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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1890)
I 2 THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY , JANUARY ' 10. 18 < J0. SIXTEEN PAGES _ _ BBV1 what ho desired to b vo written for Uio Ho- BB liubllcun , BB • Q. Whnt wait hut I A. If my memory Bfl I rerves me right It wns ffino tlmo ago and Bfl i tli I net nro a llttlo hazy ns to the exact facts ; Bfl I but If my memory serves mo correctly , I BB | I think Mr Vnndorvoort requested mo ono Bfl | tiny to write something of n complimentary Bfl ' lintilro for Mr Husscll H ! Q. Wns Mr Russell n member of the log BBJ | Itlaluro ? A Yes , sir , ho wns n member of BBJ the legislature nnd a member of the judlcl- BBJ , nry committee , which nt that time It my BBI memory serves mo right wis to a cortnin BBI extent under a eloud on account of some BBI jnntters pertaining to the legislature some BBJ | bills which wcro pending and in the hands BBI of the Judiciary committee I'think Mr BBI Husscll was also nt that particular tlmo n BBI candidate ! for election to some Grand Army BBI l position commander of the Grand Army H Q. Did vou remember what charges had BBI been mauo against the Judiciary committco BBI that suggested this complimentary nrtlelol BBB A. I think there were tiono mnilo nt the BBI tbno ; I think thuro were rumors nround the BBB , Rtrcct ns to the allegations thnt hud beer BBB niado outslilo of the legislature BBB Q What position nn the Judiciary com * BIB mlttco did ho say Mr Russell occupied ? A. BBB I am not positive whether ho was chnlimun BBB or imt : I think ho Was BIB C ) . What other nrtlolcs , If any , did Mr BBB Vnndervoort instruct you to write ) A. I BBB think ho nlso suggested tha writing of nn BBB nrtlclo complimentary to Mr Sinter of BBB Wnyno county , who was nlso a member of BBB the Judlcinry cntumiUo BBB Q. Wcro llioso articles written ? A. BBB Thev were , nnd wcro forwnrded to the Uo- BBB ] iubtican BBB Q. Now , what was done In pursunnco of BBB your Instructions to glvo h 1 to Tut : Hml : BBB A. Well , almost dullv during the twenty ' BBBJ seven or twenty-eight days that 1 served on BBBJ the Republican , I lirncccdcd to do so BBBJ Q In the highest style of the urti A. BBBJ i Well , not in the highest style of the art , bo- BBBJ cause nt that tlmo I was not Riving my en- BBBJ tire nttentlon I was conilnnd to the pi-cpa- BBBJ I ration of these nttlclcs nnd I gcnornlly novcr BBBJ ' overlooked nny opportlinlty to rnp Tin : Bee BBBJ j or Mr Hoscwntcr over the knuckles H | Q. Wcro there nny threats mndo ngnlnst BBBJ J I Mr Roscwatcr nt that time , ntid If bo by BBS I • whom were they made ? A. 'I ho only tlmo BBBJ in which nny threats wcro mnao in person BBB ] ngntnst Mr Kosowntcr was upon the any or BBBJ ) | afternoon succeeding the introiluction by BBBJ Mr Itnsowntor of charge ? . Mr Rosewater BBBJ ] appeared upon the door of tha house nnd BBBJ | l profaned charges against the Judiciary com BBBJ | ' inlttce , alleging that they had been bribed or B ) were to bo bribed In connection with the 1 ' unti-gnmbllng bill anu nlso the Omaha BBB ] | charter bill : and during the recess Mr BBB ] | Caldwell of Lincoln mudo a romnrk to mo , BBB ] nnd also in the prcsouco of Mr Vnndor- BBfl voort , that ha would shoot that llttlo s n of BBfl a b h that was the oxprcssion that ho BBflJ t sed Ilka a partridge if it was not lor the BBfl Monsldcration of his ( Caldwell's ) wife I BBfl j ( think that was the expression ns near as I BBfl can remember it At the tlmo I mnilc an BBfl J lmmediato notation of it and I think that no- BBfl | tntion is still preserved ' Q This was in the presence of Mr Van BBfl dorvoort ? A. Well , it uns .in presencoof BBB Mr Vandcrvoortnnd sovornl other gentle BBB men who were standing uieio in tha Imme- 1 ' diato vicinity of tha cloak room H ' Q. What , If anything , did Mr Vnnilor- B voort sny ) A. Mi Vundcrvonrt mndo no 1 ; , response to It , IIo was talking to Mr Cald- H wall , nnd hu up ] > , ircntly took no part in the H uxclamutlon on Mr Caldwell's part Hem m was simply u bystander and hearer as I m was B l Q. Wcro there any other threats that you H recollect oM A. I have no recollection of H j nny other threats being mndo in person M uguinst Mr Koscwatcr's safety except that H one , nnd the general talk that was roado H ' - nround the court house at thut tinra that H ltosoivatcr had saved his neck by getting out H | of town That Vas made the day subso- B iiuent , I think | , Q. Do you recollect now what were the HMVJ ' cbarges Mr Hosowatcr made uguinst the j Judiciary committee ! A. Why , the nature Hrj ] [ nf the charges was this , substantially ; A V U Pool hud been orgauUed among the gam- [ f. biers , who had raised about t' .UOO , winch ut l that tlmo was on deposit at tha Lincoln Nn- 91 K tional bank , and which was for the purpose i I of preventing the passAge of the nntl- ; H gambling bill , which hnd been missed by the t senate on the lly nnd had como into the 3 I liouso nnd had been referred to the commit { I tco on Judiciary and at' thnt particular 1 I ttmo tho'bill whs" supposed to bo In the J I > bands of the committco' on Judiciary , nnd L this money had been raised bv the gum tilers H ! of Omuhn and of Lincoln nnd of Beatrice 4 nnd of n western town which I H ) cannot remember , for the purpose of pro > { , , , vcntuigtho report of this bill from the Judi- H | j ' ciary committco until nfter legislation would l I be futile until after it was too lute I bad j I known porsonallv from soma members of 1 the Judiciary committco of their having con 1 ferenco with these gamblers upon this prop | osition t Q. Some of the Judiciary committco whom Hi 1 you hnvo numrdi A. Yes , sir I say some H | of tbo gontlomcn whom I have nuincd I i nbotild licsitata to go any further than that | ' ior the reason thnt it is no matter that is at Bl , ho present time under investigation BMBp Q. Wo will leave thut for cross-cxamina- BMBlj tion if they desire to lot it out Do you know BMfli whether or not Mr Vuudorvoort had any BMBI conference with the gamblers ! A. No sir , MBS ' 2 do not I novcr Haw him BBS Q. What do you Know of the oil rooms , as BHB7 _ thejv were called down there } A. Well , HB : during these thirty days of my ncnuulntanco 1 BBH : with the inside of legislation , and which was BMBj not u very familiar aciuuintnnco ] nt that , bo- HB cnuso I did not huvo time hardly to got In- BBB : traduced , there were tlirco places in the 1 HB1 Cnpitol hotel thrco rooms in which liquor BP S Hvas dispensed l ! Q < Thrco different ones besides the bar ) KB ! A. Yes , sir thrco places were in operation BBBj Q. At the same tlmol A. They wororuu KB from ono to another I think that thoprop- BKB ; rioter of the hotel , or the parties who were BBfli • Jnanugltig these uparttnonts were somewhat BIB ! nervous at tliut time in rotation to , tha liquor Bfl law on Suu dny I know Cnnf'lt ro- BB ) quired a pretty intunato knowledge BB of the establishment to get into the 1 Bfl room Sometimes it would not bo 1 jflHi the same room thut had been occupied on i flBJ , | Saturday Bll Q. Who havoyou scon thcrot A. Iliavo 1 KB ! seen Mr Vundcrvonrt , Mr , Crawford , Mr BkflH Gurlcy , Mr Manchester and Mr Lcavitt BjBjfi Q. Who is Mr Manchester ! A. I dent ; KB t ] mow him except uy that namu Ho was in BBBj Lincoln as u lobbyist I never met liim psr- BBBj Bonally except in that way BB I Q. Is bo from this city ! A. 111111 under KB the impression thut ho Is an Omaha man KB Q. Ilod you nny vonvorsation with iiuu ! I BBB A. No sir , I never hud any conversation BBJ with Mr Manchester M Q. Was Mr , Vaudorvoort