Beal, Henry, 25 and Wyman; Laidlow, A., 27 and H; Miller, R. D., 32 and I; Tangeman, H., 22 and N; Tangeman, 24 and H. Births as reported by Dr. W. S. White to city clerk to Dec. 1, 1896. [SEAL.] R. A. CARPENTER, City Clerk. STATEMENT OF DAVID RUSH. Q. Mr. Kush, where do you reside?-A. Fiftieth and Webster streets, Omaha, Nebr. Q. What is your occupation?-A. Clerk in the Bureau of Animal Industry, South Omaha, Nebr. Q. What time do you arrive at your office in the morning?-A. Eight to 8.30. Q. Do you know Dr. W. S. White?-A. Yes, sir. Q. What position did Dr. W. S. White hold in the Bureau of Animal Industry at South Omaha?--A. Chief microscopist. Q. Where was Dr. White's office?-A. His private office connected with the main office. Q. Do you know of Dr. White attending to any private business during office hours?-A. Yes; whenever there was a call he invariably took his private case and left the office, and whenever patients called on him at the office he attended to them there. DAVID RUSH. Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me this 6th day of January, 1897. [SEAL.] LAWR. M. SCHIBSBY, Notary Public. The CHAIRMAN. I have put in the foregoing documents to make the record complete. Now we will proceed. Who is the first witness? W. C. Lambert, esq., appeared as counsel for Dr. W. S. White. Mr. LAMBERT. May I be pardoned for asking what will be the method of procedure? The CHAIRMAN. Our usual method has been to introduce a witness and let him state all he knows, except in cases where parties have attorneys. You can proceed in any way you wish. Mr. LAMBERT. I merely desire to know the order of procedure. The CHAIRMAN. Dr. White is one of the parties who was dismissed. Mr. LAMBERT. Yes, sir; he is one of the parties who was dismissed. Then I will be permitted to ask questions? The CHAIRMAN. Yes. TESTIMONY OF DR. WILLIAM S. WHITE. Dr. WILLIAM S. WHITE, being duly sworn, testified as follows: Mr. LAMBERT. You may state whether or not at any time you were connected with the Bureau of Animal Industry at South Omaha. Dr. WHITE. I was placed in charge of the microscopic department the 1st day of September, 1893, and had to oversee it until the 15th of November, 1896. Mr. LAMBERT. You may state how your relations with the Bureau were terminated. Dr. WHITE. My duty was simply to oversee the work; to see that the girls were given work to do daily. Mr. LAMBERT. No; I mean how were your relations with the Bureau terminated? Dr. WHITE. I was discharged by Secretary Morton for alleged neglect of duty. Mr. LAMBERT. Have you with you a copy of your discharge? Mr. LAMBERT. State the date of the discharge and the ground therefor. Dr. WHITE. It is dated November 9, 1896. It is said I was removed for neglect of duty. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D. C., November 9, 1896. Mr. W. S. White, a microscopist, at South Omaha, Neb., having a salary of $1,400 per annum in the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, is hereby discharged from that position and his name ordered dropped from the rolls of the Department at the termination of November 15, 1896. For neglect of duty. J. STERLING MORTON, Secretary. Mr. LAMBERT. I believe you stated that you were chief microscopist. Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; at South Omaha. Mr. LAMBERT. State in detail your duties at the Bureau. Dr. WHITE. My duties were to oversee the assistants; to see that work was given out daily; to verify their work; to make out the daily reports and send them to Washington, and also to make out the monthly report and forward it to Washington. Mr. LAMBERT. To be sent to Washington? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. How often were those reports forwarded? Dr. WHITE. The daily report was forwarded daily, and the monthly report, monthly. Mr. LAMBERT. What do you mean by giving out the work-to the assistant microscopists? Dr. WHITE. I usually gave each of them fifty samples taken from the carcass, or piece meats-ham, sides, or shoulders; fifty pieces for a day's work. Mr. LAMBERT. To each? Dr. WHITE. To each assistant microscopist. Mr. LAMBERT. How were those pieces furnished to you? Dr. WHITE. The tagger brought them over, usually the day before; they were kept there during the night, and the first thing I did early every morning was to begin at 8 o'clock. The little janitress called out the numbers for me the first thing, so as not to keep the girls waiting when they came to work at half past 8. Mr. LAMBERT. Your distribution was usually at 8 o'clock? Dr. WHITE. Uniformly. I think you will find, by the testimony of witnesses, that it never varied. Mr. LAMBERT. When did your department open in the morning? Dr. WHITE. They commenced work at half past 8. A few girls who lived in town got there a little earlier than that. Mr. LAMBERT. Were the rules prescribed by yourself or by the Department? Dr. WHITE. By me. Mr. LAMBERT. When did your department close? Dr. WHITE. About a quarter to 4. Mr. LAMBERT. Each day? Dr. WHITE. Each day. Mr. LAMBERT. And all the assistants as well as yourself were through with their work? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; for the day. Dr. LAMBERT. After distributing the particles, as you have just described, then what was your further duty in connection with the department? Dr. WHITE. To be around the building; to verify the work when I was called upon. If anybody found trichinæ, I was called in to verify it. Mr. LAMBERT. What do you mean by "verification ?" Dr. WHITE. Whenever they found trichinæ, they called me. Mr. LAMBERT. And you would examine it and pronounce judgment! Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. What was your further duty in that connection? Dr. WHITE. Simply to make out the reports and forward them, or take them down to the clerk and he forwarded them to Washington. Mr. LAMBERT. The clerk was in the building? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; downstairs. Mr. LAMBERT. The work you have just described was repeated each day? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. At all times? Dr. WHITE. All the time. Mr. LAMBERT. You may state at this time what meats you examined; whether they were meats for exports. Dr. WHITE. All for export. Mr. LAMBERT. For export purposes? Mr. LAMBERT. Any other purpose? Dr. WHITE. No other purpose than for export. Mr. LAMBERT. You may state whether after this investigation was made anything further was done with your findings except to send in the report. Did you send to the different packing houses tags or other evidence of your having examined the meat-for instance, if you found some defective meat? Dr. WHITE. The tagger would come over and get the numbers and cut out the trichinæ numbers. Mr. LAMBERT. And take them to the packing house? