The age-herald., 1898-01-25
The Senate Committee Will Continue Its
 Work at the Capitol.
WITNESSES REFUSE TO TESTIFY
Chairman Burke Announces That They Will Be Brought Before the Committee and Pun
 shed for Contempt-Daughtery
 Declines to Answer Questions.

Cincinnati, Jan. 24.-The legislative com- mittee tonight closed it's investigation in this city of the Otis charges of bribery in ator. The senate committee will continue it's work in Columbus.
 Thirty witnesses have been examined here since last Friday, most of them being employees of the Gibson house. of telegraph and telephone companies and of the Union Savings and Trust company. Jared P. Bliss, Allen O. Myers, Sr., and E. H. Ara cher were the principal other witnesses. They returned to Columbus tonight with the committed
 As the evidence of Representative John c. Otis and Col Thomas c. Campbell will be very lengthy, they were not called here, but MT. Otis will likely be the next wit ness at Columbus.
 At Columbus last week several witnesses refused to testify because their attorneys advised them that a senate committee has no jurisdiction in Investigating charges made by a member of the house. Appar- ently, taking this as a cue, the employees and the president of the Schmidt bank and Hon. Harry M. Daughtrey chairman of the republican state central committee, today declined either to be sworn or to answer questions.
 Refused to Answer
 When H. H. Hollenbeck was en route from Columbus to Cincinnati Jan. he re- ceived dispatch signed "H. D., and the committee asked Mr. Daughtrey if he was the author of that dispatch. MT. Daugh- trey declined to answer questions and con- tinued to argue the question of Jurisdiction until he was excused subject to call fur punishment for contempt. When Manager Page of the Western Union, was asked to produce the I'll. D." dispatch and other messages he said the company had none of their messages as far back as Jan. 10.
 Chairman Burke announced that as soon as the committee was through with all willing witnesses proceedings would at once be begun to bring all unwilling witnesses before the bar of the senate for punish ment for contempt.
 Allen O. Meyers ST., was the first wit ness today He was at the Great Southern hotel in Columbus Jan. ', when MT. kurtz and others opposing Senator Hanna were then. stopping His son, Allen O. Meyers, IT,. clerk at the Gibson house in Cincinnati, called him up that night and told him of Boyce's movements. The next day his son reached Columbus with copies of steno- graphic reports of Boyce's talks from Gin cinnati over the phone with the Hanna headouarters in Columbus As the matter pertained to republicans, he turned all over to Kurtz and introduced his son to him. Kurtz told Allen that Hollenbeck would go to Cincinnati with money
 Myers detailed the shadowing of Hollen- heck from Columbus to Cincinnati and hack. also the carriage drives Of Boyce about Columbus. The testimony of Myers caused quite a stir especially when he be- came angry on the cross-examnation by Senator Garfield. He denied that he was a party to any conspiracy in getting up the Boyce-Holaenbeck story about the bribery of Representative Otis. When Senator Garfield told witness he need not reply to anything that would incriminate himself, Myers became intensely enraged and Chairman Burke had difficulty in pro- ceeding with the inquiry.
 Followed Hollenbeck.
 E. H. Archer, of Columbus, deputy state railway commissioner, testified to following H. H. Houenbeck from Columbus to Cin- cinnati and pointing him out to Jerry Bliss, and the detective at the depot, Harry M. Daugherty, chairman of the republican state executive committee, was called, but refused to be sworn because he claimed the committee had no jurisdiction in the Otis case.
 Detective Miller was recalled to explain the telephone talks of Boyce and others with Major Burke and others at Hanna headquarters. Miller had four men besides himself in shadowing. Detective Slessinger followed HolleDbeck back to Columbus Miller shadowed Boyce back The trail was lost in Columbus, Boyce and Hollenbeck only stopping there. between trains.