there whan Mr BBB Manchester was there ! A. I think not I BBB only remember of two occasions when I saw i BBB Mr Vnndorvoart in 0110 of these upartments , BBB nnd that was In room 30 ; that is , 1 only ro- BBB member positively Mto occasions Ofuiume , BBB i have seen a inimber of these gentlemen , BBB uowii there at different times id these rooms BBB J was probably in these various rooms ten or BBB < tirolva or possibly tlftoen ditfaront times , BBB " { luring this month I remember seeing Mr BBB Vaudcrvoort one evening onq night Into in I BBB company with Mr , ( iurloy and Mr Crnvv- BBBJ ford , and I um under tbo imprc&slon that [ BBBJ lr Qarvoy , a legislator from this city BBB Q. You saw tlietn in this room ! A. Yes , BBBj felr , 1 was thcro myself . B Q. How lute was thjs plnco kept oponl ! BBB AI novcr found thorn closed , mid I used to BB stay up ns lata us unybedy nround tbu cstab- BBJB lishmont , 1 gucbs , BBBf Q. Would tlicy be open after 13 o'clock ' at BBJB iilghtt A. Yes sir , until U or U in tbo BBJB luorning BBBJ Q. Open Sunday ! A. Yes sir , BBBJ Q. On this occasion when you saw Mr BBBJ j Vnndorvoart Uiaiowhat time of the night ; BBBJ was it ) AIf my memory serves ma right I BBBJ it wits about midnight , 11 or it ) oclock BBBJ Q. Mr Ourlo.y and Mr , Crawford wcro BBBJ lhnrol A.Yss sir , they were present at : BBBJ that time B Q , Who seemed to run this establish BBBJ Incut ] A. Well , there was no 0110 running J BBBJ It apparently ; it wus an ostublisbmont BBBJ ivlioro 11 man who wus acquainted with the BBBJ , tentlemuu who acted iu the capacity of bar BBB | Lender could got In and ould order whatever BBBJ 110 wished for himself aud his friends wlth- BBBJ but any payment of money BBBJ Q. Without anypaymontof monoyl A. • BBBJ 1 At least I never saw any money paid 1 BBB I Jiavo been Jutho placoudoien of times m Q. l'eoplo went hi nnd got what they BBB tvuutcd , In other words , it seemed to run BBBJ Itself , A. My iripression at that tlmo and BBB is yet 10 far as physical evidences nro cou- BBB torued , is that the room or rooms won : cou- BBB Hucted by tbo hotel who bud an account with BBB aertaln parties who wertfabloto get there , BBB Butt exactly ' what that account was or who BBB jjiiid tbo bill 1 dent know anything about BBflt Q. You Imvo soon the legislators there 1 BBBK You say that time mid again you huvo scon memborsof the legislature thcro 1 A. Yes , sir , I hnvroou various members of the leg islature thorer- Q. Have you scon members of the legis lattira leave there nnd go to other places , to houses of lll-famal A. No , sir , I dun't think that 1 could testify I dent know thnt they went from tboso rooms to houses of ill fame Q. Have you ever scon thorn go to houses of lll-famo iiftor you had seen thorn In these rooms ) A. 1 think so ; yes , sir , If mv mem ory serves mo rightly , 1 think tlint I have l } , Now , havoyou seen members of the legislature there nt that time who were im pecunious , say , today nnd very Hush to morrow ) A. Iliad the ploisuro of mooting ono gcntlnmnn who was in thut situation Q. Explain It , please A. Well , It so happened that 1 was talking with this man ono nftcrnoon nnd nt that time ho stated tome mo that ho didn't have any money The fol lowing day , however , he had n largo amount of money , that is , n largo amount for n man to carry around In his clothes Q , Do jou know how much ) A. Wall , somewhere 111 thn vicinity of $100 in gold * lXlor ( f jM in gold nnd currency Nearly nil of it In gold , howuver Q. Did ho sav where ho got it ) A. Ho ban n lnrgo nutnbor of gold pieces No , sir ; ho did tint Q. What had been his position in tbo house or sctiata immediately before that ) A. Ho was n member of the liouso Ha was known ns n Vnn Wyck man nnd ho had to a certain extent favored legislation which hnd been Introduced by gcntloinon who were associated with him in the senatorial con test ; and , of course , going thorc nnd moot ing these gentlemen in the senatorial con test llrst I nnturnllv classified them In my mind ns Van Wjck men or nntl-A'nn Wyclc men I found subsequently during the ses sion of the legislature gentlemen who were Vim Wjck men hung together pretty well In logialntivo mutters nnd these wno were op posed to Senator Van Wycit wcro generally united In opposition to lcglslntlvo matters erIn In favor thcro wcro generally two divisions of them Q Did thcro scorn to bo any change In this mnn ever the treatment ho received , nnd which you hnvo montlonodi A. Ho tnnilo two or thrco spocche * there m very violent contradiction of his urovious nttltudo ( } . In the nrticlcs which you did write , statu whether you were inspired by what Vaudcrvoort snld to you nnd by his associ ates ) A. Yes , sir , almost ontlrolv I hnd no feeling in the matter ono way or the other I hnd no disposi tion to say anything unpleasant of Mr Kosoivutoror Tin ; Ucn , and I would not have written in the tenor that I did If It had not boon for the instructions which 1 had ro- colvcd nnd the Inspirations which I rccolvod in Lincoln Q. You rocolvod the instructions from Hothnckor and the inspirations fromVander- voort ) ANot entirely from Vaudorvoort Trom n number of gontlomcn who were sup posed to bo in tbo intorcst of certain loelsla- tiou nnd against certain legislation which the Ucpubllc.au tmpcropposed Q These people wcro opposed to Mr Vondorvoort thorc , were they not ! A. Yes , sir , oh yes Q. Was ibat a crowd of gcntloinon of these who were opuosod to nny restrictive legislation upon railroads ) A. Yes , sir they were all opposed to the ouaetment of n railroad law which would repeal the old commission altogether and causa the anpolat- tnont of n now commission with greater powers , tCross examination , questioned by Mr Mahoney - honey : ( J. What is your name ) A. Sumner Johnson , . _ Q. You rostda nt present nt Denver ! A. - Yes , Bir • Q. How long havoyou been at Denver ! A. I hnvo been at Denver since Scptombor , 1S37. ' Q. Have you been engaged In the news paper business there ) A. Yes , sir IJ Ever slnco you went there ! A. Yes , sir ( } . On whnt paper ? A. The Republican principally , and for a brief time 1 was on the Times Q. Iu what capacity ? A. As a local man * Q. How long did you work for The Omaha Uisc ? A. I came to Omaha in 18S1 and worked until ubout 1SS3. Q. In what capacity ! A , As a reporter Q. Did you attend any session of the legislature of Nebraska besides that of 18S7 ias a reporter for Thr Dee ? A. No sir Q Didn't ' you attend any session of the legislature of Nebraska than that of 1SST as a reporter for any paper ? A. No sir Q That is the only session you attendodl 1 A. That is the only legislative session of Nebraska I huvo over attended Q. You say you saw Mr Vahdcrvoort 1 there during this Besslon of the legislature ) A. Yes sir Q. That is tbo regular session and the 1 extension ) A , Yes sir Of course I do not intend 10 convoy the impression that I saw Mr Vundervoort there every day during that time : dent know us ldid , but I saw him at dlfforont periods , which loft the im - pression ip ray mind that ho was continu ously there 1 saw him quite frequently Q. IllsTioadquiirtcrs were at the Capitol I hotel ? A. I am not sure of thut Q. Do you know where ho boarded ) A. • No sir I dent think ha boarded at the Capitol hotel , however Q. Do you know whether ho hnd a room at the Capitol hotel ) A. No sir , I do not Q. Had you been acquainted with Mr Vnndervoort prior to the session of 1837) ) A. Only as having known him here ' in Omnhuns being connected with the postal sorviee I had known that ho had been 1 superintendent , I think , of the mall service of the