The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-02-26
WITNESS IN BALLlNGER. .PlNcHOT
CASE BITTERLY ATTACKS
ATTORNEY.
FURNISHES A SENSATION
Declares That Man Sent Out by De.
Partment to Take Charge Of Coal
Lands Case in Place OF CLAWS Prac.
tically Threw Governments Chances
Away--knew Little About Law.

by Horace Ti1iard Jones, Il special
agent of the land office. that James
NJ. Sheridan. who was sent by the au-
thorities at Washington to take charge
of the hearings In the Cunningham coal
eases, practically threw the govern
ment's case away by giving counsel for
the claimants an opportunity to exam
inc all evidence collected by special
agents working under Louis n. CLAWS,
furnished the sensation today at the
Balinger- Pinchot inquiry. Jones made
II bitter attack upon the competency
of Mr.. Sheridan, who replaced CLAWS
In charge of the cases. and declared
that. although Glayis was no lawyer.
he knew more Of the law than did
Sheridan
Asked why he failed to protest TO
Washington regarding the alleged in
competent presentation of the case,
Jones replied scornfully that he might
have been deemed insubordinate. The
witness worked with CLAWS on the
Alaska cases and said he felt IL was n
reflection upon Mr.. CLAWS that Sheri-
/ dan should have been sent out to re-
iicvc BIN. On direct examination, Jones
proved a most effective witness. Under
crossexamination. he proved stubborn
| and defiant. flinging curt answers at
/ committeeman and counsel alike.
| Aside from Mr.. Jones. the interest
| of the day centered in "A young man
named W. w Barr. Il timber dealer,
brought from Seattle 10 testify for AIR.
CLAWS in refutation of II charge that
/ "a missing letters from the govern
4
! belonging to CLAWS and stored In the
| government building at Seattle. He
said he had suggested to CLAWS to
/ telephone his successor at Seattle to
see If the latter had found the papers
that CLAWS had turned oyer. following
his discharge from the service. Barr
said he listened mt an extended tele-
phone conversation while Christensen,
new chief Of division. replied that
everything was o. *. He said he did
! this 10 protect CLAWS
No Letters.
Asked To detail the conversation, the
witness declared he could only romem-
ber that Christensen said everything
was o. X. He told also of visiting the
/
| that neither he nor CLAWS put any
letters in the box.
1t was brought out on crossexamina-
ton that CLAWS was assisting Barr
to get possession Of some timber lands
claimed by the state OF Washington.
but to which, Barr says. the state has
no right. Claws Is to share equally In
the profits The witness con3 rot de-
tail exactly all that CLAWS agreed 10.
His memory was bad and the memo
randum Of agreement hads been left In
Seattle
Although he and CLAWS had been
ehums for some years. and he had
been n dealer In timber lands for seven
years. Barr denied that CLAWS had ever
given him any benefits of his connec-
ton with the field service of the land
office. He said CLAWS picked out lands
which he and Barr are trying to obtain
Barr said he proposed to pay for the
lands with script issued by the gov
ernment to the Northern Pacific and
the lands passed back from the rail-
road into forest reserves.
Tells of Box.
Andrew Kennedy was the third wit
ness of the day, testifying to what he
knew of the box in which the alleged
missing letters were found. He said
the box had been left partly open all
the time It was in the federal building
This testimony was introduced by Mr.
Brandels in advance of the testimon,
that Is to be offered by the defense
as TO the finding Of the documents.
The prosecution will proceed tomor-
row with the likelihood that Clifford
Pinchot will be the star witness. lie
will tell of his experiences with Mr.
Ballinger in relation to the eonserva
tion of natural resources.