New-York tribune., 1910-09-09
the general proposition-they wanted the
state organizations friendly to them"
Was Killing Hostile Bills the Aim?

! the general proposition-they wanted the
state organizations friendly to them"
Was Killing Hostile Bills the Aim?
Would it be a good guess that mimi
cal railway bills never would get faro
No: bills radically wrong wouldn't
get far. but bills which were right,
even If against the railway interests
would be passed
Then this friendship would be mani
tested simply in the killing of bad bills?"
pressed Judge Bruce.
II prefer to have no judgment on that
| matter" snapped Beden-
"A judgment based on your expert
ence?'
My experience is no better than
! yours" again snarled the witness.
/ BedelI couldn't tell why these cam
! paign contributions were placed to the
credit of his trading account instead
of to his draft or checking account He
! said he didn't pretend to understand the
firms bookkeeping. He couldn't iden-
tify various items about which he was
asked. Not even when Judge Bruce told
him that on November 7. 1902, he with
/
showed he got in four $500 bills and
| eight S100 biIls-couId he tell about the
| transaction. He was quite sure he gave
no directions for such bills. He took
| cash, if he got cash, at various times, he
{ said, because he proba bly, turned over
cash to the state committee.
! Judge Bruce asked him about William
! Schneider, of Erie, whose name ap-
peared in his account in a 5000 item.
| He finally recalled that Schneider used
/ to be a, member of his Railroads Commit
! tee The 5000, he assumed. was a cam
| paign contribution made by Caryi Ely.
| of Buffalo. head of the street railway
| there, to Schneiders campaign fund by
way Of Rogers and Ellingwood & Cum
ningham and his account. He couldn't
tell why it was done that way
Obscure Phrase in Brokers' Letter.
A letter dated October II. 1900, from
EllingWood & Cunningham, telling him
that 81 900 of an amount received from
Senator Goodse1l had been placed IN his
account. was read 1t contained the
phrase: You will understand the
credit"
Why did Mr.. Cunningham use that
obscure phrase instead of stating the
fact?' queried Judge Bruce.
You'll have to ask him." snapped Be !
dell He admitted that telegram from
him to the brokers saying it was doubt !
full if the Governor would sign the bill
related. doubtless. to the Trans bill.
Another telegram dated May I, 1900 |
from Cunningham to Bedell was read |
This said that IF. d" had been told by |
III W. that Trans was all right. and |
he should hold it. Also "Taggart'' was |
TO be told. Bedeli admitted that he |
didn't know men whose names fitted |
those initials better than Speaker Fred |
Nixon and Herbert Vreeland. Taggart |
was then County Clerk of orange |
County.
When the days session ended, Bedeli |
was still on the stand. and Judge Bruce |
was after him to endeavor to dig up
some memoranda to shed more light on |
his Campaign fund" transactions.
George Carpenter, formerly bookkeeper |
for Ellngwood & Cunningham, was ex- |
amined in the morning. Judge Bruce |
obtained from him and the books most |
of the material on which he questioned |
Bsdell later. He found also that the |
stock blotter and checkbook containing |
some important records were missing" |
Carpenter didn't know anything about !
them.
Bookkeeper and Lawyer Disagree.
The analysis of the accounts showed |
that BedeIl at different times had five |
hundred shares OF Trans" for three |
hundred of which he was debited $3615 |
the other two hundred being deposited |
to his credit-those from Fisk. On Oc- |
tober II. 1901. appeared a credit of |
5000 800 Trans - This Judge |
Bruce interpreted to mean that five hun
dred shares had been sold for Bedell, |
netting, at L. 1900. Carpenter couldn't !
see it that way. 1t might have been de-
livered. he said. to the firm. Both the |
stock blotter and checkbook which would |
have cleared up this point were miss |
ing
Judge Bruce read into the record a |
letter from Goodsell, dated October 81, |
acknowledging receipt of $l9,5O0 for |
| 800 shares of Trans The book |
which would have showed where this |
money came from was missing Later |
he read into the record two letters, one |
from ]. w. Cunningham to II. Robinson,
at the offices of the Metropolitan, ac-
knowledging receipt of a $4,000 check |
on October 27. 1902 This check. he said,
81 pass to the credit of our mutual
friend" November o Cunningham wrote
to Tracy Rogers that the $1,000 passed
to the credit of your account on October
Cf l. Bedelk" ---.---------