The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-05-03
HE WAS NOT
FOUND GUILTY
Result of the Trial of Sen
ator Eldridge.
RESOLUTION OF CONDEMNATION
Of His General Conduct Adopted
Interesting Testimony Introduced
Senate Adjourns.

NASHVILLE, April 26-One Of the
mUeU dramatic Trials ever held IN
this State occupied the attention Or
the oeuaCe vi the Fifty second Cen
eral Assembly ali Gay YESTERDAY,
wnen w. b. Elurloge, one or lGs
members, appeared Delore the bar To
snow why ne should not be expelled
on the cnarge WLIcn nau Deeu pre-
terred against nun by committee
Of that honorable oOuy, when was
tnaU or accepting d money consldera-
JlUn Tor nIe VoLe for "A. .. Mcdowell,
VINO was Candidate Tor Assistant
Clerk OF the senate.
AtLer nearlug testimony for more
than ten nOurs, the Senate went IutO
executive session To vote on the
question OF eXpelllng the accused.
ILS verdict Was that the charges
were not proven ana therefore mot
Sustained. A resolution OF cOndem-
nation OF tue general behavior OF
SenaLor ElQrldge was adopted, ana
Unls endeu d matter that has been
the LIQUIDATION of all the ruInors OI
bribery tna5 nave enshrouded the
Leg gieIature, and the cause of at
lodob TWO nVooGlSdClOnS.
Although the defense was allowed
thirty minutes III which TO argue TIE
case, Gen. Peters was the only
speaker, and ne summed up the evI
uence In ten minutes, alter whIcn
| the DOuy went into executive session
and uellbelated tor nalt an hour or
mOIe. All of the VISITORS were put
out of the Chamber ana they stuOu
around The corridor awaiting, the re-
| suit.
Mcdowell testified on the witness
staua tudt he had given Walter
kalney 500 at one time and d
cheek for $3.50 later, with the
promise that he would help MIN IN
MS race. kalney SAID he would use
tne money giving suppers, etc.,
among the Senators, bul he did not
say he was going to GUY the voEe oi
ElurIdge or any other Senator.
Waller Ralncy said ne had used
the money Mcdowell had gwen niuI
in joIlylng" around the Senators
epenulny $40 to Sl5 a day i'll drinks
LneaLre LlcKelS, suppers ana any
thing else ne wanted to. He told
Mcdowell that If lie was not elected
he wOuld return the Sl5U Senator
Eldrldge caSneu the cnecK for nm
giving MIN 500. he ala not say uC
Eluriuge to Keep the Dalauce or SOC
to use III boosting Mcdowell
game" He expected Eldrldge to
repay him the sou.
Employes OF tue First Nationa
Bank testified that they had casneC
I
bank Tor Eldriuge, the cheek being
enuolsed ny kaIney and EIdrluge
Tne Cneck was protested by Lnt
Lebanon bank, and James Harli:
Called ana Uook IL up.
j. L. Ouum was next examined fo
the STATE by owutforu. lie SAID
Il look up the Mcdowell check
or at least my money ana IL. L tool
1t up JO protect 0ondtor Eldriuge, a.
lie was III trouble. Que night Is. w
Cox came to III" roou anu asked m
II / was friend vi senator EldrIdge
anu tolu me Senator Elurluge Woul(
be lii IOJ Of Groubie. he SAID Jna
McDoWeli mad given Senator Eli
urluge check ana IL nau been pro
tested. lie SAID IL the check wa
wOulo De exposed. Mr.. Harris Wa
in the room with us.
"MT. Harris went after Senate
EldrIuge anu Brought hIm Jo IN
room. Mr.. harris told MIN wna
Cox hau stated. Senator EIdrldg
askeu Us If we would take up I'll
check. he SAID, My Gou, wall b
ruined il the check Is not pIoLtc cted
We assured hlm that the cnev
woulu De protected auu he askeu u
To KICK hIn Tor being u tool. ii
came Dack again, saying tndt Il
could nOt slee lUr thinking about a
II got the money fiUn the Cit
Savings Bank ana gave 1t 10 jill
Harlls To tahe up the check.
gave the check to Senator Eldridg
myself In the lobby OF the Tulan,
He promised to pay me. lie prOml
eu Io pay deDt of mine at the 1T
zane, QUO he dId not 40 that. Sena
tor EldrIdge did not give any rel
sons as To why the CHECK would rul
hlm n IL was not taken up.
Mr.. Mcdowell talked TO me aboI
the cheek. He aske0 me if had /
1 think he said the check was give
10 Senator Eldridge TO get vote {
two
: Odum said that he afterwarC
tried TO collect the money froI
EldTidge, out Eldridge would M
pay anu ne then brought suit. h
further said that he had used none
: IN h race for Secretary OF Stat
, How much, he did not know. h
mad made loans to certain member
Mcdowell II said to him that be hs
! had the check protested because q
! agreement had not been fulfilled.
: speaker Wilson testified that
; hau a conversation with Rainey,
whien Rainey told him that he ha
bought senator EldTidge for Sl0O
: tie clerks race, aud that lac ns
I psId hun sl5O ~ deliver Two mo
3 votes.
James A. Harris testified as fO