Show MIM AN N ell N TH STAND testified in his own behalf gave sketch of his career d washington april 3 binger hermann on trial tor for destroying public records testified in his own behalf today at the suggestion of hia his counsel mr air hermann gave a brief sketch of his career he was bom in maryland in 1843 went to oregon when he wag was sixteen years old taught school and worked on a farm studied law and was war admitted to the bar in that year he lie was elected to the state legislature in 1871 president grant appointed him receiver of public moneys in tho the roseburg land office he wag was elected to congress in 1884 and served twelve years until the election of mr mckinley as president selected by president mckinley president mckinley kindly selected sele ctet teA me e or r perhaps unkindly remarked mr air hermann V as commissioner of the general land office after leaving waving the land office in 1903 mr air hermann said he had twice been elected to congress his last term expiring march 4 of this year mr hermann emphasized the fact that during his public career he took great pains to travel over his hii state and in these there travels he made many friends those these friends wrote him many letters and hn he never refused to answer a letter As a consequence he lie paid said that when he went into the land office as commissioner in 1897 he lie was receiving on an average of 10 to 30 letters a day mostly from his oregon friends R P hough who was a stenographer in the land office under mr hermann corroborated chris muller as to being present in a portland restaurant with mr air muller and when mr air hermann asked these young men if they had kept their reports and books he said mr hermanns words were wish they had their note books 1 I wish you boys had your note books then we could she show to the world what was in those lettera letters hough said he did not Ke remember member that mr hermann made any re remarks marrs about the destroyed letter books at that time As to this incident mr hag has testified that only himself and muller were present at this interview with mr hermann and that mr hermann asked minutely regarding what wham had bad been done with the dest destroyed letter books 33 H cortes who was a messenger in the land office during mr air hermanns administration testified fied to finding two or three old bid letter books in a store room ot of the office the letter books being those of senator carter who was once a commissioner of tho the land office mr hermann then re fumed the stand and explained that the first day he took up his duties as commissioner he was brought a letter book private by mr hough who had been assigned as hie his stenographer it was explained to him that it was the usual custom for the commissioner to use a private letter book for his personal correspondence Correspond ened with his family mr air hermann said that he corresponded considerably with the members of his family in oregon and that he wrote his son many letters he lie said departmental business to transact for his constituents and oregon friends in practically every department part ment and every bureau of every department of the government I 1 he je said his mall was always opened and ana on his desk when he arrived at the office and that frequently he would find letters relating fo to matters in the general land office which required an official answer among his per personal ional letters these letters were always sent to the proper division for reply and all such replies were written for him to sign wanted to be senator mr air herman admitted in answer to a P question by his attorney that he had aspirations to become united stated sena senator torand and that ho be corresponded with many persons in oregon to keep in constant touch with the political situation he said his personal correspondence also was increased by the fact that he had written a pamphlet desert bing the western boundary of the louisiana purchase chase and ho lie had sent many of these pamphlets together with a few kindly lines to his friends in oregon and the west requests for state maps for information regarding homestead entries and letters from persons who had contracts for surveys mr air hermann said were written to him personally to which lie replied personally it was this character of correspondence that was cop led in his private letter books the official correspondence of the land office mr hermann explained originated in the thirteenth division of that office where the letters were written these letters were brought to him dally daily for his signature they the numbered from to a day he said he signed these fetters without reading them simply looking at the initials in t the lie C corner orner 1 to see th that at the they came from the proper individuals lu in the various divisions during his administration of the land office mr hermann said he not remember having looked into one of his personal letter books the use they were put to was to obtain th address of somo some correspondent H said sald about a year before his term ex cirei he noticed that these private books were increasing on the shell shel very rapidly and that too many anim letters were being copied ir these books described his dally daily duties mr hormann described his duties as commissioner saying tha that it was the business busl bus neet inest bureau in the gov eminent service during congress con areas h was constantly visited by senator senators and representatives there are h said about 25 attorneys in washing ton who devote their entire practice t land matters and these attorneys call ed od on him frequently it waa was brought out that whenever information was given to senators representatives and attorneys orally no record of the earne was kept whether the information was given b by the commissioner himself or by the lad head ot of any bureau in the office mr air hermann explained the frequency of the thle visits of senator mitchell by baying raying that oregon seemed deemed to have more land matters to attend to than almost any other state and that ben sea ator mitchells colleague senator mcbride wai WU physically incapacitated to get around much the defense placed in evidence about letters written to mr her iler manns friends and IvIa relatives tives while he waa wits commissioner many of these letters were copied in the books book which have been destroyed others were not copied at all and all of them wore placed in evidence according to attorney as showing the cha character acter of mr hermanns hermann edi correspondence |