posioiUco here Q. You became personally acquainted with him then at Lincoln ) A. Yes , sir , that is right That wus my first personal acquaintance with him Q. You served Tin : Bui : until the close of the roguiur sessiont A. I served Tim Bui : until the close of the regular Besslon Q. And thou served the Republican through the oxtousloii ? A. Yes , sir Q. The severance of your connection with 1 Tin : Hi : 1 : was a sham , was it not ? A. My connection with Tub Hei : was not a sham My sovciunco ; well , ics , it was to a certain 1 extent , yes , sir Q. It was a sham ! A. Yes , sir Q. Arrungod between yourself and Mr Hosowatcr ) A , Well , I was there Q. You suggested it ami ho agrocd to it ) I A. Yes , sir , iHuggested it nnd ho ngreed I to it it.Q. That is , you pretended to leave the employment - ploymont of Tub Bie : ) A. Yoi , sir Q , And pretended to go lute the employ roentof tha Republican ) A , No , sir , there 1 wus no contemplation of that character ; the 1 oaly business reason for my leaving the em ployment of Tub 11ik : was there were so 1 inuny men there directing and handling leg islation that were opposing legislation thnt It wus impossible to obtuiu any information 1 from them , Q The plan nrraugod between you nnd I Mr , Ilosowater wu > > that you should ostensi bly lenvo the employment of Tin : Hke ; that ; was the arrungoment between yourself and I Mr Hosoirator ) A. Yes , sir Q. Thut you should ostensibly leave tha 1 employment of Tiik Dims for the purpose of putting yourself in a place where you could I got information which you could not got as a reportorol The Heh ! A. Yes sir Q. ly representing yourself as In no manuor connected with that paper to get t Into tha confidence of men who would not c otherwise ullow you in their coniidencol A. I did pot contemplate getting into the con lldonco of any of tiicsu gentlemen I did not wait their eoulldoiico , but to bo permitted to go whuro they were and see what they were doing Q. To go Into their private rooms ) A. - No , sir : not into their private rooms Q. You took the trouble , of going where tno.v were In the balls of tha legislature ! A. \ es , sir ; in their legislative seals ; but that is not u hero the legislation was enucted The legislation was cnattod in the private rooms 1 aud tbu secret caucuses Q , This was for the purpose of enabling you to go into their private rooms ) A , No , sir ; for the purpose of getting utjmlsslon to the sec meetings of thut churucter from which the reporters of Tub HEr hud ueon excluded Q. Into the private rooms of these gonttc- men ) A. No , sir Q. 'l heso mooting * were bold iu tha pri- vuio rooms ! A. Generally these meetings were huld in tbu coupuittou rooms , but u number of them wuro held in thu pnvuto rooms of these gqntlcmon at the hotels I I Was never ln-thok private1 room of any of I these gentlemen which was occupied for sleeping purposes nt the Capitol hotel G You woi-o iu the oil rooms ! A. Yes , sir sir.Q. . Do you know to whom these rooms wcro ussUned on the hotol'rcclster ? A. I never noticed ' ' * Q. You never went to see what was going on A. Yes , sir Q. You never thought of going to see who these rooms were assigned to ! A. There was never any arrangement whereby these rooms could ba assigned to nnybodv They could not bo occupied ; thev were bars Q. On whnt floor of tha hotel were they ! A. On the second und third floors Q. Wns there a bar thcro ) A. Thcro was nn arrangement across the room usually called the bar Q. An I n man behind the bar as btr- tender ) A. Yes , sir An employe of the hotel Ostensibly so ; nt least I thought so Q. So far ns you are able to dotormlno thnt bar was run by the hotel pooplol A. Thnt is my Impression Hut it was run by the hotel on this plan , thnt anybody who was nblo to secure ndmittanco to these rooms ( nnd I never had been previous to severing my connection with Thr Urn ) , nnd would not hnvo been unless it was supposed by the boys that I was in with the play , Q. Who wcro the boys ) A , The gentle men who favored any legislation which was particularly friendly to the various corpora tions Q. Parllcularly.tho bill the repeal the old railroad commission law ) A. It Was 011O of thorn ; there wns several Q. You say that Mr Kosowntcr preferred certain charges ngnlnst the Judiciary com mittco ) A. Yes , sir Q. And prnferrod charges before the fulr house A. Yes , sir Q. As the result of the prcferetiro of these charges nn investigation was ordered by the house of these charges , A. Yes , sir ( J. And the investigation wns had I A , No , sir , nn investigation was not had Q Sessions wnro hnd , witnesses were called ) A. Only ono session wns hnd ; I think only the informing witness , Mr Hose watcr himself , wns called * , Q. Where wus Mr , Hosawntorl A. Ho was nt that tlmo in Lincoln Q. Did ho appear before the committco ) A. Ho did Q. Wcro thcro not ether sessions of the investigating committee , and was uot Mr Hosowatcr called for nnd was not hu In tbo cast nt the tlmo nnd beyond the reach of a. subpoenal A. Yes , sir ; but during the llrst mooting of the llrst session , which ordinarily was to hnvo hold distinct sessions in secret In pri- vnte they being llablo to a nubile exposure ; n certain clique in the house beenmo nlurmed nnd by the force of nn ngreomont which extended between lifty-four of the members of the house tlint thuy sliouhbstnnd by or defeat nny proposition upon which a majority of their number ngrccd they wcro nblo to throw open the doors of this investi gation , and thereby prevent the procuring , of testimony of witnesses who were ufratd of assassination If they appeared befora the commltteu in that open investigation Q. Thu making the investigation open in stead of secret drove away witnesses who wcro othorwlso willing to testify ? A. It proventcd the testimony of witnesses who were afraid of assassination Q. Wns Mr Hosowatcr afraid of assassi nation ) A. No , sir ; hoapocarod personally and preferred the charges Q.- Did ho appear before the committco ! A. No , sir ; bocausa ho had preferred his charges Q. Were there nny further calls for Mr Hosowatcr to appear before that committee ) A. Yes , sir , and the purpose of the call waste to obtain from him the facts which the wit ness would testify to As soon ns ho dis covered that this majority of thn liouso had entirely ruined the possibility of any such thing as nn investigation , and that they bail substantially whitewashed in other words making the investigation open und above bonrd resulted in the dofcat of the investiga tion ; after making the Investigation open so that the names of the witnesses nnd tha henrlng of their testimony would defeat tha Investigation ; there Is no question about that down there , because some of the witnesses who would have testified were , to a certain oxtcnt , those implicated , and that wns the only method whereby atiy information couU bo obtained Q. Mr Hosewator had given the names of these witnesses to thoml A. No , sir , ho had the names of these witnesses Q. Ami ho had these names given to thorn ! A1 think so ; yes , sir Q. As a result of his going away the committee mittoo was unable to get the witnesses ) A. Not as a result of that ; I think they could have been obtained , because I am satisfied the chairman bad in bis possession tbo names of the witnesses Q. What do you mean by sayingiMr Rosewater was called for by the session to produce the nnmos of tbo witnesses ) A. Ho was called ub foe the purpose of produc ing the papers whloh bo had ' originally presented to the committco , containing ln- formation as to what these witnesses would swear to Q. Then , when ho died