into il.
During the cross-examiuatiou Mr..
Henry was shown copy of the Gun
uinebam journal. When asked If he
had seen the original: he SAID ,., Il
~ never saw the journal and didD Z
know that Cunningham kept any books
until he told me that ii had been
stolen
After he had YOU sign af6davits
that YOU say are not true, do you be.
licyc that Cunningham told the truth
when he said his Journal was stolen by
asked Mr. Sheridan, the gov
ernmcnt attorney,
~ believe that Cunningham told the
truth when he said that CLAWS stole
il, - was Henry s prompt reply
Very Busy Man
During the cross examination Mr.
Henry reiterated the statement that he
was very busy man and did not have
time ia bother with coal claims. lieI
said that besides building railroads.
which is his principal business, he isl
chairman of the board OF directors OF
one bank, president of another, president
of life insurance company and has
othcr important interests.
Throughout his testimony Mr.
Henry frequently stated that he could
not remember what passed between him
and Cunningham and that he never
naid any attention to thc business hon
nring drafts that were made upon him
by Cunningham aud taliiuG ms; 1t l;S, lor grant
cd that everything was au rlghi.
Tho defense expects TO complete the
of witnesses here tomor-
row.