Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-04-20
WITNESSES ABSENT.
The Kansas Bribery Investigation Unable
to Obtain Important Witnesses.

The Kansas Bribery Investigation UnabTe
to Obtain Important Witnesses.
KANSAS CITY, Kan, April 13.-The
committee Of the Kansas senate now
engaged in making an investigation
into the charges OF corrupt use OF
money during the last session of the
| legislature, closed its session in Kansas
| City, Kan, last evening. The in
! ability to get such important witnesses
| as Representative A. A. Burgard, P. w.
Kline and Nelson Acers before the COM
| mittee has been disappointment, al
! though it was predicted some time ago
| that there would be scarcity of inn
portant witnesses at the proper time.
E. P. Blum, register of deeds of Wy
andotte county, was the first witness
| called this morning. He said he had
used his best endeavors to show that
the fee and salary bill was Ubiquitous
| and not for the interests of the county.
| He visited Topeka and talked with tie
| Wyandotte county representatives. He
| said he did not contribute money to be
| used in Influencing votes against the
| bill and knew of no money being used
in that way.
! Andrew Lawson, formerly engaged
in the policy business, was called TO
testify regarding the raising of fund
| to defeat Senator Taylor's anti-gamb-
ling bill. He denied having any knowl-
edge of money being raised among the
gamblers and policy men to defeat the
| bills. In fact, the witness knew moth
ing of interest to the committee except
that he had quit the business because it
was improbable. He had been ar
rested and fined SIS by Police Judge
King, but the fine was RENTED upon
the witness promising to quit the bust
| ness.
NJ. G. Mclean, county treasurer, tes-
titled that he had not paid money di-
rectly or indirectly to secure the defeat
Of the fee and salary bill, and had not
used any undue influence to secure the
defeat of the bill.
j. K. p. Barker, chairman of the peo-
pies party central committee, was
called to the stand to tell what he knew
of money being used to defeat the Tay-
1or anti-ganbling bills, the bills to
abolish the common pleas court and the
Office of county auditor and also the
fee and salary bill Mr.. Barker said he
had no knowledge of money being
used. He visited Topeka several times
during the session of the legislature
and was an applicant for the
Office of state grain Inspector; also
for a position on the board of railroad
commissioners. The witness denied that
he had ever received $50 from George
Grubel, proprietor of the building in
which the common pleas court is To-
Gated. He also denied that he had re-
ceived money from Sam McGonigal,
clerk of the common pleas court, to Sc
cure the defeat the measure.
Being asked if he had ever received
money or was offered money, Barker
replied in the negative, but Senator
Thatcher refreshed his memory little
and Barker admitted that he had been
offered 500 by Frank Strickland to use
his influence to have w. 7. Quarles ap-
pointed chief of police. He had, how
ever declined to accept the money.
Lawyer John Hale, of Kansas City,
Kan, then took a turn at the wheel
and asked Mr.. Barker if he was at the
Copeland hotel at Topeka with w. T.
| Quarles and if it was true that the two
visited room where the Wyandotte
county officers We're taking refresh
ments. Barker said he was at the
Copeland and that he had seen several
of the county officers.
ibid you not go with Mr.. Quarles to
the toilet room and while there did not
Mr.. Sam McGonigal come in and count
roll of bills out to Quarles, and did
not QuarleS turn the $500 over to you?''
asked Mr.. Hale.
/ The witness answered in the mega
tive. Mr.. Hale then asked Barker if he
did not meet a certain newspaper man
in Kansas City, Kan, and the reporter
mentioned the fact that money had
| been used. Barker said he did talk
about such matter with reporter.
Barker then denied that he went
strait I.tway to Sam McGonigal and
said: How did they get hold of it.
Sam; they're telling it just as it is?''
Barker also denied having a confer
ence with Jim Legate and Chief Quarles
in the Ryus hotel and was excused.
Senator King then called Mr.. Hale tc
the witness chair and proceeded to ask
questions. Mr.. Hale's statement was
as follows:
81 have been told that in the toilet
room of the Copeland hotel Sam Nc
Gonigal paid $500 to William Quarles
and it was by him passed to Barker tc
be used in defeating the fee and salary
BILL
Asked who were his informants, Hale
said Tom Worthington and Steve
Sharpe mad told MIN. He mad h6arC
such charges made in the presence OF
McGonigal, and the latter had not de
MED them.
Representative McAleney, of Wyan
dotte county, was present and was viii
ling to tell what he knew about Rep
resentative Burgard's Washington
interview, but the committee die
not desire to ask him any
questions and refused to allow
him to testify, as he said he
could tell nothing bearing on the boo
die charge. The committee then tool
recess till 4 o'clock. There were nc
more witnesses and it is probable thai
no more testimony will be taken il
Kansas City, Kansas.
Fred Close, private secretary to Gov
Lewelling, told the committee late
in the afternoon that he had ar
interview with Peter Kline an6
that Kline refused to testify He
said, however, he would make ar
affidavit generating Close, Gov. Lew
cling and Attorney-General Little.
, MuIvane, Kansas, on Fire.
WICHITA, April 13.-Nearly two
blocks of the business portion of Null
vane have been destroyed by fire since
n