611 



these letters, then Mr. Garmon put the construction upon them and 

 told you what they relate and all there was said about it. 



Let us take up Mr. Turner a step further. Pardon me, gentlemen, 

 if I take a little more time # than I intended to. As my associate has 

 well said, we need not defend Van Buren Miller. It is not our pur- 

 pose. We do not start in here to say Van Buren Miller has done right 

 or wrong. He was an employe of a department of the State here that 

 had charge of the State lands before the forest commission was in 

 existence or had anything to do with them. He says Van Buren Miller 

 settled with him through Wales Parsons of Plattsburgh, wherein he, 

 Mr. Parsons, bought a quantity of timber from him, Van Buren Miller, 

 aoting as agent for the State, for which he paid $150, and that he, 

 Benton Turner, reimbursed Wales Parsons for that identical sum of 

 money, and all that Miller turned over to the State was $57.50. 

 Of course, we knew nothing about these statements, but upon an 

 examination at the Comptroller's office we found that Wales Parsons 

 had not only paid fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents for trespasses of 

 - this man Benton Turner, upon State property, he buying the logs, but 

 he had paid $150 a month afterwards, within three days or within' a 

 week of the time of the date of the $150 check was given, and that the 

 very two checks that Wales Parsons paid to Van Buren Miller passed 

 through the Comptroller's office of the State of New York, and the 

 indorsement is upon them, showing that the State has received 

 every dollar in regard to this transaction that Van Buren Miller 

 received in the sale of the State's property. Now he comes on and 

 says there is some more. The unfortunate part of it is here, 

 Benton Turner knew the old man, Van Buren Miller, lay upon 

 his back sick at Saranac lake, 200 miles and further from here, 

 and unable to get here. He knew these other persons, Tobey and 

 Boice, were away from Plattsburgh, and could not be seen in the. 

 short time we had between the adjournment on Friday at 3 o'clock 

 and the next Tuesday night, couldn't find them, and I believe 

 if it had been- possible to 'have seen those men, that every one 

 of them, with an examination of the Comptroller's books would have 

 shown that old man, Van Buren Miller, has testified to the truth. You 

 have the affidavits of Wales Parsons and Mr. Hartwell, two reputable 

 gentlemen in the county of Clinton, that this man, Van Buren Miller, 

 is a man that stood high in the community, whose word has never 

 been questioned, whose honesty and fair dealing is above repute. 



Mr. Adams: — Will you let me ask you a question ? 



Mr. Anibal.— Yes; if you wish. 



