The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-26

Louis r. CLAWS has been engaged in
locating claims on timber lands in Wash
ington State since leaving the govern
ment service. according to testimony
which was developed yesterday before
the Ballinger- Pinchot investigating com
mittee by J. J. Vertrees. counsel for Sec
| rotary Ballinger.
Among the charges made by CLAWS
against Secretary Ballinger was one that
his activity as counsel for the Cunning
ham claimants after his retirement as
Commissioner of the General Land Office
was improper and in violation Of the law.
Mr.. Vertrees evidently was attempting
to show that CLAWS attempt TO locate
timber claims was an analogous case.
The testimony in this respect was given
by w w. Barr, a timber merchant of
Seattle. Barr testified that after CLAWS
had been dismissed from the government |
service by order Of President Taft he /
had engaged him TO locate some timber |
lands in Washington, his compensation 10 !
be a half interest in the claims. The land |
in question is claimed by the State OF
Washington. and also by the Northern |
Pacific Railroad. but the records Of loca- |
lions must 90 through the local Office Of |
the General Land ONCE. Barr stated that !
10 get possession Of the land II was neces- |
sary to purchase what is known as a |
scrip" from the railroad. Thus far. he /
said he had not been able to get title TO |
the lands located by CLAWS. Barr was |
still on the witness stand under cross /
examination by Mir. Vertrees when ad- 1
journment was taken until to-day. and /
Mr.. Brandeis. counsel for Claws. did not /
have an opportunity 10 examine the Wit
ness in this connection.
CLAWS Is COrrObOrated.
With the exception OF the testimony
OF Barr relating to the timber lands. the
testimony given by the three witnesses
examined yesterday was all corrobora-
tive OF testimony heretofore given by
CLAWS. The witnesses were Horace T.
Jones. special agent OF the Land Office,
who had investigated the Alaska coal
cases; James Kennedy. a mining expert
who had made a field examination OF
the coal lands. and Barr
Although Kennedy was called to the
stand for the purpose of testifying as an
expert as TO the value OF the coal lands.
Mr.. Brandeis' principal object was 70
have him dispose OF the charge that
CLAWS had secreted certain important pa
pers In a box which had been stored ln
the Federal building in Seattle. This box,
according 10 evidence introduced by coun-
sci for Mr. Vertrees. was broken open
by Chief of Field Division Christensen,
the successor Of CLAWS, ard in it were
found the missing papers.
Kennedy testified that the box had been
shipped from the home Of Claws IN Port
land 20 Seattle. and that 1t contained mis-
cellaneous articles owned by CLAWS. At
Seattle il was carried 10 the grand fury
room In the Federal building, where II
was opened. Claws. said Kennedy, had a
key to the grand jury room. ard after he
had been removed from the government
service he gave the key 20 Kennedy and
asked him 10 give It 10 John O'NeH the
custodian Of the building, with the re-
quest that the box and two barrels. also
owned by CLAWS. be allowed to remain
there. If this proved to be announcement.
the witness said. Claws intended 10 store
the box and barrels Kennedy said he de-
Iivered the key TO O'Neil on September q,
five days after CLAWS was removed. At
that time, he said. he saw the box. and II
was partly open and half filled with
books. papers, and other articles.
Wanted to Move Box.
In a week or ten days, Kennedy testi-
fed. O'Neil notified him that he wanted
10 remove CLAWS property TO a store
room, and ne went 10 the Federal building
TO supervise the job. When he left the
room the box was stil open. and the first
he heard Of the government agents break
ing It open and finding the missing letters
in It was when ne read the proceedings OF
the investigating committee.
When Barr was called 10 the stand he
testified that he, too, saw the box in COM
pany with CLAWS a short time after
Claws had been dismissed from the gov
eminent service. and that at that time
the box was open and in the same condi-
ton described by Kennedy.
Barr related a telephone conversation
between Claws and Christensen relating
to the papers Of the land Office of which
CLAWS had had charge. This converse
ton. he said, was held at his own request
after CLAWS informed him that he had
not received a receipt for the papers
turned over to his successor. He listened
TO the conversation on an extension tele-
phone and heard CLAWS ask Christensen
if all the papers Of the Office had been
accounted for. and heard Christensen re-
ply that they had been.
Jones, who was on the witness stand
throughout the morning session and dur
ing a part Of the afternoon. created
OF a sensation by declaring
that the hearings at which the preIimi-
nary evidence in the Alaska coal cases
were produced were conducted in an in
manner He said that James
Sheridan, who was the trial lawyer for
the land Office, had been graduated from
a law school only year and a half be-
fore he took charge of the cases, and
that he conducted his side of the case in
such a manner that the lawyers for the
coal claimants knew at the outset the
entire evidence in the possession OF the
government He corroborated CLAWS
testimony as 10 the value of the coal
lands and the evidence tending TO show
that many of the claims were fraudulent
Reflection on Officials.
Mr.. Brandeis introduced in evidence the
record Of the trial lawyer for the gov
eminent in the Cunningham cases for
the purpose OF showing that Sheridan
was Incompetent. Mr.. Brandeis said he
did not intend to make any charges
against Sheridan. On the other hand.
the evidence was a serious reflection on
the officials Of the Interior Department
for placing such an important case in the
hands Of an inexperienced lawyer.
"You clearly make a very serious