The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-26
Charge Is Made Thai Special
Agent Of Land Office Thr3w
Fig Case Away
WITNESS H. 7, JONES
MAKES BITTER ATTACK
Jones Tells of Association with CLAWS
And How Special Agent sheridan
Lost Case for Government
Through CareIessness

Washington February 2j-The charge
made by Horace Tollard Jones, a special
agent of the land office, that James NJ
Sheridan who was sent by the authori-
ties at Washington to take charge of
the hearings in the Cunningham coal
cases in Seattle last year, practically
threw the governments case away by
giving counsel for the claimants an op-
portunity to examine all of the evidence
collected by special agents working under
Louis r. CLAWS, furnished the sensation
today at the Ballinger-Pinchot inquiry
which was resumed after an adjourn
ment from Saturday last.
Jones made a bitter attack upon the
competency of Mr.. Sheridan, who repre-
sented CLAWS, and declared that the lat
ter knew more about law than Sheridan.
Asked why he had not protested
to Washington regarding the alleged in
competent presentation of the case, Jones
replied that he might have been deemed
insubordinate.
The witness worked with CLAWS on the
Alaska cases and said he felt it was
reflection upon Mr.. CLAWS that Sheridan
should have been sent out to relieve
him.
On direct examination Jones proved a
most effective witness. Under cross-ex-
animation he proved stubborn and defiant
using curt answers to committeeman
and counsel alike.
Aside from Mr.. Jones the interest of
the day centered in young man named
w. w. Barr, a timber dealer, who was
brought from Seattle TO testify for Mr..
Claws in refutation OF the charge that
"a missing letters from the government
files had been found in a box belonging
to CLAWS and stored in the government
building at Seattle.
Barr Gets Tangled Up
On cross-eXamination Barr became bad
ly tangled. He said he had suggested
to CLAWS to telephone his successor at
Seattle to see if the latter had found
the papers which CLAWS had turned over
following his discharge from the service,
all right. Barr said he listened at an
extension telephone, while Christensen,
the new chief of division, replied that
everything was 20. k.'
He said he did this to protect CLAWS.
Asked to detail the conversation the
witness declared he could only remember
that Christensen said everything was
o. k. He told also of visiting the storage
room with CLAWS, but said that neither
he nor CLAWS put any letters in the
box.
1t was brought out on cross-eXamina-
ton that CLAWS at the present time is
assisting Barr to get possession of some
timber lands claimed by the state of
Washington, but which Barr says the
state has no right to-
CLAWS is to share equally in the profits
it was stated. The witness could not
detail exactly all that CLAWS had
agreed to.
Very Bad Memory
His memory was bad and the memoran-
dunn of agreement had been left behind
in Seattle.
Although he and CLAWS had been
chums for some years and he had been
dealer in timber lands for seven years,
Barr denied that Glavis had ever given
him any benefits of his connection with
the field service of the United States
land office. He said CLAWS picked out
the lands which he and Barr are now
irving to secure. Barr said he proposed
to pay for the lands with scrip issued
by the government to the Northern Pa
cific railroad for lands passed back from
the railroad into forest reserves.
Andrew Kennedy, the third witness of
the day, testfying to what he knew of
the box in which the alleged missing let
ters were found, said the box had been
a.. oil ha xxraS
the federal building. This testimony was
introduced by Mr.. Brandeis in advance
of the testimony that is to be offered by
the defense as to the finding of the docu-
ments.
The prosecution will proceed tomor-
row with the likelihood that Clifford Pin
chot will be the star witness of the day.
He will tell of his experiences with Mr..
Ballinger in relation to the conserva-
ton OF natural resources.
Witnesses TO BE Called
When the committee met in open ses-
sion this morning Attorney Brandeis re-
ouested permission to introduce the
statements recently made before the
Senate commission on territories by
Stephen Birch, managing director and
]. N. Steele, attorney for the Alaska
syndicate, or Morgan-G n-Guggenheim syn
These statements told in part of the
Guggenheim-C Cunningham coal claims
which have been the source of all the
trouble incident to the present inquiry.
Chairman Nelson said the statements
of Messrs. Birch and Steele had not been
made under oath. The committee agreed
that they should be summoned as wit
nesses. The attorneys for both sides
united in the request.
Special Agent Horace I. Jones, who
worked with CLAWS on the Alaska cases.
was the first witness.
Jones. examined by Mr.. Brandeis. said
he consulted freely with Mr.. Ballinger
when the latter was in Seattle in July,
1907 He told Mr. Ballinger that Spe-
clal Agent Love in Alaska was only
half-hearted in his work, because he was
candidate for United States marshal,
and said Ballinger agreed with him.
THE commissioner asked me to make
an Investigation" said Jones, "of all the