The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1909-06-19
INDICTED COUNTY OFFICIALS
ON TRIAL FOR CONSPIRACY

The witness, Mr.. Beesley, chairman
Of the board Of eounty commissioners,
was then asked to state the process by
which bills for each commissioner s dis
triet were presented and audited by
the board of county commissioners. The
witness stated that each commissioner
was, by agreement, responsible for the
correct conduct Of the business and
bills of his particular district. The
commissioner from the Rawhide dis
%trict, Mr.. Worden, was depended upon
by the other members of the board to
o. X. the bills from that district, in
cluding hospital services and drug
bills. The commissioners depended up
on the 30. X" Of each commissioner,
without making detailed examination or
inquiry into the correctness Of the
same.
Supplies Were Not Deceived.
Madge Sheenan, a former nurse in
the Miners Union '.osPital at Rawaiur,
living in San Francisco, was cal.eI.
She testified that she had acted as a
at this hospital five nights pre-.
'ious to being appointed head nurse
~ Drs. Cowen and Hitch, after they
took charge of the hospital.
The district attorney here introduced
u bill to the county from the Briggs
drug store for 1850 for medicinal sup
plies furnished during that time, the
bin having the official 80. X" Of DR..
Witness was asked to read the
and state what supplies she had re-
ceived or had been delivered to the hos
Portions of the supplies charged IA
the bin, she said, designating them, had
been received; others had not been re-
and other items had ben use1
a private patient, Purcell.
In the bill, three dozen plaster ban
iages were charged, and the witness
was positive that only half a dozen had
been received. Other specific items
were placed in the same category.
Counsel for the defense tried yester-
day to discredit the testimony of
Sheehan, the nurse who was in
of the hospital at Rawhide in
January, February and March, and until
the hospital closed, April 9.
Miss Sheehan testified, however, that
she had at one time, in conversation
with DR.. Cowan, told him that the drug
bills were excessive and not correct,
and had accused him of being a graft
err" DIR. Cowan had replied that II
she ever dared to say anything about
it, he would have her up before the
grand jury, and the witness stated that
she then and there informed DIR. Cowan
hat she would gladly appear before the
jury and tell them all she knew
about the 'sgrafting' which she main
tanned was being done.
Had Business ''Cinched."
The witness also said that Briggs,
the druggist, had requested her not to
say anything about the bills, because !
might make trouble, but even if it did,
he had a cinch on the county business,
anyway.
Witness was then turned over to the
defense, and was questioned by Attor-
ney Hubbard regarding the bills for
drugs and other medical supplies, in an
effort to discover discrepancies IN the
checking made by the witness yester-
day afternoon. This cross-examination
finally developed a storm center around
a couple of packages of cotton, regard
ing which .her seemed to be some
chance for argument as to for whom the
cotton was used.
The chart of Newt Purcell, a patient
who was entered January ID, was pre-
scented in evidence. A number OF sheets
failed To show name of patient, name OF
nurse. or the date. Asked as to why
this had been neglected, witness an
swered:
~ had so much to do that was
compelled to get through with my WORK
the best way | could. | had a lot oil
patients to take care of; had to DO lne
cooking, wash the dishes, max the
beds. sweep the floors, order provisions
and other things that had to be ooked
after. Sometimes / neglected to put
down he name of the patient, name OF
nurse and the date, but | kept the
sheets of the chart together in their reg
Mar order