these charges ho presented a paper to the committee of tbo bonso ; to the chairman of the committco ) A. The whole thing was in a nutshell line this : Mr Hcsewatcr was called before thn committee as n.witncss , and during his examination ' amination before that committee , and after they had sveceedod in obtaining from him information which thev desired I was in the house at the time I heard of the move inent nnd the machinery by which it was worked ; the resolution was sprung in the house to ehnngo the character of tins com mittee , if I remember rightly , and to hold an open Investigation , thereby taking advan tage of the information which Mr Rose water had preferred and preventing , the possibility of the testifying of these wit nesses whom ho had mentioned Q. And would thnt prevent their testify ing ! A. Yes , sir Q Tboy could bo reached by subpoena ) A. Yes , sir ; but at the same time it was im- possible to obtain the testimony of soma of these gentlemen upon the vital points at issue Q. Wcro those gontlcmcn subpoenaed A. No , sir Q. How do you know ! A. Because I had been informed they would never up- pear before an open investigation and tes tify tify.Q. . If tboy hnd been subpoenaed would they have appeared ! A I do not know Q. What was it the committee wanted from Mr Hosowatcr at the time bo wont away ) A. So that tbo testimony of Mr Rosewater could bo examined us to the mat tor aud tbo importance of the substance of Ills evidence und charges Q. The further testimony they wanted from Mr Hosowarer they did not got ! A. I do not kuow If tboy could hnvo obtained uny further testimony , because Mr Hose wutcr , wus not aware of any now witness 'In the matter , except , perhaps , in ono instance Q , You spoke of Mr Vnndervoort asking you to write a eouplo of articles referring to certain gcntlomon , mombcrs of the house ono of these was Mr Russell ? A. Yes , sir ; and the ether Mr Slater Q - Were both of these members of tha Judiciary committee ) A. Yes , sir Q. Did they como up in connection with this investigation ! A. My impression is thnt these articles were wrlttou about the time that this investigation wus pending Q.i Was this investigation pending wbllo you were working for Tun Bee or Repub- llcan ) A. While I was working for " tha 1 Ropubllcun , ( J. During the oxtouBionof the session ) A. Yes , sir I have here some data which will refresh my uiomory , because I wont to the fllos of the Omaha Republican yesterday and obtained it and 1 can atato distinctly as to the dates Mr Russell was hm biography was published in the Konubllcan an March 10 , I think In the Republican on tbo 10th , in connection with tno urticlo which described the langungo lie used to Mr Rosewater as Mr Rosewater upiioarod-in the house at the time that Mr , Russell wus speaking upon this question Q. After the charges had been intro . duced ) A. I . think after the charges had been introduced , yes , sir , aud on tbo lOtb , tha following duj , I published I wrote also , which wus published in the Republican , an encomium for Mr Slater , and on tbo 10th I lind hero that Mr Hosowatcr hud it was then published that Mr Roscwater had loft ,1 , the city Q. You charged Mr Rosewater at Vbot tlmo with hnvirg loft the city for tbo purpose - > pose of evading the investigating committee ! A. Yes , sir 1 was writing under Instruo- tiono 1 did exactly ns I was told to do ( J. Wore you told to write any specific 1 churges ) A. I was told to throw Mr Rose water into ridicule Q , But at the same time you would not Intentionally Ho about him to carry out your Instructions ! A. J did not Ho about hlin < ? . Were you not charging him with hav- ing loft for the purpose of evading the oouu • iiilttco ? Did you tell tbo truth ) A. L did not say that 1 I } . Old you ohargo bltn in that article of liuvlng loff for the | urpose.of uvadinyjl ) A. Nuslr Q Dm you not sav that In substance ) A. I think 1 cotivujed that impression , Q , You luloudod to convey that iropres- slpnf did you not ) A. I think soyes , sir Q.t Did you uot believe thut was true at the tlmo ! A. I was aware it was not true Q , Do you expect this court to believe your testimony uow , Mr Johnson ) A. That > Is anotbor proposition ontlroly : thnt Is for the court to dctormlnc I was working under vcrj peculiar clrcumitancos I wns nctlng under Mr Rothnckcr s Instructions ontlroly , nnd a nowspaporfTouirtcr is obliged to do and write exactly what ho Is told to write Q. Hoenrdloss of wh6thor ho bollovcs It to bo true or not ) , As-jYcs , sir Q. Do you think that IS' part of the moral cede of nowspanor men ! A. I think it is part of tuo business I dent know whether it is part of the morklt cede or not 1 have had fourteen or fltfcop yenrs experience and in thnt tlmo I have written a great many things which worotAjt true Q , Who is Mr.jGiildwollt A. Ho Is n member of the loglslaturo from Lincoln Lancaster county , I think Q. Ho wns a member of the loglslaturo of 18S.I A. Yes , airV > > Q. And has boon slnco that ) A. I nin not informed , Q. Wns ho a. member of the Judiciary committee ) A. Yes , sir ( ? . When ho mndo this declaration that If it were not for Mr Hosewutor's family ho would shoot him ns ho wouid.n partridge , It was in connection with Mr Hoscwator's charges ! A. It was not in consideration of Mr Rosowator's wife ; It wns his own wllo Q. When Mr Cnldwoll made the roniark thnt if It were not for his own wlfo ho would shoot Mr Kosowntcr ns ho would a pnrirldgo , it wns following the charge that Mr Rose water hnd made against the Judiciary com mittee ) A. It was immediately following Mr Caldwell , of nil the committco , was ap parently the most excited nnd the most per turbed Ho was violontiy disturbed lllto n man who bad been grossly Insulted or hko n man who had been very skillfully detected , ono of the two ; It was dlnicultto dclcrinliio which Q. Very nngryl A. Apparently so Ho wus raving Q Ho made that statomoat ho made that statement in your bresoncol A. Yus , sir sir.Q. . And In the nrcsonco of Mr Vender voort ! A. Yes , sir ; Mr Vnndorvoart was standing there Q. And In the proscnooof whomolsol A. lam under tha the Impression that Mr Slater was there nnd that Mr Russell was within hearing , nnd ns Mr Russell turned nround ho shook his linger nt him aud said , shooh " By the Court Who said that ! A. Mr Husscll ( J By Mr Mahoney : Mr Vnndervoort hnd taken no part In that conversation ! A. No , sir Q. None whntnvor ! A. No , sir Q. So thnt you have no reason for believ ing that Mr Vnndervoort hud nuythlng to do with Mr Caldwell maklag that threat ! A. No , sir Q. Or that It was from any suggestion of Mr Vnndervoort ? A I have no reason to bollovo it was nny suggestion of Mr • Vnnder voort , no Bir I have only a reason to bo llovo that the throat was made by Mr Cald well as an outgrowth of the very blttor per sonal hostility which urovaiied ngalnst Mr Rosewater on the part of all these man , Q. Aud as an outgrowth of the nngcr and indignutlon foltby Mr , Campbell at the time is not that true ? A. Well , ho nctud moro to mo Hko a man at bay ; lllto a man who was caught and snarled Q. Did you know whether ho was specifi cally charged with having received anv brines ) A. There was no specific charge my memory serves mo n little bettor in rela tion to tbo questions which you asked mo a few moments ago I tnlnk the purposes of Mr Kosowntcr at the time was tuat he wus obliged to go away and was nccossarlly ab sent from the legislature , und at tbo tlmo the committee alsoi kn w that ho was necessarily absent and that ho could not bo obtained when they were so anxious to call him I think the purposo'of it was