Show r lETTER BOOKS HIS PROPERTY ginger Binger er Hermann Makes No De Denial Denial nial of Having Ordered Them Destroyed DEED DONE IN GOOD FAITH NO SECRECY REGARDING THE MATTER Washington April 4 Binger Hermann d in his own ovon behalf during durins the th the lon of ot hie trial today tolly the theL L ng session being Interrupted be beef II R r ral a ef cf f the Illness of a Juror furor Mr lr Her Hereim eim Tier detailed the circumstances 8 of the L destruction of ot his Iris letter books for which winch T is 10 j being tried The destruction he hes ra s took t place a few days before e he Ii ct ed as commissioner of th the thc general generali r rd d office and was conducted during of off of off rc f f hours publicly In Mr Hermanns of i CI I 1 think I indicated how to destroy g h m nr continued Mr Hermann by sim simI I rs r Baring arins the leaves in half after which t l were taken down to the waste pa S r r Mn Ma 1 18 When I 1 Kave gave the the order I turned i t Ca C r to Mr Hough Hough my m stenographer r o Mr dir Dady my financial clerk cI k and andI t aa I have hae no earthly use for these old bocks and It is only an sn unnecessary unnecessary sal ex ox trin r p to send nd them across the continent nent C r simply my personal corret correr corre cerra t r tJ i deace t ce Done in Good Faith his was done don In the best of faith i j not to destroy anything I regarded r c iRI My motive was wag simply that I X r d no further use for them I had hadra m ra 1 casion to refer to them during dUrins the tiro r re reu al y Mars ars they had been lat tat j Th Thy They y had bad answered their pur purr r and I considered them as belonging h r as much my m property as the coat coaten en ct r z Y j back backI I object to an argument interrupted I l J d 1 States Attorney Baker BakerT ij T e statement is proper so 80 far ruled J Js i re e Stafford I want to bring out that the r t saw nothing wrong Ton or criminal in ini i 3 3 ct suggested Attorney Worthing fsr tr T r J did it as Innocently as I would de det cs rt t an old letter from my m mother or my mya T a concluded Mr Hermann Dealings With Benson Hermann next detailed his dealings v r John A Benson who is to be tried in connection with the e alleged land frauds j risen nann said Mid he met Benson about a Ii after ht he h became me commissioner Pre Preto Pret t to this he bt said he had defeated t a ament ment to Benson BenlOn of a claim for fOl forr r f ving ying public lands The case ease was Taa rat which Mr Hermann encountered c r r ing what he termed crooked li mann said that two or three years ears to he went out OIt of office he ho had hart hadn n interview with Benson about ii l i surveys the witness saying he had hadT hadr T r tamed that Benson claimed pay for which had never been surveyed S test lest my balance said Mr Ir Herand Her Herr Hera a r and though I dont usually use t ro g language I indulged in severe revere and expected to be put Jut out of c i e Benson Wanted Pay PayS S Sr P a f time after this the witness said Mid w l In San Francisco he was asked t r me to the office of the state su of surveys He lie H went and andi i j there Benson BonBon Senators Perkins and andr r of California and he believed t I Loud although he be said Loud did not remember the occur Benson again wanted pay for 3 1 but when whoa Hermann again r n rte indignant and explained the whole r rt rL t loft tice Senator Perkins remarked that f Jj n on had entered into a contract t r and had not done It he F luns would have nothing more to tol tora ra lr l Ianus tous lous to these statements Mr Her Herr r having haing various letters to Inspect t Loomis and State Forester Ormsby I int T 1 rf of Oregon before him indicated d t while he was commissioner he al alv alc v c considered red that official mail mall was wasta tM ta which was prepared In the varr var c r T n divisions as distinguished from per pcr perL L u mail which he wrote himself t kart art will 1111 sit tomorrow and Justice Stafford announced that hereafter the trial trUl would continue five fire days da a week f i sead of tour Jour our |