The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-18
STEN0GRAPHIC REPORT OF The INVESTIGATION.

less you give me some assurance. it will
stop the Vilication of the members OF
the. Legislature l will have to rue II on on
the floor. He says: i do not want 10 Go
this. l have fought against II on ACCOUNT
of my friendship with you l SAID; NOW,
with your duty at all, because it cuts no
figure about that l simply represent the
paper, and if you feel it your duty, to 90
it, rule them off: He says. Il VII h ave
can expect there will be some run II
says: There has been good deal OF tank
! around here about certain members nav
ing their expenses paid for election an
other things, and | said 1 Will get nora
of it and publish the whole thing 14e
said, Have you heard about certain r.l1
member receiving money? | said, Yes.
He said. Have you heard about a certain
other member l said, / have a GER
The chairman he name those
members"
| Ayes, sir"
| Q-"Will you name them?"
! Al would prefer not to. because L
| haven't any proof that they got a cent
at least some of them-and L don't think
it is right to those members to mention
| their names in that connection.
Mr.. Mellick-"They can prove their IN
The witnessE'I still insist that 1 ought
not to answer the question; but l am tell
| ing you the conversation. l haven any
proof in connection with some OF them,
and don't think it is treating them right
! to have their names appear In PRINT IN
| that connection
Mr.. Robert T. Devlin-"May I ask a,
question: Mr.. Chairman? Are you IN
vestigating charges outside the article IN
that issue, that is, that refers to Mr..
! Wright"
| ing it ALL That is the scope of the reso-
luton; it is so construed by the commit
MIR. Mellick-'T think that everything
| ought to come out. ] think he ought 10
state it. I don't think ere is any
| lection to my speaking TO my attorney
Nj Mr. McEnerney-"I think it is your
duty to give it, Mr.. Leake."
The witness-'1 wish it understood now
! that l don't think l ought to tell it,.
! Mr. Mellick-"You understand. Mr.
Leake, that my understanding of this
| committee is that any time we ask a
| question, or insist on a ting, you OF
| course have a perfect right to talk with
| your attorney and have him 1nterpose an
| objection"
The witness-'It is understood that 1
am m, to answer the question" .,o+ - tho
The witness-"He asked me if heard
about the money Mr.. Cutter had received.
! | said had Have you heard about the
money that Mr.. Raw received?
| Q-"Mr Who?"
you heard about the money that Mr.. jill
son received?' I said, I have I said:
Yes. and I have heard about the money
| Q-"Proceed."
A1.Wel, at that time he was c2ns sid
e eTGa6y t agit4te 6d r VEL he n S4q am vol go
think you would be very foolish to do
to do that He said: This decision
now in the Supreme Court of the United
States has cleared this Blythe estate up
so that 1 am to receive $500 from the
| estate and
back. 1 promised to vote for him;
| fully intended to vote for him, but
have arisen SO that L cannot, and think
1t is nothing but honorable that l should
return that money Well, said:
writing that letter from the Suffer Club
said, DO you know that Mr.. Green has
got mat letter and has b got the receipt
! that, but l was in hard straits, and L
needed the money. He said that part Of
It. | said, That is all right He said.
1 intend to pay it back l said Have
you paid it back? He said, I have not,
but l am going to pay it back. / expect
| to get this money now in a few days,
are making a big mistake.' He took me
/ toftask about these articles from Berke-
! ley and the roast he was getting for
voting for Mr.. Burns. then related to
front OF the screen in my headquarters!
l called his attention to the fact about the
promise he had made to his wife and
about his asking me what thought he
| would be if he violated his pledge. said
to him: Mr.. Wright, haven't changed
my Ey,I mind one particle on that since: He
that night ! told him l was not. He
asked what the paper was going to say
was going to make some severe charges
against him, but 1t would not have that.
went over and told Mr.. Levings and Mr.
Burke of the conversation 1 had with him
They insisted upon running it that morn
ing; | told them didn't want to, as Mr..
| Wright had threatened to rule US off the
floor. and proposed to come out to-mor-
row and challenge him to do so. Sat
morning 1 then detailed Mr. Burke to go
and interview these different parties
with them
Mr.. Mellick-"What different parties?"~
AIR. Wright and Mr. Green. After
over to my Office at the headquarters, and
asked me If | was going to publish this
matter and | told him that was He
making a mistake in doing it. He said,
You o are trying to beat Mr. Burns are
to beat Mr. Burns. Wei he said II d'riE tbigs
will not hurt Mr.. Burns any, He says =
The best thing you can do, and 1 will So
advise you, is to hold this as a club over
Mr.. Wright's head to keep him from rul-
ing you off the floor of the Assembly, We
were sitting on a typewriter desk right
i6AI 10 Inc OOOI wien THIS conversation
took place. This was on Saturday night
Then Mr.. Wright sent for me. / went
over to the Golden Eagle Hotel and met
him about in the same place, | had met
to see me privately and we went right
into the same room, and he locked the
door. He says, What does this mean?t
Hugh Burke came and told me he knew
all about the conversation we had last
night By the way, L have omitted one
thing that I wish to interject in my talk
with Mr.. Wright the first night. I told
him that he must not ask any favors of
me, because was not in a position to
grant them. This was the night before
The cnairman-"At what placer"
An this little room. omitted this
Just little while ago."
Q-"What occurred in the room at the
Golden Eagle?"
A.-"The reason that want to get that
in, it leads up to our conversation SatIr-
day night. That he must not ask any IA.
vors of me, because 1 was not in a posi-
ton to grant them; that the paper had
this information and that l could not
suppress that, and would not Now, when
we went. in this room Saturday night he.
locked the door He says: Look here,
what does this mean? Hugh Burke told