Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-04-15
DOODLE AGAIN.
The Senate Investigating Committee Again
at UNDERSTANDING Doodle Leads.

KANSAS City, Kan, April 12.-The
committee appointed by the Kansas
Legislature to investigate the charges
of the Topeka Capital that u corrup-
ton fund was sent by the gamblers,
lottery and policy men to Topeka to in
fuence the appointment of police COM
missioners and to defeat legislation,
began its sessions ut the Ryus hotel Ia
Kansas City, Kan. ut II o'clock yes
terday. All the members of the COM
mittec We're present except Senator
billiard, of Fort Scott. who is quite i'll.
Eleven witnesses have been sum-
moned To appear before the committee.
and all were present except Rep
resentative Burgard, of Wyandotte
county, l.. W. Kline and Nelson Acers
Probate Judge George j. Monahan,
of Wyandotte county. was the first
witness examined. lie was asked by
Senator Thatcher to tell what he knew
Of the influence brought to bear on
members of the legislature To defeat
the Wyandotte county fee and salary
bill. He said he knew of no money
being used for that purpose. He went
20 Topeka himself to talk with the rep
resentatives about the fee and salary
hill and to use honorable means to de-
feat it. Judge Monahan also stated
that about all the Wyandotte officials
went to Topeka. hut he knew of no or
ganized effort being made to kill the
bill, or of the use of money for that
purpose.
AL Baker. proprietor of one of the poll
icy shops near the state line in Kansas
City. Kan. was the next witness. His
statement produced Il sensation. In re-
ply to the question us to what
knowledge he had of money being used
by the gamblers. lottery and policy
men to defeat Senator Taylor's bills
Baker proceeded to tell of the meet
ing of policy men held ut L. W. kline's
office in the Heist building in Kansas
City, Mo-. to devise plans and to raise
funds to defeat the bills. He was not
present at the meeting. hut his partner,
Carey. was there and by Carey the wit
ness had been told that Kline had asked
the firm to put up 800. Baker said
that SO far as he knew all the gambling
house proprietors, the owners of policy
shops and lottery offices were in the
scheme, probably thirty or thirty-five
in all.
''What was to he their mode of at
tack:" Senator Thatcher asked.
Il don't know exactly" Baker said.
but concluded that they were going
To buy up the representatives.
Asked if that was all he knew of the
affair, Baker said that it was not. and
he proceeded to tell of an interview
with =. W. Kline. Kline had told the
witness that something would have to
be done and that they would all have
to put up" or the bills would be
passed and the whole business wiped
out. A day or two after that cofversa-
ton. Baker said he went tn kline's
policy shop on Central avenue and
was introduced to Il mysterious
stranger known as Baker. The strang-
er was described as being about 10
years old and weighing about a25
pounds. Baker, the policy man. said
ne was anxious to know how much
money would be required. lie thought
that the bills could be killed for about
$4,000. but the mysterious stranger who
boosted of his long experience in hand
ling legislative matters said that $4,000
would not be enough to grease the
machinery. Baker said he never could
learn who the stranger was.
On cross-eXamination by j. A. Hale,
Baker stated that Kline used an express
sion to the effect that he had paid for
the police commissioners and that he
wanted to use them. and that no other
policy man could run in Kansas City,
Kan. lie could not afford to put up
$3.50 a month. but Kline, with an in
come Of $4,000 day from the sales OF
policy tickets, could well afford it.
George Gruble testified that he was
an inn-keeper. 1t was expected to
prove Ivy the witness that he was
iointist, who had paid $50 to u fund to
he used in the Kansas legislature. lie
said he did not know of any money
nhVlup Dttu IuiStu loi any pa prov
whatever.
Gruble said he went to Topeka to see
Representative Burgard. who said when
asked to oppose the bill that he must
square himself with his constituency.
lie denied that Burgard wanted money
or that he offered any. Senator Parker
wanted to know whether the witness
had not stated on his return from To-
peka that 300 had been raised to defeat
the common pleas bill. lie denies hav-
ing made the statement to anyone.
A. l.. Burger. auditor of Wyandotte
county, denied that he had been solic-
tied to contribute money to defeat the
fees and salaries bill. He did not
know of money being contributed, but
heard some of the officers say that they
would be willing to contribute money
todefeat it. The probate Judge. district
clerk, sheriff and county clerk went to
a III