Evening journal., 1916-12-08
miller N letter
Asked FOR SECRECY
$40 Stockholders inPeruvian
Company, He Wanted
1000 in Short Time
GOVERNMENT MAKES
DEMAND FOR PAPERS

~
/ =. p. Bnucll treasurer OF the Peru.
Gold Placcrs, Inc. and its president.
/ Charles $. Miller, while the former was,
sojourning in Peru, were read in thel
Federal Court this mOraing in the cas-
OF the government against Miller anJ.
Raymond McCune, who are charged
with conspiracy and using the United
States mails for the purpose of delrau9-
ing through the sale OF alleged worth
less mining stock These letters formed
the principal part of the testimony.
( Some were read this morning and threw
considerable light on the affairs o. Tie
Peru Gold Placers Inc Additional let
tors viii be read this afternoon.
The trial was resumed at 1890 O'Clock.
After a correction or two had been made
in the record. Judge Bradford announced
his decision admitting as eviuencc part
of a certain letter over the admission of
which thew had been an arglmru- bee
tween counsel yesterday afternoon. Bon
nell, recalled 10 the witness stand. reit-
Grated his testimony of Yesterday as TO
orders received from Charles =. Miller 10
write him regularly once week during
Bonnells soiourn in the Peruvian sold
fields and said that Miller had instruct
ed him to number the letters eoasecu-
lively. so that none could 30 astrny
without the loss being discovered imme-
dia'ely
District Attorney Charles F. Curley
took up the correspondence that had
passed between Miller and BOnnell
and sought to present carbon copies
lof il TO the court and jury through
means somewhat different from those
followed al yesterday afternoons ses-
sion and to which defendants coun-
sci had nterposed so many Objec-
tons. Instead Of offering the copies
OF BOnnolls letters TO Miller, Mr.. Cur
ley first presented Miller's replies to
Bonnelrs weekly cpistles and as
Bonnell Identified them through the
handwriting. one after another they
were submitted and read.
These letters were in long hand
and were read to the jury by Mr.. Cur
ley. In one letter Miller cautioned
Bonnell 10 leave off MY Dear Mr..
Miller" as unnecessary, and to main
tain secrecy about the company's af-
fairs Much OF the letter was Of a
personal nature.
Another letter, dated March n, was
in answer to Bonnell's letter No S.
This letter was full Of advice to Bon
nell against pessimism. I'VE have $40
/. stockholders and must make it 1000
before the end Of the year the letter
stated.
AT this point Mr. Curley sought
again to present as evidence the let
p ter dated March 10. 1914. and sent
from Culpy's Bridge. Peru. alleged 10
: have been written by BOnnelI to Mil
Ter. which was ruled out yesterday.
laying his claim on the fact that the
court had admitted letters received
by Bonnell from Miller acknowledging
receipt OF several of those letters.
They we're admitted by Judge Brad
ford. who gave his reasons for admit
ting them as follows: That the wit
ness had testified that the only CORE
spondence he had had with Miller
was that correspondence which was
numbered and was sent from Peru
weekly, and which he either mailed
personally or handed to a messenger
boy TO mail: that Miller placed at
. the bottom of the letter dated April
! 80. 1914 words which referred to the
, regularity which had been observed
t by the witness in writing. expressing
; that the regularity in which Bonnell
81 had written was very pleasing to him.
S The trial did not continue. how
} ever, for former Judge T. Frank Ball
; OF counsel for Miller, asked for an
} exception to Judge Bradord's ruling.
claiming that the carbon copies Of
the letters which Mr.. Curlev was try.
ing to introduce constituted secondary
, evidence and that the originals Of the
, letters should be produced
Mr.. Curley called the courts atten-
ton to a notice he had served yes.
terday afternoon upon Judge Ball to
produce the originals. in response TO
which demand Mr.. Curley pointed out
that Judge Ball had produced one let
ter and had denied having the others.
} Judge Ball objected to Mr.. Curley's
stating in open court and before the
jurors that he had made a demand
upon him for certain letters. Judge
Bradford replied that Mr.. Curley was
, following the usual practice~in making
the demand in open court. adding.
after Judge Ball had objected again.
that the phase OF the case being pre-.
sented TO him was a most remarkable
. one.
,l The important bearing the letters
" III nave III the case was nuIcaleQ
/ through the persisten. efforts made
( on the part OF the district attorney
4 to introduce them as evidence and
p the equally stiff fight being put up
a by defendants counsel. Every legal
: obstacle to their admission IS being
! raised. Judge Ball refused 10 ac-
/ knowledge that demand for the let
ters in question had been made upon
L. him yesterday. so the proceedings
+ were halted at that point to allow
/. Mr.. Curley TO send for his carbon
copy of the notice.
Then Mr.. Curley was sworn and
p testified that he had prepared the
n notice and directed POstofiice Inspec-
tor Plummer to deliver it to Mr.. Ball
Mr.. Plummer testified that he had
given the letter into Judge Balls
hand personally. AIR. Curley then
repeated his request upon Judge Ball
. The latter was asked by Judge Brad
ford if ne intended to produce the let
! ters, and his reply was that he did
not have them to produce.
Mr.. Curley then proceeded 10 ques-
ton Bonnell on the carbon copies al
- lowed by the court Paper after paper
4 was shown Bonnell. who Identified
:. them all as copies of letters he hat
written Miller. To the presentation
OF each carbon copy Miller's counse
y objected, but the objection was over.
Y ruled in each instance. These letters
were all sent from the Peruvian golt
g. e,1Tn ,,-o,.. Iafad about r-.oT