The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-22
CONVERSATIONS
OVERHEARD.

CINCINNATI, O., Jan. 21-The legis-
lative committee investigating the Otis
charges of bribery in the recent cleo
tion of a United States senator at Co
lumbus held a session here tonight and
VIII continue It's sittings here tomor-
row. All members of the committee
were present, together with quite
delegation from Columbus and others
from different parts of the state. Three
members Of the house committee on the
Otis investigation were also present
Rutan, Spellmyer and Kenney. Spell
myer and Kenney are Democrats, and
Rutan, chairman of the house commit
tee, is one of the Republicans who vot-
ed against Hanna. The other two men,
bers Of the house committee-BoXWell
and Rankin, of Fayette-who voted for
Hanna were not present. The senate
committee which is conducting the in
Vestigation- consists of two Republi-
cans, Burke and Garfield, and three
Democrats, Long, Fink and Robertson
Senator Garfield is the only member Of
the committee who supported Hanna.
Senator Burke, the other Republican
member of the committee and it's chair
man, was the leader of the McKisson
The committee came from COLUMBUS
this afternoon to the home of Repre-
sentative Otis, in order to examine wit
nesses residing in this city. The in
vestigation was held in the assembly
room Of the Gibson house in the pres
ence of quite a large crowd. Jared 3.
Bliss and Charles p. Griffin, two Of the
confidential associates of Mr.. KurtZ in
the recent contest, were among the Wis
itOrs, as were also Attorneys Sullivan,
Dougherty and Hull, in representing
Maj Dick, H. II. HOllenbeck and
others. 1t is charged in-the resolutions
adopted separately by both branches of
the Ohio Legislature that II. H. Boyce,
of New York, came to the Gibson house
in this city a few days before the bal
loting for United States senate began
at Columbus and made a proposition
of bribery to Representative Otis.
Boyce stopped at the Gibson house.
OVER THE TELEPHONE.
The members of the committee and
others spent some time early in the
evening examining the telephone used
by Boyce and other scenes including the
apartments occupied by Boyce when he
was here. 1t is charged by members of
the committee that Boyce fed from this
city on Monday Jan. 10, and that he
cannot now be located, although the
committee has exhausted it's resources
in trying to secure bis attendance as a
witness. The committee was given
quite a telephone exhibition before it
assembled. The Great Southern hotel
at Columbus, which was the headquar-
ters of the anti-Hanna men during the
recent contest, was called up and while
t4~,c> III
vate office Of the Gibson house with par
ties in Columbus, Joy" Bliss and his
stencgrapher were at the telephone
down stairs in the hotel office taking
off all that was said. This was done
to show how all the conversations OF
BOyce with certain parties in Columbus
were taken down while Boyce was here
and the senatorial contest was going on
at the state capitol. 1t is alleged that
the conversations were all taken down
and are a matter of record without any
tapping of wires, as the different tele-
phones in the Gibson house are all on
the same circuit
Horace B. Dunbar, president and
manager of the Gibson house, was the
cnly witness examined tonight. The
clerks and others about the hotel will
be examined tomorrow. Dunbar was on
the witness stand during the meeting
and produced his hotel register showing
that Henry II. Boyce, of New York, oc-
cupied room 226 from Jan. to Jan 10.
Mr., Dunbar testified to having his sus-
picions aroused and to the clerks watch
ing Boyce. Allen o. Myers Jr, one of
the day clerks. arranged for a steno-
graphic report of the conversations
Boyce had over the telephone during
the day. Russell Pryor, the night clerk,
took down the conversations at night
Boyce was given the key to the private
office on the second floor whenever he
wanted it and the arrangements down
stairs were always complete for reports
of whatever went on over the telephone
wires when Boyce was using the pri-
vate office. The sterographer, who has
a desk in the Office. was called into re-