to secure from him specific charges aguiust some of these gontloinon ; that is , that was tha ostensible purpose Of course the gentle men that , wcro urging that Mr Rosewater bo recalled were nwaro tlmt Mr Rosewutcr would not come back and was on ills way to Cleveland or Cincinnati on important busi ness , which ho had announced for a week or ton days prior to that time , and which would cause him largo pecuniary loss if ho did not got there ' ' > Q. Did you know that personally or from Mr Rosowuter'sstatemont ) A. 1 knew it personally und at tbactime , and tbo reason why I know it was thjs : 1 had eudoavorcd to dissuade Mr "Rospjvator from prof erring ; those charges , for tnd 'fooson that I was satisfied that lf'ho wpbld wait thrce or four days longer 1 could have had some of these gontlcmon in the position where they would have boon in Lincoln per munently ; but unfortunately ho was so influenced by his business consider ations thai ho preferred tbo charges about two days too early Q. You thought something was going to happen 111 the next few days ! A. I am sat isfied in tbo next two days I would bavo had tbo admission before witnesses of at least ono member of the judiciary committco as to the arrangements which had been made for them to got this money which was In the bank in consideration of the killing of the anti-gambling bill Q. You say you saw conferences between members of that committee and gumblers ) Whnt members of the committco ) A. Mr Slater and Mr , Caldwell were in conference with a Lincoln gambler whoso nutria 13 Snccdy 1 think be Is now dead Q. IIo is now dead , is ho ) A. I think so ; also a gambler from Omaha by tbo name of Goodly Brookor Q. When did you see Mr Caldwell and Mr Slater in conference with Mr Shoedyi A. It was on the night of ftlarch 4 , I thin It ; March 3 or 4 ; it was early In the month of March , Q. Where wns that conference ) A , It was at the corner of the street where the Capitol hotel Btood Q. Out of doors ) A. Jt was out of doors , yes sir Q. lust thosa thrco men standing there togotberf A. No , sir ; there was another individual whom I dent know There were iivo men all told Q. Lets boo fiva men with Cnldwoll and • Slater ) A. Yes , sir Q. Did you BeoBrookerl A. Yes sir Q. That's four What other man ) A. There was anotbor man There were ilvo men all told ThO'Wuy ' J came to see them nt all was by myKolng out of the hotel with a contemplation of going homo , and as I passed by I was surprised to see these two gcntlomon standing thcro talking with these two men , whom 1 know to bo gamblers Q. How long did you see thorn there ? A Possibly ton or flftcon minutes I went to walk up the street and turned around and walked back towards them aud walked In that direction ( indicating ) . Q. You bow them standing there and talk ing about ton minutes ] AYes , sir Q , You dent know what they were talk ing about ! A , No , sir 6. What tlmo wns that ! A. About 3 o'clock in tbu morning Q. On March 4 ! A. I am not positlvo of tbu date ; it was early in tbo month * Q , Vnndorvoort had no connection with that that you know of ) A , Not that I know of Q , You never saw Vondorvoort in conference once with anv gamblers down thcro at Liu- corn ! A. Np , sir ; ludvcrdid Q , You say jou sawdlr.t Vundervoort in the room thut you designate as the ' oil room twlcof A. I atnlol the Impression ; my impression is that I hay ? soon htm moro than twice ; but on twooccasions I remember bor it particularly , ir , ' , Q. Were you iu the ruoth' .on those two oc casions ) A. 1 was ' ' " * ' ' • Q. Who else was In-lhoroomj A. On ono occasion Mr Qurloy undiMn Crawford were thorn , besides Mr , Viuidervoort nnd Bomo gentleman I dent Know , .jjj was introduced to him nt the time , but.bis mo has escaped m.V memory . , Q , Where Is that mcfuuor from , Colum bus ? A. I am not sure ? I know him there only in Lincoln , 3t > < Q. LO Crawford , Mibyicall lilni' ' Judge Crawford ? A. I think tholes bis unme Ho Is u small , slight man , with a somewhat promlnont Roman nosuAnd.somewhat deaf Q. Stands on his toca.when bo speaks to you ) A. 'Ihut's somevtlibgl dent ' remein- ber very distinctly Q , And Mr Vundervoort und Mr , fJurley ! A. Yes , sir Q That was on one-occasion ) A. Yes , sir sir.QK Were there auy members of the Icris- laturaln there01that , ocqasiiui ! AJ think that Mr Oarvoy was ' if , How long were you In the room that tlmo ) A. Oh , probably llfteen.or twenty minutes Q Was anything drank there during that time ) A. Yes , 1 tbiilk some whisky was disposed of , Q Who prdorod it ) A , I upi pot positive as to thut some of the gentlemen , . K , Ordered jt from the bartender A. Yds , sir ; It was served by the bartender Q And drank by all present ! A. Yes , sir sir.Q -Do you rcmembor whether Vandor- voortdrnnK nny ) A. That's somothlng I can not poslttvoly testify to Q. You saw him on another occasion Who wns proscnt on the other occasion ? A , On the ether occasion I think that Mr John H. Manchester und Herbc.it Lcnvitt were thorc , I thluK thcro wcro nlso In the room two or thrco members of tha legisla ture There was quite a party In tbcra Q. Do you remember whnt the pamos of the members were ! A. I dent remember Q. How long wcro you there ntthnt tlmo ! A , I wns thcro probably ten or Jlfteun minutes Q. Wns there anything drank thcro nt the tlinal A. Yes , sir ; they were drinking ; thnt Is how I came to go lute the room I was going past nnd Lcnvitt cailod mo In Q. It was not n member of tbo legislature I A. No , sir CJ Aside from the drinking you saw nothing Improper in thorn ! A. I saw nothing improporln these rooms nt nnv tlmo except drinking , nnd that could hardly bo called improper ut auy time at regular hours except on Sundny ( J. Then , the Impropriety is not In the drinking , oven on Sunday ) A. I ntn under tno impression It Is in the sale on Sunday , nnd possibly so in the drinking , Q. You say it was nbottt midnight on these two occasions you saw them there A. Somewhere nlnng thorc Q. You do not know whether it was before fore or after A. It wns lute ut night ; the customary habit was nfter the bar shut up for the liiombcrs of the loglslaturo and per sons who were nbout the legislature to go to these rooms , it they had the ueccssary sesame to go there Q. You say you have seen members of the leglslnturo go to houses of III fnmo A. Yes , sir ; on ona or two occasions Q. How mnny members have you seen go there A. I hnvo seen porhnps six or seven Q. Uo together A. Yes , sir ( J. In n group A. I do not think I oversaw saw six or seven together in a group ; I was present ono night nt a tlmo when two wont ; 1 nccompanlod thom Q. You nccompanlod them ) A. es , sir Q. You went to the house with thorn A. Yes , Bir Q. You saw others go , did you ! A I did did.Q. . Did those two you went with go from the Capitol Hotel ? A. Yes , sir Q. Do you know whether or not these mon hnd gene from this oil room ; did they leave the oil room in your presence ? A. No , sir ; they did not I am not posltivo as to that ' ; I could not say ns to whether they had be en In the oil room or not : in nil Hlto- llhood they had , because it was after mid night , nnd they came down stairs , nnd I am under the impression that I Joined them there and was invited by thom to go nlong Q. Aud they came down stairs ! A , Yes , sir sir.Q. . That is the reason they came from the nil room ) A Not nocossarlly ; no , sir I did not ut tbo tlmo think anything particu lar about it They were both somewhat In toxicated , because it was on that occasion that ono of them informed mo there was in existence such an arrangement as I have re ferred to n few momoats ago