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. The trichinæ numbers were there cut out? Dr. WHITE. They were there thrown out. The tagger, a Government official, would see that they were thrown out. They were usually put into the interstate trade, I believe. Mr. LAMBERT. I believe you stated that you were at the office each morning at 8 o'clock? Dr. WHITE. I do not know that I ever varied. Mr. LAMBERT. You do not think you ever varied? Dr. WHITE. I do not think I ever did From the testimony of the girl who gave out the work for me, you will find I never was absent. I do not remember ever to have been absent. I may have been, but I do not think I was. Mr. LAMBERT. Were you there the whole of each day? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; except at noon and at the recesses. I would go to my office and my dinner at recess. Mr. LAMBERT. You may state whether or not during that time you practiced your profession? Dr. WHITE. I did; outside of working hours. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you at any time do so during working hours? Dr. WHITE. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever make any calls upon patients during those hours? Dr. WHITE. Not to leave the room. I can not remember ever to have left the room to make a call except at noon. I made some calls at noon, but I do not remember ever to have left the room to make any calls, except it was that I made an emergency call; but I do not remember that. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you, during that time, prescribe for your patients? Dr. WHITE. I sometimes came to the office, but very seldom. I made arrangements to call after working hours. Mr. LAMBERT. If you did step out of the office for the purpose of prescribing or otherwise, how long would you be absent? Dr. WHITE. A very few minutes. Mr. LAMBERT. State whether or not in your judgement it was absolutely necessary that you should be in the department at all times. Dr. WHITE. I do not think it was really necessary. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you recall that at any time in your absence defective or trichinous meat was discovered? Dr. WHITE. I suppose so; but they called some of the older girls to verify the work. Mr. LAMBERT. Can you name any person who was called in your absence? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; I think Mrs. Bushnell and Miss Gibson; probably some of them; perhaps some of the girls now present would verify it. Mr. LAMBERT. In your absence? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you recall at this time how many were under your supervision at the time? Dr. WHITE. At the time I was discharged? Mr. LAMBERT. Yes. Dr. WHITE. I think there were eleven. Mr. LAMBERT. Had there been that number during the whole of your connection with the department? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; there were more, most of the time, but they were dropped from the rolls. However, there were that number on the rolls when we went under the civil service, on the 1st of July, 1895. Mr. LAMBERT. You are acquainted with Miss Kassal, Miss Giblin, and Miss Flynn? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; I am. Mr. LAMBERT. Were they under your supervision as assistant microscopists? Dr. WHITE. They were. Mr. LAMBERT. Are you acquainted with Dr. Don C. Ayer? Dr. WHITE. I am. 7658- -4 Mr. LAMBERT. What were his duties? Dr. WHITE. He had charge of that branch of the bureau at South Omaha, and he has to this day. Mr. LAMBERT. What was your statement? Dr. WHITE. He has charge of that branch of the bureau in South Omaha. Mr. LAMBERT. He had charge of your department? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. We reported to him anything that was done. Mr. LAMBERT. Did he have charge during the whole of your connec tion with the office? Dr. WHITE. Not all the time. Dr. Blackwell had charge part of the time. Mr. LAMBERT. At the time when you entered upon the duties of your office was your part of the department under civil service? Dr. WHITE. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. How long after entering upon them was the office placed under the civil service? Dr. WHITE. We were notified by Secretary Morton the 1st of July, 1895. Mr. LAMBERT. You may state at this time whether or not you were thereafter more careful in the discharge of your duties. Dr. WHITE. I was a great deal more so. Mr. LAMBERT. State the reason. Dr. WHITE. The Secretary sent me a circular stating that we were placed under the civil service and he wanted us to be more careful. I have forgotten its wording, but I think that was it. From that time on I was extremely careful. Mr. LAMBERT. Have you the circular letter? Dr. WHITE. It said that we were placed under the civil service of date the 1st of July. It is somewhere among these papers [exhibiting! It simply notified us that we were placed under the civil service. I wish to state here that I understand I was under the civil service the year previous, but I did not know it at the time. All of the inspectors were placed under the civil service the year before. Mr. LAMBERT. You did not know of that fact? Dr. WHITE. No, sir; not until the whole department was placed under the civil service on the 1st of July, 1895. Mr. LAMBERT: Was the letter to which you refer the first official information you had of the fact? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Of course I had heard it around that we were going to be placed under the civil service. Mr. LAMBERT. I call your attention to Senate Document 155, Fiftyfourth Congress, second session, and I direct you to an affidavit made and recited therein by Don C. Ayer, inspector, South Omaha, Nebr.. wherein it is stated that Dr. White performed his duties fairly well at times and at other times with carelessness and neglect of duty. I ask you to state whether or not Dr. Ayer at any time complained of the method and manner in which you were discharging your duties. Dr. WHITE. He never did; not once. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you to state whether or not he ever said anything to you about it. Dr. WHITE. He never did at any time. Mr. LAMBERT. At no time? Dr. WHITE. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you to state whether or not at any time your reports sent down to the clerk were corrected. |