The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-03
BALL|NGER-GLAV|S
HEARING HELD HERE
W. H. Campbell, Alleged Guide
for Cunningham, Gives III
teresting Testimony.
CUNNINGHAM HIMSELF TAKES
STAND AND ENTERS DENIAL
Last Witness of Governments
Investigation Is Heard in
Salt Lake.

w. II. Campbell, n miner or tailon,
| Nevada, was the last witness heard In
the now famous investigation Of the
government into the Ballinger CLAWS
coal lands case, and he was heard Sat
urday forenoon by Special Commissioner
William J. McGee In the federal build
ing
Campbell asserted that he acted as n
guide for Clarence Cunningham, the
man who is said more or less Indirectly
to represent the Guggenheims, and that
Cunningham admitted to Campbell at
tho time that the matter must be kept
dark, as the acts were illegal.
This was about the only damaging G
testimony Campbell had to give, and
it was promptly denied by Cunningham
in person in the witness chair.
Most Of The hearing was given up to
the cross-examination of Campbell by
John P. Gray, an attorney of Wallace.
Idaho, attorney for Cunningham, who
brought out many details of the trip
Campbell and Cunningham made to-
gether to see the coal beds, and re,
Vealed much of Campbell's s record as q
bartender, gambler and labor leader,
but on the whole failed to shake Camp
Attorney James n. Sheridan Of Den
yer represented the government and
both his direct examination Of his wit
ness, Campbell. and his cross -eSamina-
tion of Cunningham, were short. Com
missioner McGee asked n few questions
at the end of the hearing concerning
Campbell s motive IN informing CLAWS
about what he said he knew of Cunning
ham, and Campbell frankly answered
that his sole motive was "to help CLAWS
out, as he put 1T; also that he was not
unfriendly toward Cunningham. At this
statement Cunningham smiled.
Campbell Holds His Own.
Attorney Gray led Campbell back and
forth IN tangled story over what was
alleged 10 have occurred in Alaska, so
far as Campbell knew, and then put
Cunningham on the stand, who prac
tically denied everything Campbell had
said, and said that Campbell had loafed
when he should have been at work.
Much dispute was raised as 10 whether
snow was on the Trout creek hill Mt
certain time or not, and whether or-not
they had slept III a certain cabin or in
some particular camp.
Condensed, Campbell s story was that
he had left the Couer 'Alenes in Idaho
after the labor troubles there, had met
Cunningham In katalla, Alaska, in the
all ol lDO-, dHu lutJ ne Udu Gulueu
Cunningham to some coal lands on Trout
and Clear creeks. He said that Gun
ningham had paid him only $50, with
which he was not satisfied. and later
quit Cunningham s employ. that Cum
ningham had not discharged him. Ac-
cording 10 Campbell, IT seemed to he
case of quit or FIRE, depending on which
could make the quickest move.
Campbell said that his memory was
nn rlpor ol,nuf nf ba l.
eight years ago but he remembered that
Cunningham had cautioned him not to
advertise the fact that there was good
coal lands where they had been, and
that he, Cunningham, was going to the
states to get up company of eight or
nine and locate these claims and form
a company. Campbell insisted, time
and gain, and in this Gray could not
shake him. that Cunningham had eau
toned Campbell that the deal was IL
legal, hence to be careful about it.
Apparently Campbell was in the Cum
ingham employ all of the time, about
six weeks, that Cunningham was in the
states, and Campbell was also positive
that Cunningham told him on the re-
turn to Katalla, q few minutes after
Cunningham had got off the boat, that
he, Cunningham, had formed his com
pany.
About Lawyers Gambling.
This was the sum and substance Of
all of Campbell's testimony that ap-
peared to be damaging to Cunningham
on the surface. Then, under the cross
examination of Attorney Gray, the wit
ness told Of being a bartender, and Of
being concerned with various poker
games in Alaska and Goldfield. He
threw the room in a laugh at Gray's ex-
pense when he told Of lawyers gam
bling, and asked that if gambling were
wrong, then why did the law in the
United States, and in Nevada particu-
lar, grant licenses to run gambling
games7 Gray sidestepDed this ques-
ton from the witness, while Campbell
and the rest Of the room, including
Commissioner McGee, openly grinned at
Gray.
Attorney Gray tried to mako it ap-
pear that Campbell's testimony was
that Of disreputable character, while
the ordinary Alaska frontier character
a square sport, and made no denial of
the fact. He did deny, however, that
he had had anything to do with illegal
labor troubles
The commissioner did not permit an
extended cross examination Of Cunning
ham on the ground that the whole mat
ter had been over before and was al
ready in tho record.
Praises Judge Miner.
At The close Of the hearing, Commits
sioner McGee announced the special in
vestigation at an end 1t began in
Seattle on November 1S, 1909, and since
then the commissioner has heard evil
dence in Rome, Paris and in many
cities of tho United States.
Commissioner McGee studied law
in Marshall, Mich, in the office of the
late Judge James A. Miner Of this
city.
"Judge Miner" said Commissioner
NToGao opa os fln Gpoot p,a, T