The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-03-17
RUSSELL LFLAYED
|NPR0BE REPORT.
GOV. ROBERTSON'S PARDON
AND PAROLE ACTS ARE
ENDORSED
RUSSELL'S CHARGES FALSE"
"cat" Editor, Under Oath on Witness
Stand, Admits His Charges Are
Mere Hearsay and Cannot
Be Proven.

Oklahoma City, Okla, Especially
Campbell Russell, Corporation Com
missioner, who, through the medium OF
hies publication, known as "The Cat, :
has devoted considerable time during
the past year to an attack upon Gov
ernor Robertson's exercise of the par
don and parole power failed complete
ly to produce the evidence" to sus
tain his allegations. according to the
findings of the special house investi-
eating committee during the recent
extra legislative session.
Charges Unfounded
After a most thorough probe OF all
of the records and transactions in the
pardon and parole department, and ar
ter hearing all of the evidence that
Russell could produce, it was the unan-
imous report of the committee that
Russell's accusations and insinua-
tions were absolutely false and with
cut the slightest foundation The re-
port of the committee was adopted by
the House of Representative without
a dissenting vote.
Through his publication medium,
and in his speeches over the state
Russell has repeatedly stated that
"the evidence is ready to support eV-
cry charge make" but this he failed
I'd do. When placed upon the Stand
before the committee OF probers and
put under oath and made amenable to
the perjury law, Russell admitted that
he had no evidence whatever tending
to show that Governor Robertson had
ever Yielded to undue pressure IN the
granting Of clemency.
Admits Records Clear
He stated specifically that he had no
evidence to show that anyone connect
ed with the pardon and parole depart
ment had ever accepted money or 9th
er thing of value in connection with an
act of clemency.
Russell admitted in reply to ques-
tions from his inquisitors, that all OF
the insinuations and charges made by
him against the governor were based
entirely upon rumors and hearsay and
that he could not verify or prove any
OF them
Questioned further by the commit
tee, Russell admitted that he had new
er as much as gone to the trouble or
looking into the record OF any case.
Although his office is in the capitol
near the pardon department where the
record of every act OF clemency ls
open for inspection, Russell said he
had never gone to the pardon depart
ment, or made any effort to ascertain
the true facts from the record. He
admitted that he had been in the ex-
ecutive Office only once since Robert
son became Governor. This visit was
last January, year aGo, when Rus
sell called to solicit the aid OF the
Governor in securing the passage OF a
certain measure then pending befors
the legislature. Governor Robertson
refused to lend his influence to Rus
sell. and the testimony given at the
hearing showed that at this time Rus
sell told the Governor: I'm be after
you from now on
Tells How Fight Began
1t was the opinion OF many members
of the legislature that this incident,
wherein the Governor refused to agree
with Russell on "A matter of legisla-
ton, is responsible for the whole fight
being waged against the pardon and
parole department.
While on the stand under oeth Rus
sell gave testimony showing that IN
some cases he was familiar with the
true facts, but at the same time per-
sisted in printing false statements"
IN his Cat" the committee found.
One noticeable instance of misrepre-
sentation, pointed out by the commit
tee in this connection, is in the Paul
Hadley case The evidence showed
that Paul Hadley's application for a
leave of absence was presented by
Judge John H. Burford, who received
a fee of $4,000 for his services in pre-
pairing and presenting the papers. Rus
sell said he knew of this, yet a special
edition of his Cat" issued few
hours before he went on the witness
stand stated that Hadley had offered
a fee of $1,000, and that Gen. Roy Hof-
mans law firm had received a very
attractive fee for its work in the
Hadley case.
Exoneration Unanimous
The committee took up each case,
which Russell has called attention to,
and gave him the opportunity of fur
nishing all of the data he had. The
Governor was completely and unant
mously exonerated from Russells in
situations in each case.
Committees Report
Following is the summary of the
findings of the committee:
After haviiss considered all of the
evidence that has been submitted to
your Committee, we unhesitatingly re-
port that the statements and insinua
tions made by Mr.. Campbell Russell
against the Pardon ond Parole Depart
ment of this state and against the
Governor OF this state, are unsupport-