The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-05-06

, for clients making settlements
xith the Internal Revenue Commits
sfoner at Washington
The manager of q local contract
ing firm testified that Adams. soon
after returning from Oklahoma, had
4 residence built In Greensboro.
which he estimated cost. when com
pleted and furnished. fifteen thou
sand dollars. A committee appoint
ed by the court to tabulate the
amount of properties on the tax lists.
the totals of the bank deposits. and
the real estate deals shown by the
registers records. has not yet re-
ported
All this evidence is objected to by
the prosecution and may yet be ruled
out by the Judge, as not bearing on
the question of libel by defendants in
publishing charges of Official corrup-
ton.
Deposition of Congressman Stevens.
The deposition OF Congressman
Stevens, ranking member OF the
Committee on Indian affairs. having
been in Congress for fourteen years,
was read. He very sharply criticised
members of the court, saying the
act creating the court was the most
unjust ever passed by Congress, and
it was pushed by the attorneys who
subsequently got the big fee, with
out ever making an appearance be-
fore the committee. He also said
the demand by Judge Adams for an
investigation never reached this COM
mittee.
Defendants offered in evidence the
two speeches Stevens made in Con-
gress denouncinng the acts OF the
court and bringing charges Of cor
ruption and bribery against Adams
and the court, but on objection of
prosecution, Judge Long ruled it out.
The Buffers claimed this speech
was the basis Of the publication on
which they are indicted for libel,
and it was privileged matter. Judge
Long stated 1t might be privileged
for a member Of Congress, but not
privileged for newspapers.
A great many other dispositions
were read from citizens in Oklahoma
stating that Judge Adams reputa-
ton as an honest Judge was bad, the
prosecution showing in some cases
that deponents were attorneys who
had lost cases in the court.
1 ho 1Nr0Cfffon Of =
tStevens, who stated he had no inter
ests whatever in these matters, wal
to the effect that the almost univer
sal opinion in the territory was tina
Judge Adams did not render homes
Dispositions Read.
When court assembled Judge Rob
inson began the reading of the depo
sition of Harry Howell, the assistan
in the Department of the Interior a
Washington. One answer of depo
nent was to the effect that in Decem
Der 1902, Judge Adams entered tn
room, and being asked what was tn
decision of the test suit of ]. T. Rid
} die before the court, Judge Adam
!, mentioned the decision of the cour
and added: "Of course We were no
going to rule ourselves out of job.
Judge Strudwick, for State, strongl
! objected to permitting such test
mony Judge Long requested tn
Jury to retire and there was argu
ment for nearly an hour on wha
defendants could prove and wha
q they could not. Judge Strudwic
! commended that defendants could pre-
sent no evidence except that relatin
directly to the alleged corrupt act!
, particularly specified in the bill {
p indictment. That If defendants ha
, charged Judge Adams with stealth
+ a horse, they could not justify sue
9 publication by proving that he stol
la cow. They must be confined t
e matters directly contained in th
p bill of indictment.
81 Mr.. Justice, for defendants, col
: tended that all matters tending d
a rectly to show corruption, were PEI
: Itinent in efforts Of defendants to sho
y justification of publication of charge
q Of corruption or bribery, and a col
fession from Judge Adams himse
d to the effect that he decided ver
t important suit simply because by &
= deciding it kept him In a job We
f certainly competent for the reaso
y that no honest court could render
4 decree simply to keep it in a jol
+ Judge Long ruled that in passin
q upon other dispositions he should e:
i Iclude anything that was hearsay {
d to the reputation Of members of Il
n Icourt or anything that might be sal
v or to what were rumors in regard
decisions of the court. He admitte
the alleged admission of Juds
Adams that the court was not goir
@ to rule itself out of job.
II The jury was then recalled and Il
j reading of the deposition was col
If tlnued.
leI The cross-eXamination by NJ
Il Long in Washington, showed TIL
h witness had been asked TO gi,
# names Of other parties present
Is the room when Judge Adams mac
the alleged remark about not rulir
g himself out of a job, and witne
t. called several names of those preset
6 and hearing the remark. Deponel
l. stated there was no doubt of gre
70 many frauds among Indians and fall
70 claimants getting on the rolls befo
9 Citizenship Court was established.
r Records of court showed a gre
x many of f0ur thousand sfricknn q