an agreement between the majority of the house : Q. All through that session of the legis lature it was a matter quite cuBtomnry , was it not , for members of the loglslaturo to have liquors in their private rooms , and drink occasionally ! A. As to that I can not say , I never was iiisido of anybody's private room I wish to modify my statemout of n few moment ago on that ono point I stated 1 had never been in any private room ; 1 was never in anv private room of tbo hotel ex cept with Mr Gurloy It came to 1110 after wards that I had boon once in Mr Gurloy's room , which was near the head of the stairs Upon that occasion there were four or five gentlemen thoio , aud somebody ordorcd drinks from tbo bar They were sent up from the bur Q .So these two gentlemen of the legisla ture came down stairs somewhat intoxicated , and they came from the private room und had boon drinking thcro ! A. Yes ; that is possible Q. Might have been drinking before ? A. Yes , sir Q. Do you not know anything to Indicate that Mr Vnndervoort saw these people about the houses of lll-fnmo ? A. No , sir : I never saw Mr Vanderxoort in n house of that kind that I know of Q. Now , on the other occasion you say you saw other members of the house go there members of the loglslaturo go to houses of ill-famo ? A Yes sir Q. How many on tbo other occasions ; was there moro than ono ether occasion ) A. No ; I never saw msldo of an establish ment of thut kind 111 Lincoln but twice , and these wcro the two occasions , and both times I wns accompanied by members Q. Both times you were accompanied by members ) A. Yes , sir Q. The secoud time did members of tbo legislature go from the Capitol hotel ) A. My recollection is that , they did Q. You went with thom from the Capitol hotel ) A.- Qua , sir Q. Mr Vondorvoort was not in their company ? A No , sir . Q. You do not know of uny facts to Indl- cato that Mr Vaudcrvoort sent these mon to the bouses of lll-famo ? A. No , sir Q. Mr Johnson , the purpose of these visits to these houses of ill-famo was the ordinary purpose of visits to such houses , wns it not ) A. That Is something I would not feel able to testify concerning 1 know that upon tbo occasion the gentlemen with whom I went to these houses disappeared and I retired from the establishment Q. You naturally expected thomvto disap pear after you got to tbo .liouso , didn't you ! A. That is something whlcn I could not say that I did ; I do not know Q. You met no lobbyists that you lenow of ut these bouses when you wont there with these gentlemen ) A , Yes , sir , I have Q You say you kuow of ono instance til nmemborof the legislature becoming sud denly flush at Lincoln ? A. Yes , sir Q , Who was that racmbor ! A. Well , if you wish mo to testify to hl nnma I shall dose so ; I would prefer not to ; I do not wish to throw nny odium upon the man Ho was Mr Tingle ' , a member from tbo northwest ern part of the state Q. You say ho bclongod to the Vnn Wyck clement ! A. Originally holrad , yes , sir sir.Q. . Had you ever seen Mr Tingle in the oil room ? A. Yes , sir , I huvo seen Mr 'Xinglo in the oil room Q. Wns Mr , Vondorvoort proscnt ? A. I cannot say positively as to that Q. Did you ever sea Mr Tinelo at any of these houses of lll-famo ! A. Yes , sir Q. About what tlmo in the session was it that Mr Tingle told you ono day ho wus out of monoyl A. I think it was about tbo 5th or titti of March , Q. Was that after the closogflbo rogtilar session ! A. Yes , sir Q Were you working for the Ropublieati nt that time ? A. Yes , sir Q. How did ho como to tell you ho was out of money ) A.Vo were sitticgina llttlo saloon adjoining the Capitol hotel and u gentleman came in whom hu Know , jind ho requested this man to loan him $5 , I think ; | t was either ii or * 5. Q. Tingle requested the other man to loan him that ? A. Yes , sir And tbo man said , "I um sorry I cannot uccommodnto you now ; I will have some money by and by " Tingle made the response , Well , I am liat broke ; 1 need some mocnv today " And I was cousiderably astounded.tho following day when ho made this display of money It was fn the Capitol hotel - Q. Who was present ) A. No ono else except myself , 1 think Q , How did ho como to make the display ) A , He asked mo in to the bar to huvo a drink with him I went in thcro with him , und when wo got in I noticed ho was consid erably intoxicated j and be pulled out this money , nnd made tbo remark that ho was not broke today ; und he remembered the in cident of tha day previous ( J. You know nothing about where ho got the money ? A. I do not ; I only know it was very remarkable that ho teen the ex traordinary position that ha had upon some ijuostions subsequently Q. What questions ? A. Well , particu larly upon railroad legislation , and particu larly upon this question of tbo Increasing of the size of tbo committee of investigation I know that ho was one of , the most vocifer ous speakers in laver of Jt , as it was called an open and above board investigation It was in reality a whitewashed investigation Q. Wns ho u member of the Judiciary com mlllooi A. No , sir ; I think not * nQ.r-Wns the railroad commission bill still ueuding at that tlmo ) A. Yes , sir ; it was pending in a certain way It hud been rub stantially dofcatcd , I think , at tlfatparticular time , Q Ho had supported that bill , had hoi A. Ho bud supported it up to that point , aud then ho switched Q. Up to what point did ho support it ? A. Ho supported it up to the point where it was proposed to substantially emasculate the bill I have forgotten as an amendment which was introduced and then I was sur prised nt the sudden change Tingle nssumod In the debates that fall Q. Wns that before or nfter you saw him have the monoyl A. That was almost Im mediately nttorwards Q. It was In March I A. Yes , sir Q , Then you say thnt was In the amend ment Introduced on the Mh of March that ho mndo n ehnngo of position ! A , I think it wast yes , sir ; that is my impression , Q. You know of no facta connecting Mr Vnndorvoort with either the Impecunious condition of Mr Tingle ? A , I do not , per sonallv Q. You say you rccolvod your Instruc tions from Mr , Kothacltor and your Inspira tion from Mr Vnndorvoort ? A , I do not think that I used the expression thnt I received - coived my inspiration ; 1 think thnt I said I was instructed bv Mr Hothnckor to go to Mr Vnndervoort for instructions , nnd then Mr Vnndorvoort told mo what to write nnd what I wns to do ; that's what ho told me Q. Do jou moan to sav you received your instructions from Mr Rotlmokcr and your inspiration from Vnndorvoort ? A , I mean to suy that 1 acted under Mr Vutidorvoorl's Instructions in consequence of niy instruc tions from Mr RolhncKur ( J. Mr Johnson , did you not apply for employment on the Republican I A. No , sir , 1 did not ( J. Old you not say to Mr Rotlnckor that you desired employment on the Republican , und thnt A oil hnd been discharged from Tun Hki : on account of refusing to do cortnin dirty work wanted of you bv Mr Hosowatcr ? A. I do not think I made thnt statement to Mr Hothnckur ; I think I told Mr Slater that Mr Slater nskod mo why 1 had loft The Hki : ; 1 think I conveyed thnt informa tion to Mr Sinter , nud I think Mr Slater nt that time told tno that 1 would bo tukon enro of ; there would not be nuy trouble nbout that ; I told turn that I was nil right nnvwny , and I didn't worry nbout it at nil Q. That Is the same Mr Slater jou have Bpokoii of who wns n member of the Judi ciary committee A. Yes , sir Q. You say yon didn't mnko thnt stoto- ment to Mr Hothnckor ? A. No , Bir , I dent remember having made that stntoment to Mr