Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-27
BANKER HENERY
SIGNED ANYTHING
Contracted Habit Through Sign
ing Affidavits Cunningham
And CLAWS Wanted.
HE NEVER LOOKED AT THEM
Had Tie Read Them. Would Not Have
Allowed False Statements
In Them.

Seattle wash. Nov 26.-Humor was
injected into the Cunningham coal
claims this afternoon. when Horace C..
Henry. the Seattle banker and railroad
builder. was placed on the stand bv
the defense and naiveiy admitted that
he had Joined the claimants without
knowing any thing about the propose.
tion, and that he had signed numerous
afhdavits without knowing what they
contained
Il got so Ia the habit of signing
afhdavts that ! just signed anything
that Cunningham and CLAWS asked me
TO-" said Mr. Henry during his ex-
animation
Henry said that he was approached
by Cunningham in 1903 Cunningham
told him that G.. j. Smith and former
GOV. Moore Of Washington were inter-
ested in the claims and asked II Henry
wanted 10 file on one.
APPROACHED BY CUNNINGHAM
4 told MIN to go ahead and put
ne in, said the witness Fl told him
that II ne wanted any money. 90 draw
ON me. lie always did 1 didn't pay
the other claimants were doing. because
J was too busy building railroads In
the spring OF 1906 I took the contract
TO build more than 800 miles of the
coast extension Of the Chicago, Mil
Waukee q St Paul railway. and for two
years ! had from 5000 to 10000 men
at work and did not have time TO
bother with this coal claim.
Il let Cunningham look after il. and
rtHf d hot L..
II didn't have anything 20 do with
the Gusgenheim negotiations and
didn't know that they were being car
ried on. Later, when I heard about
the Guggenheim proposition. ! thought
that ii was all right I knew that il
would cost close 20 s. 900 900 TO build
a railroad and docks to handle the coal,
and / knew that one man couldn't do
il alone. When the Guggenheim nego-
tiations fell through we organized the
Behrng River Railway company We
didn't have any intention Of building
railroad then. but merely wanted 10
get right-of-way 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 i'm which IL was stated
that he knew most Of the claimants
DIDN'T READ AFFIDAVITs.
THAT statement is false" said
Henry. - know only three or four
OF these men. This shows that I signed
affidavits without looking al them. Gun
bingham brought CLAWS to the Office
and asked nfen 20 sign the affidavit
They said IL was all right and ] signed
10 | didn't read IL over. for il had l
wouldn't have let a false statement like
that get into IL"
During the examination MI
Henry was shown a COPY OF the Cum
ninghsm journal. When asked II he
had seen the original he said
II never saw the journal and didn't
know that Cunningham kept any books
until he told me that il had been
stolen"
After he had you sign afilavits
that you say are not true. do You be-
lieve that Cunningham told the truth
when he said his journal was stolen by
Glavis?" asked Mr. Sheridan. the gov
eminent attorney.
Il believe that Cunningham told the
truth when he said that CLAWS stole
IT," was Henry's prompt reply.
During the ross-eXamination Mr..
Henry reiterated the statement that he
was a very busy man and did not have
time TO bother with coal claims. He
said that besides building railroads.
which is his principal business. he is
chairman OF the board OF directors OF
one bank, president OF another, presi-
dent OF a life insurance company and
has other important interests.
Throughout his testimony Mr.
Henry frequently stated that he could
not remember what passed between him
and Cunningham and that he never
paid any attention TO the business. hon
oring drafts that were made upon him
by Cunningham and taking IL for
granted that everything was all right
The defense expects 10 complete the
examination OF witnesses here tOmor-
row.