The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-12-23
SUMTER S. O. WEDNESDAY. EECEMBER 23 1909.
GEN. WOODS SHADY RECORD.
Senate Inquiry Getting Hot for
Roosevelt's Pet.
MS RELATIONS With The F0RGER

MS RELATIONS With The FORGER
And Convict, BeIIairs, After He
Had Been Informed of His Rec
ord, Exposed by Two Wit
nesses.
/ Washington, Dec. 16.-When the
Senate committee on military affairs
resumed it's investigation today of
charges against Gen. Leonard Wood
four witnesses were waiting to be
heard. These we're DR.. G. E. Fisher,
of Chicago, and j. o. LaFontisee,
city editor Of the Jacksonville (Fla)
Times Union managing and city edi
tor, respectively, of the Havana Post,
published during the American occu-
patton: L. H. Morrison, of New York,
and Gen. John R. Brooke, retired.
M. Fisher told the story of Gen.
Woods intimacy with Bellairs, and
said that he had informed Gen. Wood
of Bellairs's bad record. Dr.. Fisher
said that on September, 1900, he ac-
companied Gen. Wood on trip to the
Isle of Pines and there told him of an
article which he had ordered printed,
in the Havana Post, exposing Bellairs.
The witness said that Gen. Wood told
! him he did not want the story printed
| and that it had not been used on &C
count of that request. Dr. Fisher said
he took charge of the Havana paper
at the request of Gen. Wood, and that
be also had acted as the correspondent
for the Associated Press for short
period.
Dr.. Fisher testified that be told
Gen. Wood all he learned of the char.
acter of Bellairs and that he had
offered to Gen. Wood to produce wit
nesses who would prove Bellairs' in
decent immortality.
He said that Gen. Wood told him be
did not care to know anything about
the stories: that all he asked was that
they be not printed in Havana.
i Nj. LaFontisee corroborated the
testimony given by Mr.. Fisher. He
said that before Gen. Wood and Dr..
Fisher started on their trip to the Isle
of Pines, the latter instructed him
(LaFontisee) to write the article con-
!, corning Bellairs Mr.. LaFontisee said
he took the question under considera
: tion and decided that as the matter
would be highly sensational and, IN
} case efzkbel suit, it would be neces-
sary to summon witnesses from the
United States to prove the charges, be
5 would not print the article. He said
that when DR.. Fisher returned be was
greatly agitated, and asked: "Yoa did
/ not print that article, / hope" When
DR.. Fisher learned that the article
, was not printed, he was greatly reliev-
ed and said Gen. Wood did not want
il used.
4 In addition to this corroboration OF
Dr.. Fishers testimony, Mr.. LaFonti-
see told of the manner in which he
: had learned of Bellairs's character and
t swore also that Gen. Wood knew all
: about it. He said he learned from per-
7 sons who went to Havana from Flori-
| da, that Bellairs had served five years
3 in Florida convict camps-tbree years
in one and two in another. The crime
3 of which be had been convicted was
forgery on a branch of the Bank OF
England.
Mr. LaFontisee said that in May,
: 1900, convict from Florida, named
: Johnson, came to him and said that he
$ had seen Bellairs and Gen. Wood to.
8 gether at the races in Havana, and
t that he recognized and spoke tc
] Be]lairs, who motioned him to KEEP
r silent. According to Johnson's story,
3 as told by Mr. LaFontisee, Bellairs
] excused himself and met johnson, ask
: ing him to remain quiet concerning his
8 criminal record.
3 After this incident, testified Mr..
! LaF tisee, Gen. Wood sent for him
! and asked what he knew of Bellairs' s
record. Mr. LaFontisee said he tolc
Gen. Wood Of his talk with johnson
and also what he had learned from
r other persons from Florida. That
a was in June, 1900, and according, te
! Nh. LaFontisee, Gen. Wood then asked
, him to see johnson and ascertain
r whether he would leave Cuba and re-
main away if his passage were paid to
New York, and money given him.
, johnson answered. why do l want
r to leave? have too good thing here
/ bleeding Bellairs'' Mr.. LaFontisee
returned to Gen. Wood and gave him
, Johnson's answer. Mr.. LaFontisee
r said that later Bellairs and Gen. Wood
: went to New York.
+ When Gen. Brooke was before the
? committee two weeks ago be referred
to two orders, one issued by the war
: department and the other by himself
!, to carry the first in effect, which be
, was unable at that time to furnish.
He went Oh tho stand today to present
the orders and undergo an examination
} concerning them. The order issued
by the war department directed that
al! funds collected in the provinces OF
: Cuba should be sent to the military
auditor at Havana.
} The charge was made that the order
had been issued by direction Of Gen:
J Brooke for the. e.purpose of getting hold
of the funds collected at Santiago, and
to deprive that province of its own
cof INF q CyN