New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-09
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matter had got into the hands OF INC
newspapers did he take notice q 'ie
charge.
Tho first witness called was William "a
smvth editor of 1.-THE OTeSo Times
His name brought out ripple OF SUI
nrise He has been for many years INC
Renublican county chairman or Ilos@
county and Tom Platt man Onoer
suhnnena he had brought some letters
and a telegram which were marked Ioi
identification. ..
IT,der examination by Mr. Osborne ne
said he had shown this correspondence
to William Conger after the Behh IN
ger charges against Aids were n1au0
This was after he had received iettei
dated January 81 from Senator Anus
This letter Mr.. Osborne sought 10 I'D
marked for identifca ton, but the ANUS
LAWYERS objected vehemently, protesting
that it was not admissible as eYldehcc'
LAWYERS wRANGLE-
sena+or Davis ruled that 1t should be
excluded, but finally Mr.. OSBORNE arso
ments prevailed. and the letter was put III
a sealed envelope and delivered 70 tno
clerk of the Senate. Another tilt De-
tween the lawyers was begun over the
question of admitting in evidence the
letters already marked for identihca1lon'
and was ended only by Mr.. carr con-
senting to their admission If he might
I cross examine Smyth.
Immediately he asked the witness II
he knew Thomas c. Platt. Smyth said
he did Mr. Carr then brought out that
III 1901 smyth was president Of the
Owego Business Mems Association The
| Owego Bridge Company vas threaten
ing 70 move from that village, and he
was using every effort to get 1t to stay
there. Mr.. Carr tried to show that Con-
ger had an interest in this company, but
was unsuccessful. Sn1yth said that he
either went or wrote to New York to
ask Senator Plat TO write to Assembly
man Aids regarding a certain bill which
the bridge company wanted defeated.
He had a promise, he said. that the
company would remain in Owego If the
bill were defeated. He was not permitted
to tell about that promise, but said En-
NETT Booth. manager of the company.
made it.
The witness. Smyth identifsd two let
tiers as having been signed by Senator
PIatt These letters we're marked for
identification by Mr.. Carr, much to the
surprise of Conger's counsel, who ap-
parently knew nothing about them.
Then Mr. Osborne read a letter written
In April, 1901. by Mr.. Aids to Snyth,
asking that he correct an alleged error
regarding bill about which he had been
in conversation with Senator Platt. This
bill already had passed. In the letter
was this sentence:
This bill does not affect the bridge
proposition. and when I am helping you
and your friends with a bill which you
are really opposing do think I am en-
titled to be correctly reported"
After considerable explaining about
Smyths having attached the wrong num-
Der TO a bill. Mr.. Osborne read the fol-
lowing telegram from Mr.. Aids to Platt:
Told Snyth it had already passed when
| he 'phoned, hence / could not stop il. It
| was already beyond us, and in hands OF
Governor. It was not objected to by the
bridge men on its passage, provided the
other bill vas held up Inc other Dill
stays in committee
A letter written April % by Snyth to
Senator Aids was desired greatly by Mr..
Osborne, but Smyth said he never kept
copies of his letters. and Allds's lawyer
said they didn't have it.
MOE ON THE STAND.
Hiram G.. Moe was next called TO the
stand. He said he was ffty-nine years
oil l,;e
| life. He went TO school with him. He
! worked his way up from clerk in the
| First National Bank at Groton to become
cashier, which place he held for eleven
| years, and left only TO become confiden-
| tial secretary TO Frank Conger. He
| stayed with Frank Conger until the Con-
| gers organized the Mechanics Bank at
| Groton. of which he became cashier Last
| year he was clerk of Senator Benn Con-
! gers committee-Trades and Manu-
features.
! From then on under the examination of
| Mr.. Osborne he told in jerky sentences
| the story OF the alleged bribery. as out
| lined by that lawyer. He identified the
| original check he had drawn and the
| drafts he had cashed, which were offered
| III evidence. Al various points Mr.. Lit
Teton, for Aids. protested that Osborne
was not connecting his case directly
| with Senator Aids. but Mr.. Osborne
| went on. Moe told Of his being identified
at Syracuse by Guernsey Williams. of
the Syracuse Dry Goods Company.
! Moe told OF his obtaining the cash and
bringing it TO Albany. where he spent
the night of April 30 in Benn Conger's
rooms, in Lancaster street. The first
thing he did III the morning, he said. was
| 10 count the money TO see If II was all
! there. Then he told of placing the money
! in the three envelopes, under the direc-
! ton of Benn Conger.
MIR LITTLETON PROTESTS
Again a that point Mr.. Littleton pro-
tested that all this was not pertinent, but
that the effect Of 1t was intensely dam
aging although the Conger lawyers had
failed to show any connection between
Aids and Benn Conger and Moe prior to
! that time. Said he:
Counsel upon the other side need not
think that they can open up this ex
parte transaction by Moe and Benin Con-
| ger, between Moe and Frank Conger. or
between Moe and Senator Williams at