The Washington times., 1903-01-24
Appears Before House Naval
Committee and Talks of
Conversation He Claimed
to Have Had With Lem
uel E. Quigg.
Said Quigg Assured Him
There Was a Thousand in
II for Witness if New
York Representative Fav-
ored Holland Boat.

/ The House Committee on Naval Affairs
/ this morning resumed consideration of
the Lessler bribery charges in eonnec-
tion with the purchase Of Holland sub
] marine boats. The opening of the court
Of inquiry was delayed for about fifteen
minutes while the committee awaited
/ the arrival of Representative Quigg
and his counsel. Philip Doblin was on
hand promptly at 1890 this morning.
and was the first witness called. After
being sworn. in answer 10 several prs-
| liminary questions proPounded by Rep
/ resentative TayIer Of the committee,
/ who acted as q sort OF prosecuting
/ attorney in the proceedings, Mr.. Doblin
said he was thirty-eight years Of age,
/ lived at +3S Thirty-second Street. New
Yo-k city. and had lived in that city
all his lise- He was employed BY the
Republican county committee IN the
/ campaign Of 1902, and had charge Of the
! distribution of literature. He had also
/ been q deputy superintendent OF cleo
tions He had also assisted LESSER in
/ his campaign against Perry Belmont.
and through his CLessler's) influence he
1 had been made q receiver In bank
ruptcy. He had then given his address
/ as 81 Nassau Street, where LessIer's
/ Office is located
+ Doblin said he had known Quigg fer
( several years; ne knew him quite well.
and had bee= associated with him N
politics and had met him at conven-
tions.
/ Coming down 10 the matter OF HeI-
+ land submarine boats, DobIln said hls
attention was first directed TO the HoI-
( land boats by a statement made 10 him
/ BY LessIer-that he had made a trip IN
one Of the boats and told OF his expe-
rieEee- The next time the matter came
up, Doblin said. was some tine between
! December 10 aad Is He received a tel
+ epnoae message from Quigg asking him
to come over to his fQuiggs) Office. ice
Broadway He complied, and they went
out lunch at q restaurant IN Liberty
Street. Quigg wanted TO know, after
some preliminary talk, how LessIer and
| he lDObHn) stood
I told him, said DobIin. that ws
were very intimate He wanted to know
FaAIt<4El ais+-A AEdtEA NM cdE dlf LltEB
about submarine boats 1 said yes that
Lessler made a trial trip in one Of
the boats and had told OF his experience
I said he was opposed 10 the boats We
talked over the Roberts bill 10 purchase
ten Holland boats. Quigg said he was
anxious to get Lessler's friendly Gispo-
sition toward the boats After talking
some time be fQuigg) said there was
50 600 n II
Q.-Teu US as near as you can just
what was said
A--He said he was not personally in
terested in the thing, but that friend
OF his who once did hips favor. was
interested in it. II can get the aid I
want, - he said. = think I can make it
$1,000 for you Call me on the telephone
at O'Clock this afternoon and viii let
you know about that"
Q.-For whom did he say there was
$1,000?
A-The man We were talking about;
we were talking about LessIer- He said:
I may be able TO fix it specifically for
81, 900 Tor you. viii let you know"
Odd you see LessIer that day2
A--Lessler was not in town that day
I telephoaed a. O'Clock as Quigg had
suggested and was told that il would be
ell right. said. This is Dobln. is Mr.
Quigg there?" The answer came back.
Yes. That is all right
Continuing DOblin said he had seen
LessleT the following morning and asked
him whether the submarine boat mat
ter would come up again. He said It
might I said I was sent for yesterday
and hAA said by whom. I said Quigg. 7
told hi = here would be 5000 in it for
him if be could see his way clear TO ne
frtendlyLssposed to the Holland pro9o-
sitioh- He sort of hUned. laughed. and
said: Let's drop that. or quit. Iuit"
And so I quit
Odd you communicate this to
Quigg?
A.-Yes. sir. saw him at his Office
that afternoon. I told him 1t cant be
done" that is the mission he had sent
me TO perform Quigg said "Au right:
We can't help it," I apoIogized and said
I was sorry Lessler felt that way
Quigg asked me If he could see Lsssler.
said / would see and later teleph0ned
him that Lessler would see him at any
time
Continuing Doblin said ne had last
seen Quigg about q week ago. He had
telephoned Quigg and told him he had a
friend who he thought could hx it WITH
Lessler without money consideration.
He mentioned a Mr.. Overmeier, an at
torney with whom he had talked about
inducing Lessler to vote for the propo-
sition to buy Holland boats. He realized
that Quigg was power in New York
politics. and as he CDoblin) was inter-
ested in Lesstrr he wanted them to work
in harmony, lie wanted TO obuge QuiSg