[Newspaper]
Publication: The Muncie Daily News
Muncie, IN, United States
vol. 12, no. 236, p. 1, col. 6
The Ballot-Box Case.
Several Witness Testify Before
the Committee.
QUITE A SENSATION CREATED.
Mrs. Wood Tells How Mr. Hadden
Furnished Her With Money While Mr.
Wood Was Absent — Testimony of
Several Other Important Witnesses.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6. — Ex-Governor Foraker continued his cross examination of Governor Campbell before the house committee conducting the ballot-box investigation, but developed no new facts, in answer to a question of Mr. Struble. Governor Campbell said that he had had but one conversation with Mr. Halstead in all his life.
Lewis G. Bernard, of Cincinnati, a member of the Ohio Democratic campaign committee, testified that a paper purporting to be a copy of the letter from Governor Foraker to Governor Luce had been handed him by the secretary of the campaign committee. The signature was in type writing.
Morton L. Hawkins, adjutant general of Ohio, with The Cincinnati Post testified to having seen the Luce letter.
Mrs. R. G. Wood, wife of the author of the ballot-box paper, testified that Lew Hadden, chairman of the Republican executive committee in Cincinnati, had given her money on an order from her husband. Hadden told her that her husband had done nothing wrong, and on the night her husband was arrested Hadden said her husband would be taken care of whether Governor Foraker was elected or not. She had written Governor Foraker to tell him that the telegrams and letters to Wood were at his disposal.
Governor Foraker here denied that he had received the letter, and Mrs. Wood said she understood that he had not. Mrs. Wood said Hadden was desirous of concealing his visit to the Wood residence. Hadden had told her that Governor Foraker did not receive her letter. She did not know how he knew it. Mrs. Wood said she had known nothing of the forged paper.
Governor Foraker stated to the committee that he knew nothing of the payment of money by Mr. Hadden to Mrs. Wood.
Her husband said Jim Foraker advised advised him to apply for the smoke inspectorship and he would indorse him if Wood would furnish him certain papers. Hadden gave her at one time $150 and at another $40. He told her it was simply a political trick, and Wood had done nothing wrong.
Hadden gave Chambers $40 to hunt someone to go on Wood's bond. I wrote to Foraker saying his published statement that the Campbell crowd had all the letters and telegrams was false, that I had them and would give them to Gover. or Foraker.
T. C. Campbell wrote a very abusive letter to Wood, and afterward came to the house in a rage, but failed to see him. I have the stock book of the Hall & Wood Ballot-box company, and my son will produce it when he is called, If I had ever seen the forged paper, Mrs. Wood said. I would have burned it up, and it should not have been used. I never heard about any other contract with the names on that are attached to the forged paper.
The committee then took a recess until 2 o'clock.
At the afternoon session Robert J. Wood, son of R. G. Wood, said that all he knew of the forged paper was what he had read in the newspapers. He presented the stock book of the Hall & Wood Ballot-box company, and Gen. Grosvenor read the stubs showing the amount of stock issued and to whom it was sold. The shares alloted [sic] allotted as follows:
Elizabeth Wood, 120; R. G. Wood, 90; T, C. Campbell, 25; A. F. Evans, 225; A. Murphy, 2; Peter Casey, 1; S. S. Davis, 1; B. Britland, Jr., 10; P. Reilly, 10; C. H. Lehman, 10; C. Stupf, 1; L. Meyer, 1; G. Lizowski, 8; F. Holtz, 5; E. Paul, 1; F. Lehman, 1.
J. C. Brown, state treasurer of Ohio, said he had seen the forged paper. It was handed him by Governor Foraker at Uhricsville junction. They got a lamp and examined together, and Mr. Foraker explained to him the ballot-box bill.
E. C. Hall, of Cincinnati, president of the Hall Safe and Lock company, testified that he was a stockholder and officer in the ballot-box company, but left the company before the bill was presented to congress.
Wood, he continued, had asked him to join the company. He said he had some of the biggest men in Washington lobbying for the hill, and it was sure to go through. The only boxes the company had ever furnished, he said, were furnished to the state of New Jersey. Governor Foraker, he said, had told him: "Now that the elections were over that he would like to get at the bottom of this matter," and asked him for a statement to help him out.
Up to this time, however, he said he never had any conversation or correspondence with Governor Foraker.
Mrs. Wood was recalled and asked a few questions as to letters, etc.
John Benton, of New York testified that he had made one hundred registers for ballot boxes for the Wood & Hall Ballot-box company, to be used on the boxes to be sent to New Jersey. A box of this kind was produced and he was examined as to its cost.
George Campbell testified that he had never seen the forged letter until he came here. Hadden, he said, told him that he could help Governor Foraker by getting from T. C. Campbell certain papers in connection with the ballot-box business. Hadden had told him, he said, that he had been compelled either to come to Washington and testify to seeing paper resembling the original ballot-box paper or to get out or his party.
The committee then adjourned for day.
