The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-02-15
CLAWS DECLARES
IT WAS FRAME-UP
Successor subpoenaed to Appear as
Witness-sympathy Of Spectators
Was With BaIinger's Accuser.
By Associated Press.

Washington. ~. c., Feb. 15.-To as
certain whether or not L. R. CLAWS.
@ccuser of Secretary Ballinger, was
the victim of frame-up in connec.
tion with the finding of various miss
ing official papers, Attorney Vertrees,
counsel for Fallinger, requested that
a subpoena be issued forthwith for A.
Christensen, Claws successor and G.
w. O'Neill, of Seattle.
In the Ballinger-P -Pinchot investiga-
ton, the Ballinger counsel, Vertrees,
today, requested the committee to
summon as witnesses, Miss Ella M.
Shartell of Seattle, Special Agent
Frank L. Spalding Of Cheyenne and
w. w. Borrs of Seattle.
The Ballinger-Pinchot congressional
inquiry began to bristle with interest
yesterday when John ]. Vertrees, coun-
sci for Secretary Ballinger, undertook
the cross examination of Louis R.
CLAWS, principal witness for the
prosecution"
The climax Of the day was reached
late in the afternoon session when
Mr.. Vertrees announced that a box
belonging to Mr. Claws and left in
the grand jury room at Seattle, has
been broken open a few days ago, and
that number of letters missing from
the files of the land Office in Seattle,
copies of which have recently been
published in weekly paper, were
found therein.
CLAWS angrily declared that if any
letters had been found in his bciong-
ing, "frame-up" had been prepared
against him. His denunciation Of
such trick to win the favor of their
superiors, called out a demonstration
of applause from the spectators,
which caused Chairman Nelson to an
! nounce that a repetition Of the out
burst would result in the room being
cleared.
Throughout the hearing the sympa.
thies of the spectators, great ma.
\ jority of whom are women, have clear
ly been with CLAWS, and they have
laughed as he has made points against
his questioners, who, in the past, were
members of the committee and today
were counsel for Mr.. Ballinger
Mr.. Vertrees announced that c. A
Christensen, CLAWS successor as
chief of the field division, would be
called to testify to the finding of the
letters. He offered in evidence a let
ter from Christensen. giving the de
tails of the alleged discovery, and the
committee got into long wrangle
ais to whether or not it should be re
ceived in evidence at this time. Ths
letter was put over for consideration
tomorrow in executive session.
At the morning session, Mr.. Yer
trees drew from the witness the fac
that he made no charges of corrup
tion against any one in the land offic'
or the department of the interior. Gla
Wis declared that if he had found evi
dence of corruption he would hav'
taken the matter to grand jury in
stead Of to the president. He said h
thought the facts warranted the opin
ion that Mr.. Ballinger and Mr.. Den
nett have acted improperly, and h
charged them with official miscounduc
Through a process of elimination tn
witness cleared all the other official
of any wilful wrong doing. He assert
ed he was fully convinced that tn
facts that he had offered In evidenc
warranted the Judgment that neithe
Secretary Ballinger nor Land Con
missioner bennett was fit to hold a
Office of public trust. AS to Assistan
Secretary of the Interior Pierce, Gls
Wis declared he had rendered an e.
roneous interpretion Of the coal Ian
law of May, 1908, and that this d'