The Washington times., 1902-04-04
Special Committee Con-
tinues Its Investigation
Into Scandal.
ABNER M'KINLEY'S DENIAL
Met Dane Only Casually-Testimony of
Carl Hansen-Declares Newspaper
Man Secured Small Sums-Transac-
tions With Attorney Evans.

tions With Attorney Evans.
The special committee of the House in
vestigating the alleged bribery charges OF
Captain Christmas. in connection with the
purchase of the Danish West Indies. con-
tinued its hearings yesterday in the Com
mittee on Foreign Affairs.
The principal persons mentioned by
Captain Christmas In his report" were
heard by the committee. These included
Mr. Abner Mckinley brother of the late
President Mckinley: his partner. Col. W.
C. Brown. of New York City; Senator
Lodge. Representative Gardner OF New
Jersey, who introduced the original bill
for the purchase of the islands; Mr.. Kari
Fisher Hansen, of New York. and Mr..
Richard p Evans. an attorney OF this
city, with whom Captain Christmas made
a conditional contract, agreeing to pay
him $50, 900 for his services in aiding the
negotiations.
No Bribery Revealed
Thus far the inxs-..sation has failed to
reveal any bribery CT the payment of any
| money by Captain Christmas to anyone
either in Congress or outside of il. with
the exception of small amount which
some OF the witnesses thought he might
have given to Capt. Jorge Nelken Wald-
berg. who represented himself as the head
of a corporation known as the "Iaterna-
tional Press News Association" In fact.
there has been nothing in the enquiry
hat Chric mn
| or any of his agents ever approached any
member OF Congress to urge the purchase
of the islands except Senator Lodge. who
| Captain Christmas said was the Only man
| who could not Re bribed.
The testimony has only shown that
Christmas was here, and. in the opinion
of Mr. Hansen, he had contract with the
Danish Government to negotiate the sale
Of the islands. Mr.. Evans who was to re-
ceive' $4,000 for his services, told the
committee that all he had done so far as
| helping along the purchase in Congress
was to call once or twice at the room Oh
, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ask
"a Young man" as to the status OF the
Gardner BILL and to see MIR. Gardner him
| self once with a similar object in view. ~
Mr.. McKinley's Denial.
| The first witness yesterday was Mr..
Mckinley He denied having entered into
| any negotiations with Christmas. and only
met him casually. Colonel Brown made
| similar statement. Representative Gard
ner repeated in substances the STATEMENTS
| in regard to his connection with the case
which he has heretofore made. He intro
| duced the bill before he ever saw or
heard of Christmas. He was a stockhold-
! or in the International Press News Asso-
| oiation, he said. because 1t represented
two or three papers in his district
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, told the
committee briefly of his relations with the
! Dane.
II should say in the outset" he began,
| ..that | have been greatly Interested IN
/ the matter of the purchase OF the DANISH
| West indies and reported bill from the
Committee on Foreign Relations in 1898
for their purchase
Senator Lodge said man named Knox
! introduced him to Christmas at his tthe
Senator,s) committee rooms. 81 did not
know Knox; he first introduced himself.
Christmas said he had come TO talk with
! Lodge about the purchase of the DANISH
| West Indies.
At told him. the Senator said, that
that was matter for the Executive alone
and that the official he needed to see was
the Secretary of State. He asked IL L
I told him l would, and did so, telling him
that the Secretary would probably state
that if he had no credentials the Secre-
tary did not wish to see him and couid
have no dealings with him; that if he had
any such credentials ne must produce
them or come with the Danish Minister.
Mr.. Brun. otherwise he could not be re-
ccived-
Extent of His knowledge.
Later Captain Christmas returned and
told the Senator that Secretary Hay had
told him practically what the Senator had
said he would. Once more, Senator Lodge
said, he saw Christmas at his tthe SEN
ator's) house, when he asked if there was
any use in his remaining longer in Wash
ingtor.
Il told him not the slightest. That is
the extent of my knowledge of Captain
Christmas"
Carl Fischer Hansen. one time contract
| attorney for Captain Christmas. told o
t. | relations with Richard p. Evans, Wash
[ ington lawyer. who figures prominently II
4 the secret report Evans, be said, hae
represented himself to Christmas as {
4 former members of the House and highl!
h connected with the Associated Press.
r Evans promised that the Associated
= Press would boom the interests OF th'
g | parties connected with the sale OF the Is
e lands and was to secure the support O
Y Congressman for the measure. For thi
service Evans was to be paid $4,000. an
9 had secured contract from Christmas Z
: that effect.
u The Contract Repudiated.
Later Christmas learned that Evans ha
/. misrepresented his position and repudi
: atcd the contract which Hansen in IN
| meantime had guaranteed. According +
Hansen he was not to receive anythin
himself except s5o,ooo. which he had as
+ signed to Attorneys Reynert and Condic
: of New York, and which was to he pal
e him for representing Christmas before III
committee of Congress.
- The only cash transaction betwee
Christmas and himself witness said. va
when he loaned Christmas $500 Christ
=, mas was about to sail for Denmark IN
!. the night before he left had told Hansc
a story about the failure of his remi'
Continued on Third Page.)