Hothnckor ; I think Mr Slater nnd sub sequently Mr Vundorvoott nssurod mo of their good wishes toward 1110 upon my rotlro- mebt from Tun Bbc , nnd iu reply to tbo questions that these gentlemen nskod 1110 If 1 had n disagreement with Kosowntcr I did not use the expression dirty work ; " 1 used the expression "certuin work which Mr Rosewater wanted mo to do , nnd that was the renson why r retired ; liumodiatoly upon my retirement from the employment of Tin : Br.n and Mr Hosowatcr I noticed that I wns rocolvod with a great deal more friendliness by n largo number of gontlomcn who , previous ous to thnt time , had been extremely solicit ous to keep out of my way Q. In ether words , you were received with moro cordiality by the anti-Hosawator and the untl-Vau Wjck clement ? A. 1 was received with a great deal of cordiality by tbo lobbj1 element who were hanging around the legislature minting their living out of the ' loglslaturo' . Q. Who were these mon that received you with great cordiality nftor that ) A. Air Gurloy was very pleasant to ma ; Mr Vundervoort was also very pleasant , and Mr Vnndervoort assured mo that I would bo tukon euro of , or something to that effect ; Mr Morn-soy , who was down there a great deol of the tlmo Q. Ho was down there ns n newspaper man , was ho not ? A. I do dot rotnember whether ho was representing a uawsuaparoi * not not.Q. . "Vnsn't lie connected at that time with tholloraid ? A. I do not know , but ho nt the same tlmo was extremely nctivo in the lobby that is , in ondoavoringto intorcst the legislature in accordance with the Views of Mr Kothnckcr ; I Know that ho nud Mr Kothnckcr were In very close communion Q. There were lobbyists on both sides of those questions there , were there not , during the session or the legislature ) A. I was extremely surprised by the fact that the railroad bill people , thut is , these who were favoring the proposed legislation railroad legislation Old not have nnj' lobby I thought it was poor politics not ) to have a lobby Q. Thcro were men thcro working in the interest of that bill aside from the members of the loglslaturo ) A. There were a few mon who seemed to bo workiug in the in terest of tbo bill , but there were a horde of men working in opoosition to it , wlio'woro constantly buttonholing the members of the legislature and controlling it They had tbo thing svstomatized and ovary man had his man to look after , nnd the result was that a man that desired the passage of this bill was unable to do unj'thing in a imrsonal way Q. Thcro was a lobby there in the iatcrost of tlo bill ) A I was not aware of the existence - istenco of n lobby there Q. There were gontlcmon there using their influence und position upon the members bors of the lcgisluturo upon the merits of the bill , wcro there not ! A. I do not rcmembor of a single individual outside of ono , nnd my memory is very hazy about him Q. Wusn't Mr Rosewater there using % his arguments with members of the loglslaturo iu the interest of the bill ) A. As I under stood it , Mr Rosewater consldorod himself the formulator of tha measure to a certain extent ; that is it was in the line of policy which ho hnd been advocating for years In iw behalf Q. Ho was there then ndvocating it ? A. Iupprohcnd so ; 1 never saw him milling par ticularly with members Q. lie hau a perfect right to advocate the bill ? A. Yes sir Q. And other members bad a right to nrguo against it ? A. Yes , sir That is a matter lor you tn dotormlno , uot for me to say ; Q. You have spoken of a certain fund in the bank in Lincoln ; what bank wus it ) A. I think it was in iho Lincoln National bank , if my memory servos mo Q. Halsod by gamblers of Omaha , Bea trice nnd Lincoln and ono western town ) A. What is the nnmo of the citv where there was n baseball organization Hastings , that was the place ' Q. Lincoln , Omaha , Bcatrico and Hast ings ? A , I think these wuro tbo towns ; yes , sir Q. Do you know thnt there was any suoh fund in existence ) A I was informed so by 0110 of tbo gentlemen who clalmod bo had contributed to It , and I was told wcro it was Q. Wns thut gentleman a gambler ) A. Ho was Q , Wns thnt fund raised for the purpose ot defeating the bill or for tha purpose of as sisting in its paBsago ) A. Tbo fund was raised for the purpose of securing and pigeonholing the bill in tbo committee on judiciary until It was too lute to act upon it Q. In other words , it wns raised for the purpose of defeating tha bill ) A. Yes , sir Q. Do you know what Mr Vnndervoort's sentlmonts wore upon the question of tbo bill ) ANo , Bir Q , Didn't ' you know Mr Vnndervoort was in favor of tbo passage of the bill ) A. I didn't know that : no , sir I know that ono of the gcntlomon with whom ho wns friendly , nnd with whom bo was working on most of thu legislation , was extremely friendly toward the arrangement about this anti gambling bill , so that It would assist thom It was to bo used as a club in ono instance , and ns an Inducement in another Q , Do you know whetnor or not Mr , Rosewater wus favorable or unfuvorablo to the passage of the bill ? A. I think Mr Hosowatcr wus favorable to the passage of the bill Q. That Is your rocolloctlonl A. In fact , I may statu that it wus ; ut least , hu so ex pressed himself to me Q. The railroad bill.you havospokonof was ultimately defeated , was it not ! A I think that ono bill was passed by the house and another bit ! wus passed by tbo senate , and then tbey failed to agrco in conleronco upon it , and subsequently the interstate commerce - morco bill 1 think was enacted In Its place , and the stuto that is my impression I am not positlvo as to that , however , Q. There was a bill llnully passed , however - over , on the subject of railroads , at that session I A. Yes , sir Q. It was n bill thut Is upon tbo statute books today , Is it not ! A , I think it is ; my recollection it is that Is the ono signed by tha governor Q. Thut bill was favored by Mr Vandor- voort , wasn't ' it ? A. I think not ; no sir I am not sure ns 10 that , but I dent think Mr Vnndervoort fuvored nny railroad legis lation of uny character whatever ; in fact I kuow ho was very strongly opposed to the measure which was pending in tno house Q You say you think Mr Vundervoort was opposed to the bill that dually bocatno a law ! A. I um not sure ; I dent think ho favored it ; I dent think ho favored auy rail road legislation that was not in nccordanco with bis eeneral statements and sciitlmeuts By Mr , ( Juuuon : Q. I want you to more particularly doBcribo these oil fOoms ; Mr Vundervoort has talked a great deal about members private rooms ; what was there to these oil rooms to suggest to you that they were private ) A. The fact is that it was impossible tor any of the members , unless I they were introduced by ono of the men who hnd access to these rooms , to got Into thorn ; they were In ono sonto public bar rooms , s. and at tno same tlmo tboy were not uubllo tbnr rooms except to n certain coterlo of men , nnd that coterlo of men 1 found from my A ultimate opportunities for observation , dur- fl ing the last month of the loglslaturo , to bo BflJ In all lnstnncos the gcntlomon who were v' lobbjnng thcro ngnlnst the railroad lcglslaJ , Hon , and nlso lobbying against tha other / measures which were favored bj * a natural / majority of the loglslaturo ( , ' . I wish to ask you whether or not It Is not a fact that Mr Manchester , Mr Curlov , Mr Vuudorvoort , Mr Crawford , Mr Slater nnd Mr Russell alt seemed to ruu together ? A. Yes , sir • Q. Thcro were no beds In these rooms ! A , I never saw n bed In ono of thom Q. Did thc.y look likotho nnto-chnmbcr