The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1913-05-16
AoauIttaI For Perry Ballard

OF accepting a bride of 5000 from T.
j. Woods of the Home Life Insurance
company by a jury in Judge Clark's
division of the district court. The jury
was out only twenty minutes and the
verdict was arrived at with little diff.
ficulty.
The case against Ballard is the
first of several based on grand jury in
dictments alleging graft in office by
state officials, to go to trial. He was
accused Of accepting 5000 from
Woods as a consideration to issue a
permit to the Home Life Insurance
company to do business in the state.
He did not deny receiving the money
but pleaded that it was in payment
for work done out of Office hours for
Woods personally and that the fee
was paid by Woods and not by the in
surance company. He claimed that
he passed on some Of the securities
Of the company for the purpose of ad
vising Woods Of their worth on the
market.
The next case will be that Of Hugh
Corner, formerly of the state examin
er's office, charged with certifying a
claim falsely The claim was in favor
of Examiner Germaine and it is al
legged by the state that Corner raised
1t slightly over the face value.
The Home Life Insurance company
would gladly have paid more than
5000, the sum that is alleged to have
been given as bride to former State
Insurance Commissioner Perry A. Bal
lard, for a permit to do business in
the state of Oklahoma, according to
testimony introduced by the state
l. P. Mantz, an employe of the COM
pany, testified that T. J. Wood, the
man who promoted the organization
of the company in Oklahoma, said he
would gladly have given Ballard $500
for a permit to do business in this
state Mantz stated that he told Wood
that there was no need in paying that
much because 5000 would easily buy
Ballard
DR.. Horbinson, president Of the
Home Life company, stated that he
overheard the conversation between
Wood and Mantz in which Wood stat
ed that he would pay $500 to Ballard
to issue the permit.
Mantz admitted that after every
thing had been arranged, that he went
after Ballard and brought him to the
office of the Home Life Insurance COM
pany. He stated that Wood and Bal
lard went into a room together and
when Wood came out he said: 1T Is
alright, have the permit"
Secretary Fowler of the company
was placed on the stand. He testified
that in his capacity as secretary he
saw the temporary permit that Ballard
gave Wood to do business in the state.
In outlining the defense, Attorney
e. G. McAdams, who is representing
Ballard, did not deny that Ballard re.
ceiyed the 5000 from Wood, but stated
that it was in payment for overtime
that Ballard put in working on the
permit Of the Home Life Insurance
company. He stated that at the time
the company filed application for a
permit, 1t was found that a number of
applications preceded it. In order to
get their permit as soon as possible,
the Home Life company agreed to pay
Ballard extra money for the work that
he put in on their permit outside OF
office hours. Attorney McAdams stat
ed that Ballard put in twenty nights
examining the application of the Home
Life Insurance company and that ac-
cording to the agreement Woods paid
him $40 per night for the work that he
put In examining the application.