New-York tribune., 1910-02-26
DISCREDIT CLAWS
TURN IN INQUIRY.
BaQ;rger's -fccuser Put on
DefeHSiue.
r.ro,n Tie Tribune Bureau J


vsshsnrrop Feb 2-The testimony or
routs II Claws. the chief critic OF the
o-scisls of .he Interior Department, was
haslv shattered to-day Two witnesses
q, ,yl.mcilcd by Sir. Bran0eis 30 suppoF, the
CLAWS charges made damaging admissions
which completely changed the course OF
tho inquiry. When the days session closed
CLAWS was no longer the aggressive critic.
who sought by sequence Of events, by
conjecture and by alleged suspicious cir
r,,,nstances TO irlpute wrongful motives 10
Secretary Balinser and Commissioner Den
nett The case had been reversed, ana
CLAWS was on the defensive. with charges
hanging over him strikingly similar 10
those which he has made against others
William W Barr. Of Seattle. chum OF
CLAWS WAS the witness whose testimony
threw q new light on the proceedings. An
unwilling witness, prompted by g desire TO
rrotect his friend, Barr reluctantly told
the committee of his business relations
with CLAWS. Pressed by Judge Nertrees.
counsel for Secretary Ballinger, he said
that he had an arrangement whereby ne
and CLAWS hoped 20 acquire valuable tim
her lands embracing at least one thousand
acres IN Washington. This agreement was
made shortly after CLAWS was dismissed
from the government service. Under its
terms Barr was 10 furnish the money and
Claws the experience and they were TO
share equally in The profits.
The land to he acquired is in Lewis
County and is known as state indemnity
selection land II appears that the State
Of Washington asserts its ownership TO
this land. but it was the purpose of Barr
and CLAWS to file Northern Pacific lien
land selection scrip snd thus acquire the
title for themselves
Under q searching cross-cxamination Mr..
Barr said that the indemnity selections
we're fled before CLAWS left the govern
r'ent service lie answered in the affirna
tive when asked If he did not know that
hy reason Of the place which he held in
The government service CLAWS in
position 10 have information regarding this
land
Mr. Vertrees sought 10 make the witness
admit tina. he sustained business relations
oith CLAWS for some time prior to Cilavis's
dismissal from the service but Mr.. Barr
insisted this vas not SO The witness said
that he was in the siulber business al Sc
attic and had known CLAWS since 1905, He
said that CLAWS had employed two men
recommended by him as timber cruisers.
AGAINST CUNNINGHAM CLAIM.
The second point brought out. which the
attorneys for the Interior Department Of
6cials regard as important in the develop
ment Of their plan 20 undermine the CLAWS
charges. was furnished in the cross-eN-
a-nination Of Andrew Kennedy, a friend of
CLAWS and for a time his roommate at
Portland Mr.. Kennedy is mining engl-
neer Of long experience and was special
agent Of the government for two years He
Has sent 10 Alaska to make an exhaustive
field examination Of the Cunningham coal
claims Cross-examined by Mr.. Nertrees.
he said while he was in Alaska making this
examination CLAWS wrote MIN that he was
sending TO assist him Gabriel WinGate, Of
Ike Forest Service. In this letter CLAWS
said he was anxious that Mr. Kennedy
should agree with Mr.. Wingate, and ex-
messed the hope that they would cooper
ale and that there would be no conflict in
lheir findings Mir Minsate reported that
As a commercial proposition the cunning
ham claims were Valueless. Some OF the
claims had the appearance of coal, but Tor
commercial purposes the coal was utterly
.,orthless. he said. Mr.. Kennedy, on the
ttber hand, reported that there was coal
on each Of the thirty-three claims and that
The C,lnninghams had valuable coal prop
crtv-
senator Nelson suggested that il Mr..
CLAWS that he cooperate with the Forest
Service. he would have TO report that there
WAS no coal in the Cunningham group Mr..
Tsrandeis suggested that this was not tar
deduction. and the witness did not answer
Mr. Kennedy said that Mir. Fisher, the coal
f.n,,ert of the Geological Survey examined
The Cunningham claims and that his re
port confirmed his finding that all the
,fsfr7s we're coal bearing.
SPECIAL AGENTS AT ODDS.
The first witness examined to-day was
Horace 7. jones. a special agent, who WAS
obviously friendly TO CLAWS, although he
made 10 direct criticism of Secretary Bal
llrger or Commissioner bennett He crit
icised James NJ Sheridan, who was sent by
the Land Office 10 Seattle last year TO take
charge OF the governments case in the
hearings on the Cunningham coal claims
Mr. Jones said he did not charge that Mr.
Sheridan was corrupt Il think he was ua-
.sise ia his conduct of the case, he said,
in reply 10 a question by Senator Nelson.
4 ;hink ne is bright and competent. j
cont believe he was corrupt" Later Mr.
Jones said he did not mean to criticise-
lie was q lawyer himself, and lawyers
often differed about the conduct Of a case,
he added
Mr Jones was aggressive and opinionated
and had several clashes with Mr.. Nertrees.
At the morning hearing he referred TO John
= Gray. who he said was sOn-in-law of
Senator Hepburn At the opening Of the
afternoon session Senator Sutherland want
ed TO know where he got his information
that Mr. GRAY was Ar. Heyburn's son-in-
Law The witness replied that this was the
xeneraI impression at Spokane. Seattle and
other cities or the Pacific Coast Mt
Sutherland suggested that there was no
occasion for Mr- Jones TO repeat idle gos-
sip Senator Hepburn has son-in-law,
because ne has no daughter He was mar
ried about seven years ago Mr.. Suther-
land added that MIR. Hepburn had informed
him that he was not related 10 Gray in any
way. and had never beer his law partner,
~ intimated by the witness
The hearing viii proceed tomorrow x.th
the probability that Clifford Pinchot Will be
witness.