Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-03-23
BooBLE INVESTIGATION.

BOOBLE INVESTIGATION.
Connected With the Topeka Capital
Newspaper Charges-A Bride For Vote
For United States Senator.
TOPEKA, Kan, March 1S.-The senate COM
mittee appointed to investigate the charges
against Fred j. Close. Attorney General Little
and James +. Legate, in connection with the
! appointment of the members of the new board
| OF police commissioners of Kansas City, Kan,
met at 10 m in the senate chamber, but
practically nothing done until p. M j.
| K Hudson, editor of the Capital, who was the
witness most wanted. was lot present and
after waiting an hour and half for him the
| committee adjourned until afternoon
At 2:15 p. M Maj Hudson appeared before
the committee and produced copy of the Cap
| ital containing the editorial that led to the in
| vestigation The oath having been duly ad-
| ministered, he testified substantially as fol-
| lows:
! For weeks prior to the meeting OF the legis-
| lature there had been rumors reaching me
| relative to legislation against the gambling
| dens in Kansas City, Kan It was common talk
that this legislation would be prevented if pos
sible in the interest Of these concerns"
| Senator billiard asksd Mr.. Hudson to name
| some person who had mentioned the rumors to
| him He replied that he could not remember
any special persons
sThe night of the 2d-the article appeared on
| the 3d-about o'clock, Mr.. John Mof1tt and
Mr.. P H Coney came to my room at the Cope
| land hotel and stated that they had some in
formation that it was important for me to
| know
In reply to Mr.. billiards. question concerning
| the personality of the men, Mr.. Hudson said
| that Moff1tt is a railroad man and demo-pop
| and outspoken friend of Gov. LewelIing.
| Coney is pension agent in this city.
| mfr. Moffitt stated that b e and Judge Fitz-
gerald had been to Gov. Lewelling and had
| related to him certain facts in regard to efforts
of certain ring of Kansas City gamblers relat-
| ing to his appointment, and to legislation. and
| thew urged him bring about iQVeS tiQa ton
| to ward OF the'disgrace that would follow pub
LEGATION of the facts. He said that in and during
the conversation with the governor he (the
| governor) acknowledged that he knew money
had been paid to parties for legislative pur-
| poses. He said the governor did not state
| who had paid the money and think, he said,
that Lewelling knew the money had been paid
| to Legate, but am not sure about that Coney
| corroborated what Mof1tt said. Moffitt said he
| was friend of Lewelling and did not want to
| be mixed up in it He said he afraid he
| was in the hands of a lot of men who would ruin
| him unless he got out of the trouble He also
said that Close and Little were present when
| the last $500 was paid Upon being made
| aware of the contest against Taylor's bill 1
drew the conclusions stated in the ed torial "
After just an hour on the witness stand Ed
itor Hudson gave way.to Representative Cub
bison of the Douglass house, who testified that
he knew nothing as to the truth or falsity OF
the Capitals charges and that he was never Of
fered any money for his influence to secure the
nomination of certain persons police com
| missioners for Kansas City.
1.-The police commissioners said Mr. Cubbi-
son, "have nothing to do with the gambling
houses, and can't see why money should be
paid by the gamblers for a voice in their ap
| pointment'' He added that Whitman the
publisher of the Gazette, had never said to him
that money could be had for the defeat of the
lottery gambling bills but said he had heard
that the gamblers had between $4,000 and Is, OoC
to be used for the defeat of the Taylor bill
Representative McAleney testified that he
recommended the aDDOintm6nt of Mitchell and
Cunningham because they were Endorsed by
the county central committee He had heard
that money raised for legislative purposes;
| first $500 and later $1,000. All raised from
| gambling and policy men.
II have changed my opinion about these
men, he said, land have found they no.
proper persons for the position because they
would not carry out the central committee
wishes in regard to the appointment of a chief
of police and certain other officials. -
Examination Resumed.
TOPEKA. Kan March 1s.-The Doodle investi
CATION was resumed this morning McAleny be
ing again examined. He said that he and Bur
gard were both subjected to corrupt offers by Cy
Leland He said: 81 had an offer of money from
Cyrus Leland, Saturday morning February %
to sell my vote for United States senator. AL
acquaintance had come me few days before
and asked me to meet MIR. Leland. We agreed
ON u place, and 1 met him that morning at
o'clock in Senator WilliamSon'S room in thu
Keith block. I first went to the room with this
acquaintance who Immediately left, and in
few minutes Mr. Leland came and introduced
himself. He talked the legislative Situa
ton at some length and told me what the su
preme courts decision in the house test case
would be. The conversation lasted nearly al
hour and gradually led around to what he want
ed. OF course understood what he wanted
when he came to the room. He said that the
republican party were going to elect a United
States senator: that they had 81 votes; tina
, mine would be sufficient to elect but that the!
h16 adj fIpn oil no nile 6crpd
1 asked him what he wanted me to do and TO
what. He said he understood it would b.
money and he named 81, 0OJ. told him knew
| what my vote amounted to: that had beer
approached before on the subject and that as
had voted for no candidate when Judge Martin
, was elected senator my vote was worth NOR
for that reason. We discussed the matter iii
| teen minutes.
Having agreed on the amount the next Ques
ton was the stake holder. I told him woult
1 | act as stake holder and that where tn
| first serious hitch came in He wanted me I
accept some of the politicians or senators o
| one of the banks He said he could not thin
of giving me the cash because it would plac
him at my mercy. He wanted me to so witt
4 him to one of two banks which he did not name
= 1 suggested certified check. but he objected
'The amount agreed on was 5000. Thi
figure not exactly stipulated, but under
S stood that if we could agree stake holde
t that would be the amount The man he wante
mp to vote for w. H. Rossington, u demo
crat.
when we talked about the price, told hin
that a large sum had been offered when AID
was the republican candidate; s1J,o0o had bee
S offered for q single vote He denied this a
= first butt knew better and told him the trouo,
= then was about the stake holder. I to!
. him the money was offered TO Mr.. Burgarj, c
= w andotte county, in a cloak room three min
utes before Judge Martin was elected senator
d and that the deal broke OF at the last momcn
Y because thew could not agree a stake
holder. Burgard insisted stake
= holder Leland would not trust. Leland the
u admitted the offer and said Burglrd shout
d have kept his fool N 1uth shut Then when I IL
l. sisted that my vote worth half much q
q Burgard's. he said the offer to Burgard was fo
state printer. At II O'Clock Leland said h
wanted to go to the supreme court an
hear the deci sion in the house test case and
s went away. hat is the last time L sal hin
Leland said that the republic ms h ID atree
+. upon kossn9ton because all the republican
u would not vote for h. z. Wagxener Lelan
l. id not want to discuss the B.irgard deal br
= he prac ically admitted that he had made d
g | ,fier him. We uid not exactly agree on )
, o., but he said perhaps IL could a,ree o
stakeholder we couli agree on the amount.
q said peaiedly he did not want to be placed Z
my mercy and did not propose to have IL an
other way. In the BurgacI deal he and Lei an