The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-22
CONSPIRACY AGAINST HANNA.
How Bribery investigation Charges
Were worked Un ut Cincinnati.

were WOEAGU Op AI (AMCAnnAtAs
CINCINNATI, Jan q. - The legislative
committee investigating the Otis charges
of bribery In the recent election of United
States senator at Columbus held a session
here tonight and will continue it's sittngs
here tomorrow. All members of the COM
mittee were present, together with quite a
delegation from Columbus and others from
different parts of the State. Three mem
bers of the House committee on the Otis
investigation were also present-Rutan
Spellmyer and Kenney. Spellmyer and
Kenney are Democrats, and Rutan, chair
man Of the House committee, is one of the
Republicans who voted against Hanna.
The other two members of the House COM
mittee, Boxwell and Rankin, of Fayette,
who voted for Hanna, were not present.
The Senate committee which is conducting
the investigation consists of two Repub-
licans, Burke and Garfield, and three Dem
ocrats, Long, Finck and Robertson. Sena-
tor Garfield is the only member of the COM
mittee who supported Hanna. Senator
Burke, the other Republican member of the
committee and it's chairman, was the leader
Of the McKisson movement against Hanna
for senator.
The committee came from Columbus this
afternoon to the home of Representative
Otis in order to examine witnesses residing
In this city. The examination was held
in the assembly room Of the Gibson House
in the presence of quite large crowd Mr.
Jared 3. Bliss and Charles B. Griffin, two
of the confidential associates of Mr.. Kurtz
IN the recent contest, were among the vis-
itors, as were also Attorney Sullivan,
Dougherty and Hulin, representing Major
Dick, H. H. Hollenbeck and others 1t is
charged in the resolutions adopted sepa-
IAt6lX hFanPhGG Of fho 4,
lature that H. H. Boyce, OF New York
game to the Gibson House, in this city, a
few days before the balloting for United
states senator began at Columbus and
made proposition of bribery to representa-
tive Otis; Boyce stopped at the Gibson
House The members of the committee and
others spent some time early in the even
ing examining the telephone used by Boyce
and other scenes, including the apartments
occupied by Boyce when he was here after
Otis and others. 1t is charged by members
Of the committee that Boyce fed from
cannot now be located although the com
mittee has exhausted it's resources in try
ing to secure his attendance as a witness.
Ine committee was given quite tele-
phone exhibition before it assembled The
Great Southern Hotel at Columbus (Which
was the headquarters of the anti-Hanna
men during the recent contest) was called
up, and while the committee was talking
In the private Office of the Gibson House
with parties in Columbus, Jerry Bliss and
MS sIenographer were at the telephone
downstairs in the hotel Office taking off all
that was said This was done to show how
all OF the conversations of Boyce with GER
tain parties in Columbus were taken down
while Boyce was here, and the senatorial
contest was going on at the State Capitol.
II is alleged that the conversations were
al ltaken down and are matter of record
without any wire tapping, as the different
telephones in the Gibson House are all on
the same circuit.
Horace B. Dunbar president and manager
OF the Gibson House, was the only witness
examined tonight. The clerks and others
about the hotel will he pXamined fO-norroxv
Mr. Dunbar was on the witness stand dur
ing the meeting and produced his hotel reg
lster, showing that Henry II. Boyce, of
New York, occupied Room 226, from Jan.
to JAN 10. Mr.. Dunbar testified to having
his suspicious aroused and put the clerks to
watching 'Boyce. Allen Q. Myers, jr., one
or the day clerks, arranged for a steno-
grahping report of the conversations Boyce
sell Pryor, the night clerk took down the
conversations at night Boyce was taken
the Key to the private Office on the second
floor whenever he wanted 1t, and the ar
rangements downstairs were always COM
plete for reports of whatever went on over
the telephon wires when Boyce was using
the private ONCE. The Stenographer, who
has a desk in the office, was called into
requisition whenever Boyce called any one
up.
Mr.. Dunbar recited many Of these CONVEX
sations over the ong-distance telephone. In
one of them the major was called up at
Columbus and said: Shane and the Pres
ident would arrange things on Saturday.
BOyce replied: Have seen one of the party.
Wants money How can / handle him?"
The reply from Columbus was: Suppose
o. betrays you, what then?" Mr.. Dunbar
said that Boyce replied: mo danger /
would kill him. Dead men tell no tales"
Mr.. Dunbar testified thas Allen o. Myers,
jr, who was in Columbus as one of the
managers against Hanna, was called up on
Friday night, JAM T. by Jerry Bliss and
told of the situation here, and what Boyce
was doing. Myers advised Bliss that man
named Hollenbeck would leave Columbus
for Cincinnati that night with money, and
to nave him watched. The next morning
the Miller detective agency was employed
to watch Boyce and keep track of Holen-
beck on his arrival On Jan. H. H. Hol-
lenbeck, of Chardron, o., registered at the
Gibson for breakfast. He had no room as
signed to him, but was seen to communi-
cate with Boyce The next name on the
register to that of HolIenbeck was r. H.
Archer, Columbus, o., deputy railroad COM
missioner.
Mr. Dunbar showed the registers to the
committee with all these names and stated
that Mr.. T. j. Mulvihill, one of the lead
ing Democratic managers of this city
pointed out Hollenbeck TO him and to the
detectives: They watched all the move
ments of Hollenbeck and traced him to the
Union Trust and Savings Bank, of which
j, g. Schmidlapp Is president. He was then
traced 10 the different places of meeting
as charged by Representative Otis While
Hollenbeck did not remain in Cincinnati
Boyce here on Friday Saturday, sun
day and Monday. At the suggestion OF