The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-01-27
CLAWS TELLS
OF LAND DEALS
Appears as Witness at Bal.
linger Investigation.
GOES BACK TO BEGINNING


Deposed Special Agent Of Land Office
Declares That Secretary Of Interior
Before Entry Into Public Service
Was Party to Transaction Which
Would Lead to Perjury on Part of
Land Claimants - Relates Difficult.
ties In Securing Evidence.
washington, Jan. 27.--Gifford Pin.
chot. former forester Of the agricul-
tural department, into whose conduct
as head of the forest service the com.
mittee will inquire, was present at
the session of the joint senate and
house committee appointed to investl-
gate the Ballinger-Pinchot controver.
sy, but Secretary Ballinger, the at.
tempt to discredit whom brought
about the Investigation, was not on
hand.
Louis r. CLAWS testified that while
he was special agent of the land Of
fice investigating certain applications
for coal land claims in Lewis county.
Washington, known as the "Wilson
Coal company cases." he secured a
deposition from Watson Allen of
Seattle, who represented the Wilson
Coal company, in which Allen stated
that r A. Ballinger, then a practicing
attorney, who had not yet become
commissioner Of the land Office, had
drawn up an agreement and certain
deeds to be held In escrow, conveying
the interests in the lands of the en-.
trymen to the Wilson corporation.
The Inference sought to be conveyed
by the witness was that Mr.. Ballinger
by the professional service he had
rendered in this case had been party
to transaction which would have
ultimately led to perjury and a fraud
upon the public land office laws. He
explained that it was necessary for
an entryman in making his final proof
to make affidavit that he, the affiant,
was the sole party in interest in the /
land patent.
The witness In replying to a ques-
tion admitted that this had no direct
relation TO the Cunningham coal land
cases In Alaska except as to its bear
ing upon the general conduct of Mr..
Ballinger. II was at this point that
Representative DENLY of Michigan
showed some impatience at the
course the testimony was taking and
asked to know what the witness In
tended to prove.
In the course OF his examination.
Attorney Brandies for CLAWS reached
that phase of the Ballinger-Pinchot
which related to the al
legged statement by Charles Davis of
Seattle, an Alaska coal claimant, in
which he is alleged to have told
Claws when the latter asked him for
In affidavit regarding what is known
rs the Hunt group" of coal claims,
hat Commissioner Ballinger had told
Davis to make no affidavit or state
nent until after the government had
made up its case, when he would
1now Just what he was expected to
'efute.
At this point a dispute arose as TO
whether CLAWS had ever communi.
'ated this information to the land
'ffice. CLAWS was drawn into the col
oquy and called attention to letter
n the published correspondence in
which, writing to the secretary Of the
Interior on another matter, he had
eferred to what Davis had told him,
nut had received no reply from Mr. !
,allinger. Chairman Nelson sought I
0 establish that the letter containing
his Information might not have &
cached the secretary personally.
'hereupon Attorney Brandies called !
he attention of the committee to the a
'uhlished correspondence to show a
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