Evening journal., 1897-05-05
THE BRIBERY SCANDAL.
Lawyers Word Against That
of Legislators.
NO DEFINITE ACTION TAKEN

SPONDENT WALKER HEARD.
ADJOURNED SUBJECT TO CALL
OF CHAIR.
Stan Correspondence Evening Journal
Dover, May 5.-The famous Hof-
fecker- Pyle Mccullough bribery scan
dal came to a head yesterday afternoon,
and the proceedings awakened general
interest.
The investigating committee sat in
the Levy Court room, where the
Cheairs-Dick contest was confined
for so many days. Chairman HAZEL
had fixed / o'clock as the time for the
proceedings to begin, but the Senate
was late in adjourning, and it was 1.3O
before the committee settled down to
business, with Representative HAZEL
in the chair, and the Senate and House
members of the committee occupying
seats near him. Both of the accused
men were present with counsel. Ex-
Secretary of State John d. Hawkins
and ex-Secretary of State John f.
Salisbury were the legal advisers of
Senator Pyle, and ex-City Solicitor
William T. Lyman represented Repre-
sentative Mccullough.
Occupying seats in the room were
nearly all the members of both
branches of the General Assembly and
attaches of that body while the press
was represented by several correspOn-
dents, who took voluminous reports Of
the proceedings. The hearing lasted
about two hours, and the greatest in
terest was manifested in it from begin
ming to end.
Last evening the consensus Of opin-
ion was that both men would be ex-
onerated by the committee, and If not
by it, by their respective houses.
Clerk of the House Spicer delivered
to Chairman HAZEL the journal of the
House for the two sessions at which
action regarding the alleged bribery
was taken, so far as appointing the
committee and clothing it with ample
power to prosecute its investigation
was concerned.
Mr.. Hazell-'I believe that all of the
committee are present now except one,
and l don't think it is necessary to
wait" He then read the resolution
passed by the House.
The absentee was Senator Alrlchs,
who dropped in shortly after the case
opened
Mr.. Hazell-"As we are proceeding
upon an article published in the Phila-
delphia Times of April 28, / think il
would be proper in the first place tC
put the correspondent of that paper, w
H. Walker, on the stand. If he viii
come forth / will administer the oath.
Mr.. Walker advanced and was sworn
He gave his name and stated that h,
resided in Wilmington, and that he was
a correspondent of the Philadelphia
/ Times He acknowledged that hC
wrote the article, which gave publicity
to the charges preferred by James H
Hoffecker, Jr.
Mr.. Hazell-"Will you now state as
clearly and succinctly as possible upoI
what you predicated these charges?"
CORRESPONDENT WALKERS TEs
TIMONY.
, Mr. Walker-"Mr. Chairman anC
Gentlemen: l was sitting down at th'
Hotel Richardson last Tuesday, eatinl
my dinner with Mr.. Cheairs, Senato
Alrichs, Mr.. Ellegood, Of the C0nstitu
: tiOnal Convention, and one or tw,
others whom l do not recollect. Som
one said that Mr.. HOffecker had beel
approached by certain members of tn
Legislature and asked to give up a Ger
tain amount of money in connection
with the Cause divorce case. l aske
. him If he told him, and he said it wa
! told him by certain party. l went an
saw that party, but he said it was
mistake; he did not say so. After get
ting rumors here and there and get
ting facts as near complete as l coul
get them here, l took the train an
n went to Wilmington, realizing tina
!, | there was a big story in ii. / went [
t, the office of Mr.. Hoffecker and he wa
not in. His clerk told me he wa
down in the barber shop. l went dow
in the barber shop and he was bein
shaved. / said 1 wanted to see hin
and he said he would be through in
few minutes. After he had been shave
/ told him / wanted to see him on a
, important matter, and told him / di
- not want to talk there. He asked n
up into his office, and there / confron
ed him with certain facts, that men
m bers of the Senate and House of Rel
resentatives of the legislature of De
&c aware had asked him for a certai
5c amount Of money to pass the Cause
&c vorce bill. / asked him if it was SO.
&c hesitated for a while, but at last sa
yes. il is So But he said L don't wal
- it published. In the first place, / a
not a Parkhurst refOrmer, and in u
second place, don't care to have n
4 client dragged into notoriety. L ha'
" come here l said, with certain fact
- and you have verified them, and l don
see why l should not publish them.
y am a newspaper man and it is my bus
l. ness to publish news He would n
d give his consent to the publication f
some time. l told him the rumors we
{ being banded around from pillar
post, and I didn't propose to be beat'
on the story. Finally he consented
49, allow me to use the story with ol
promise. and that was that / was n
to divulge the names of the parties i
volved, that is, the senator and the re
resentative and the Wilmington poll
clan and the Sussex county political
Having obtained my matter, | went
the Times office, in Philadelphia, al
wrote up my story"
Mr.. Hazell-"DO you know anythil
of your own knowledge concernil
these charges?"
NO, sir"