Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-12-30
NASHVILLE.
DR.. Thomas O. Summers Explains
about the Prescription
With Which Low-tax Lobbyists
Would Drug Senators.
An Infamous Plot Discovered and
Thwarted.
Which Might have Cost Two SEN
ators Their Lives
The Crooked Ways Of one Lam
beth,
Who Is Evidently a d-blooded
ScoupdraI,
Testimony at Length Of Col. Jno.
Freeman.
Who Is Evidently a d-bIooded
ScoupdrsI,
Testimony at Length Of Col. Jno.
Freeman.
Nothing New Before the Tnyesti.
eating Committee.

/ Special Dispatch to the Chronicle.
! NASHVILLE, Tenn, Dec. %.
/ DR.. 7. o. Summers was handed piece
/ of paper which he recognized as q prescrip-
| ton he had written for Mr. McWhorter. He
read the prescription: Auop. sulph. grs
/ Il, sack. alb. grs. J. met ft. chart. iii. Use
as directed. Signed, T. 0. S.
/ Witness said he presumed when he wrote
/ the prescription it was for Mr.. McNhorter.
/ The effect Of one of the powders, dissolved
/ in two quarts of water, from
dose of wine-glass full, would
witness knew nothing about the proceed
! ings of the legislature. Witness said the
prescription was to be taken in three pow
ders at different times He desired that to
be distinctly understood, but if the three
| powders were given to an old man it might
Kill him
Mr. John A. Freeman testified that he
knew Senator Barnett, whom he always re-
| garded as a State credit man. He saw him
! (Barrett) here first during the Senatorial con-
test. He tried to vote him for Senator Bailey,
but Barrett told him positively he was
going to vote with the Repub-
hcans unless Everett Polk wes
q candidate. Had talked with
Barrett about the State debt. he went to
see Barrett once and found him quite sick at
the Lapiere house. without the necessary
comforts and without physician. He told
Barrett he must be removed to place
where he could be properly cared for.
Witness sent for DR.. Cheatham to see hun,
and had him removed TO the Maxwell House
Barrett went back to the Lapiere House
after he got well. He thought Barrett slept
with him the night before the first vote Gil
the 1908 bill. Witness got the prescrip-
ton from Bransford and showed il to Bar
rett, who zppeared TO be much agitated,
and asked witness 10 be allowed to
sleep with him. Witness. carried Barrett
to his room after supper and left him
there. Barrett locked the door on the in
side and witness left. When he went back
about O'clock he found Barrett sitting be-
fore the fire trembling as if he was fright
ened TO death. He told witness that people
had been knocking at the door all night and
he was afraid they would take him out and
kill him. Witness saw Senator Csson that
night very drunk, and as he had heard they
intended to snake" him also, ne trled to
get him away. Senator Perkins and Judge
Harrison took Cason upstairs Witness sat
down in the rotunda to smoke cigar when
Dir. Lambeth came and seemed
very much distressed and said
he could not find 5ir Barrett
that he must find him or he was ruined.
. Lambeth said that if Barrett voted for the
bill, he (witness) would have the pleasure OF
, seeing him (Lambeth) horse-whip Barrett
i the next day. He heard Lambeth tell Bar
rett after the first defeat of the bill that he
had caused him 10 lose thousand or thousands
: of dollars and that if ne did not vote against
, reconsidering the bill, he (Lambeth) would
| go home and tell his people that he had
been bought by the other side Wit
: ness said he got the prescription from
Bransford, who gave it to him when he
found out he could not use it, and told him
witness to take it up and show it to the
old man and scare him. That was the way
he got the prescription from Rrans-
ford. Witness said he had aIway.
knew when any attempt was made to bribt
Barrett. He always came TO witness anC
told him about it. Witness always tolC
Barrett TO listen TO ali such propositions
and let them count their money ont for hin
but never to take any of it. The object OF
the witness was to get case against thos,
| who so attempted TO use corruption. Lam
, beth showed witness letter once, with G.
A. Pattricks name signed to it, instructine
q Barrett TO vote as Lambeth told him. Wit
T ness saw Patrick afterward anc
J be denied writing such let
l ter. Lambeth came up an(
3 Patrick denied that he wrote the letter il
| Lambeth's presence. Campbell walked of
with some excuse, saying to Patrick ''Yor
3 told some ons> else to-" Witness knew
Senator Morgan, but did not know Senator
Smith. Witness saw a note from Lambetl
to Barrett the night Barrett slept with hin
, IN the Maxwell House He got the nots
from the bell boy The contents, as he re-
membered, were that Barrett must come tc
room IL at once. 1t was a case of life anc
death, or his life depended on it, or some
thing of that kind. Didn't remember exactly
what it was, but something of that kind.
Cross -examined.-W was in Nash.
vile before the Legislature, and went home
after the senatorial election of officers. He
: went home after that election, and returned
again soon to take an interest IN the settle.
ment of the State debt. He promised to in
terest himself in the passage of the 1908
, bill if the bondholdsrs would accept it, He
I and Senator jackson and Mr.. Geddes had
( talked about the settlement Did not know
!, what interest Geddes represented. Wit.
ness said he would favor q settle.
: ment at 1908, and Mr.. Geddes after
, wards went home. Mr. Geddes did moi
!. says he would advocate it. but he under.
stood that he would go home and see wha,
5 the bondholders could do. Witness, Major
: O'Connor and others were actively interested
5 in the passage of the bill Witness hat
specul ate d bonds during the pending o
: the bill Declined to say how largely hs
was dealing. His motive IN trying TO ~