ol a members private dopnrtmuntl A. No , sir ; they did not nt nil ; they hnd no re semblance to that ; thoj'wcro simply drink ing places whom parlies could go together and drink prlvnloly without being cxposod to the puhiic gnro Q Did.you knownt any time that Mr Gurlcy was employed bv the railroads down there ) A. 1 was Informed that ( J. Did you know Hint Mr Manchester * v wet n clnlm agent of the Union Haclllo rall- wnyl A. Yes , sir , tj Mr Slater , . a member of the Judiciary , suggested to you that you would bo taken care of I A. Yes , sir 1 Know Mr Sinter obtained for mo n pass ever the Burlington it Missouri rnilrond from Lincoln to Omaha ; at the same tlmu ho remarked that if I hnd remained with lite Den I would not hnvo gotten that pass tin til hell froza over ( J , Alt . Crnwford was ono of these men ' wasn't ho ! A. Yes , sir ( J. Do j'ou remember having ' smiled with Mr Crawford In ono of these oil moms I < A. Yes , sir ; I drank with Mr Crnwford n great number of times Q. Do j-ou remember a particular tlmo tn which ho talked of your connection with Tin : IIkr In which ho snld anything about your beliie nblo toobtnin a drink there if < t you hnd been contiPctod with it ) A. I do C lflB not think bo snld anything nbout 1110 bolng vB nblo to obtain u.drink ; but I think ho mndu ( T the remark very shortly nftor this quietus \ had occurred ; I think ho said to 1110 , "so vou hnvo loft Kosowntcr , have vou ? " I saysycs 1 Ho says , You nro sure of that , " nnd looked I at mo in a somuwhnt suspicious way I on- I deavorod to assure htm of the fact , nnd ho j said , " 1 do not know ; it kind of seems to 1110 j thcro is a llttlo of the taint about you yet , " \ nnd ho said , "If I thoughtthero was a bit I would not drink with you " Q. Hnvo you road tbo testimony taken before tno commission ; have jou read or looked ever that testimonj' tnkon before tbo committco appointed to lnvcstigntol A. I read in this mornings Bkic an excerpt of the testimony , which is the sumo , if my memory serves tno , that Mr Hosowatcr road on tbo stand yesterday Q. Is that the same Crawford that was procuring passes for members ? A. Yes , sir I Q. Working for the welfare of Nebraska ? A. Yes , sir ; that is , in accordnnco with his j ideas of the welfare of Nobrasku I goner nlly hnd the impression , however , thnt Mr Crawford was working for the wclfaro of Mr Crawford in most instunces Q Have j-ou read of those who , If nny , dispensed money to thosa lobbyists down there ! Objected to as irrelevant , immaterial and inr-ompotcnt : oojectlonsustained Q. In these oil rooms , then , Mr Johnson , you say younovor saw any monnjexo nnged for the drinks ? A. I do not remember ever having seen any monej1 paid Q. Any person who hnd the entrco thorn could go In and get what liquor lie wanted ? A. That was niy understanding of it , yes , sir sir.Q. . You never paid nny thcro ? A. No , - fll sir ; 1 never called for nny drinks thcro ; I s aflj | never went thuro execut 011 invitation of W R somebody rflflr Q. Do you recollect of nny gamblers BB coming to Omaha at that time , Mr Johnson BBJ | A I thinic thnt at the tlmo whnn Mr Charles Greene , whom 1 understood bud boon retained by tha gamblers to net ox the intermediate between them and the Judiciary committco , finally made un arrangement that there should bo a meeting hero in Omaha between certain members of tha Judiciary committco and these boss gamblers , And I know upon that occasion that two members of tbo Judiciary ncd tlirco of these gamblers came here to Omaha at the same time ; that was upon the same train Q. State If you came up on the same train ) A. I came up on the same train aud that is the occasioivon which I asked for the pass from Mr Slater and when ho made thU remark to mo Q. So two members of the Judiciary com mittco and three gumblers came on the same ti am to Omaha A. Yes , sir Q-Thoy probably came together ) A. They did not , no , sir ; thev were extremely anxious not to nppoar to bo together Q. Did j-ou see tbom nftor tboy came to Omaha ? A. No , 6ir. Tbey came to Omaha but they did not register at any of the hotels 1 Q. Wns Mr Greene on the tram ? A , I d could not any JBBJ Q. You ascertained before they went to * v l • the train that they wcro going to Omaha ? r 1 A. I had been informed by 0110 of the | gamblers that nn arrangement had boon 1 made whorby certuin members of the I judiciary committee and tha gamblers wcro 1 to meat in Omaha nnd u ilual disposition of II the bill was to bo made B ( J. You saw the gamblers and these mem- H bors of the Judiciary committco como on the n same train coming to Omaha A. Yes , sir K Q. Do you know that tbey did como to I Omaha ? A , I saw ono of the members of I the Judiciary committee got oft the train , bo- 1 cnuso I walked up town with him u portion I of the way 1 Q. You sav they did not rcglstor at any of tno hotels ? A. No , sir By Mr Mahoney : Q. What Mr Grccno wosthntl A. Mr Charles Greene , Q , Whnt Charles Greene ? A. Ho is an attornoj'of this city ; I only kuow blui by that name Q. Of thoB &M.I A. I think that Is the gentleman Q. You say you saw two members of the Judiciary committee como to Omaha , and that was after you had loft your employment - with The Drill A. That was along lata iu • - • * " iho well , I do not know whether it was late w or not ; It was some tlmo In March ; about the middle of March , . Q , Was that before or after the prouosod * investigation of tbo Judiciary committee ! A. Thut was previous , I think Q. What two members of the Judiciary committco came to Omaha on that trJp ) A. Mr Slater and Mr Russell Q. Did you see both of thom in Omaha ? A. I suw both of thom on the train when they were nearing Omaha : I did not see Mr Russell after wo reached tbo city , Q. Did you see Mr Slater attor reaching Omuha ? A. Yes , sir ; I walked up a per tion of the way with lura Q. What gamblers came to Omuha on that train ) A , Mr ucody , Brookor and a man frpm Hastings whoso name I bollovo wasCrawloy or Crowley something Ilka that ; ha was a rather small man Q. * Tou enmu on the trip for the purpose of seeing what wus going on between these members aad tbo gamblers ) A. No , sir ; , not particularly ; I wautcd to make u trip to Omaha Q , During that time you were keeping Mr Rosewater l osted as to what you learned during this tlmo ) A Well , I occasionally notllled Mr Rosewater us to what I hud been seeing , Q. You know of no connection of Mr 4 Vnndervoort's with that trip to Omabu , do 7 j'ou ? A. No , sir Governor I'ortor'H Testimony , Mr , James R. I'orter was called and sworn nnd nrovod a most oxcollunt witness , Hu was absolutely certain of the facts ho had to offer and presented thom in such a incn- nor that the prosecution did not seem dis posed to cross-oxamlno him very closely Ho testified that ho bad neon in Nobrasku ' thlrtj'-four years , and is now a fjenorul Uior- ' chant in Dundy county ; lived In Omaha eight years ago , at which time lie was , en gaged in the brewery business ; know Ud- ward Rosewater and PaulV andoryoort , ' ' Do you reniemboV a certain card having , been published In the Republican by a colored man hero ? A Yes , sir I do not kuow much about It , and I did not puy much attcutiou to it Q. Do you remember of tha time of tbo w pssuult upon Mr Rosewater ) . A1 Yes , sir -wj Q. You may stuto whether or not.boforo IB that assault you word iu Mr Vahdervoort'u / 0DI09) A. I was ' ' S. Q.-Who was present ) A. Well that Is riot Y ° rj' distinct tor mo Just Port ; but 1 think Mr , Vnndervoort , George L Hieboldt , J think that is my recollection and a gontla man from out near Asnlaud , whoso oamo HI