The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-11
own TESTIMONY
IS REPUD|ATED
On Closer Inspection Wit
ness Denies that He
Signed Paper.

Washington. May 10.-Edward j.
Williams Of Scranton. the chief wit
ness in the case against Judge Robert
practically denied before the house
judiciary committee some of the tes-
timony he had given against the judge
on Wednesday.
Williams was a partner with Arch
bald in the negotiations for buying
the Culm bank from the Erie railroad
to sell at a profit of $4,000 to the
Lackawanna and Wyoming railroad.
The judge at that time had the Erie's
so-called "lighterage cases. in his
court. The committee is Investigate
ing to decide If peachment proceed
ings should be brought against the
judge
A. S. Worthington. counsel for the
accused jurist. undertook redirect
examination of Williams and called
his attention to the assignment of the
Culm bank property he was alleged
to have made to w. P. Boland and a
"silen. partner" previously Williams
had admitted having made such as
signment before he procured options
on the Erie Culm banks and had en-
planned that the SILENT party" was
Archibald. Today, upon reading a
copy of the assignment again, Will
liams declared it was not the paper
he had signed. He admitted that the
signature attached was his. but re-
pudiated the contents.
The admission led Worthington to
asked the witness If he ever drank.
He said he did and admitted that
possibly he might have signed papers
he could not now recall. Williams
also repudiated the letter introduced
in evidence, in which he related hav-
ing told Boland that if he had dis
counted one of the Archibald notes,
a case he had before the jurist which
was decided against him. might have
resulted differently. The witness ad-
mitted having said something like
that to Boland. but denied that the
language used in the letter in evil
dence was signed by him. ever came
from his lips.
The committee started to learn of
the alleged transacted between James
r. Dainty. Archibald and the Lehigh
hardt Coal proptrty.
Williams was asked If he and
Dainty did not regard Archibald as the
real negotiator for the lease of the
Eberhardt property by the Lehigh
Valley.
II thought Archibald might be able
to swing it," replied Williams. 81
thought he could try it anyhow"
What 1,>rt did the Judge have in
that transaction?
Nothing except to ask the Lehigh
Valley II they would pay the price
asked for the lease
"Is it not fact that the Lehigll
Valley road. after Judge Archibald
came into the matter was willing to
pay more for the lease than they were
before?"
"1 don't know. never heard any
was Judge Ar:hbald to receive
any portion of the profits from the
probable sale of this coal land?"
II don't know"
Williams testified that he knew
Thomas Darling. lawyer for the
Lehigh Valley.
Chairman Clayton then read a
Photographic copy Of a letter which
introduced Williams to Darling.
1t stated that Mr. Williams was
trying to get hold of culm dump
property owned by the Lehigh if the
railroad felt inclined to dispose Of 1t.
why did you get letter from
Judge Archibald in that instance?"
asked the chairman.
the dump"
Was the judge to have an interest
in that?"
did you know the Judge knew
DarlIng?"
"oh. yes Darling tried many cases
before Judge Archibald. He yried
cases before him when Mr.. Archibald
was county judge
The witness said he asked for the
letter to Darling and that the juEist