Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-03-11

making her customary spring visit with
her parents in Washington.
The formal investigation into the
charges that Senator Dietrich, OF Ne
brasfa, had used his official position to
his personal and financial advantage in
the appointment of Jacob Fisher as
postmaster at Hastings, Neb., and In
the leasing Of his building for postoffice
purposes, was begun before a sub-com-
mittee of the Senate judiciary committee
at ten o'clock this morning with Mr..
Hoar as chairman and Senators Platt,
(of Conn., Cockrell and Pettus present.
Senator Dietrich had selected as his
counsel Robert A. Batty. OF the nine
teen witnesses subpoenaed, twelve re-
sponded to their names. Leopold Hahn,
Of Omaha, former postmaster at Hast
ings. the first witness examined, testified
among other things that Jacob Fisher
had consulted with him in April, 1891,
relative to paying Senator Dietrich
50, 500 for the position Of postmaster, he
reporting that the Senator had demanded
that amount. The witness said that
Fisher had told him that Adam Breed,
friend, had promised Senator Diet
rich 81, 800 for the postmastershlp'
Examination disclosed that the witness
was a candidate for the postofice but
had no hope of securing it because ne
had fought Mr.. Dietrich in the senator
ial fight and had heard that the Senator
had proposed to remove him. he re-
luctantlv admitted that he bore i'll will
against the Senator. The witnesses de-
clared that the conversation with Fisher
was under pledge of honor never to d.
yulge it, but admitted that within few
minutes after the alleged conversation he
had showed the memorandum to his
deputy. Mr.. John Pope, a counsellor,
of Friend, Neb., testified that Leopold
Hahn had conversed with him on a
railway train relative to the legality of a
note given in payment Of a political
Office. The witness told him that it had
no legality and that its payment could
be defeated. The committee then at Il
O clock took a recess.
A committee Of Alexandrians today
appeared before the House rivers and
harbors committee to urge the import
ance of widening and deepening the
channel of the Potomac river. The AL
exandrians were accorded a respectful
hearing and seemed to impress the COM
mittee with the importance of the mat
ter. The committee was accompanied
bv Congressman Rixey. Among those
who appeared were Mayor Simpson and
Messrs. NJ. B. Harlow, w. Z. Smoot,
F. J. Paff, f. Z. Downham, A. l..
Moore, j. r. n. Curtin, w. F. Carne
and A. ]. Wedderburn. Those who adj
dressed the committee were Mayor Simp-
son and Messrs. Harlow, Smoot and
Rixey and their remarks were taken
down by the committees stenographer.
A number of gentlemen from Washing
ton were also present to aid the Alexan-
drians.
The Navy Department this afternoon
received word of the death at Lambert
vile. n. j., this morning, of Com
mander Charles E. Colahan, U. 5. N,
from heart disease.
In the Smoot inquiry today the wit
ness Critchlow resumed his testimony.
His evidence was in the main descrip-
ton of Apostle Moses Thatcher's cam
paign for a seat in the U. 5. Senate IN.
GLIDING his appeal to young Utah. "
The committee subsequently adjourned
until two o'clock.