The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-02-02
Ef0It to Bldcknall
1.lo lieSSpS. KitChil,
T nos. I. Fence in Morning Post.

y ashington, d. c., Jan. rs
All effort to blackmail Repre-
sentative w. w. Kitchin, which
reads like fiction, has been dis
closed in the last few weeks
and the details of the under.
taking are made public to-day
on the authority of the Depart.
nent of Justice, which was in
nocently made a party to the
crime at one stage of the game.
he intrigue was based on the
speech of RepresentativeClaude
kitchin delivered in the last
Congress in which he assailed
President Roosevelt.
Both of the Messrs. Kitchin
were innocent of the operations
which were conducted by no
to'ious criminal, who is now
under arrest awaiting trial.
1T the beginning of this ses-
sion Of Congress, Hons. w. w.
and Claude Kitchin each re-
ceived a letter from the Attor-
ney General, giving informa-
ton that he had been accused
Of having violated the law, that
the charge had been investi-
gated and found untrue and
that the department had recon-
meIied that the accuser be in
dicted for subornation of per-
jury. The papers on file show
that iii last August, one NJ. L.
Reddoch wrote TO Henry G.
Payne, then acting chairman
Of the Republican national
committee. that he had infor-
nation that would counterfeit
the effect Of the speech of Hon.
Claude kitchin on President
Roosevelt. which the Demo-
cratic national committee was
circulating to a large extent.
He said he was a Mckinley
Hobart elector, and claimed to
be a detective, and said that
W lille conducting detective
work he had ascertained that
Mr.. kitchin, in January, 1901,
had proposed to secure a par
don for one w. r. McBroom, a
Federal prisoner in the Nash
vile penitentiary, for the sum
of two hundred and fifty dol
lars, and h at Immediately
thereafter, this money was reg
istered to Mr.. kitchin, at Wash
ington, D. c., and that Nc
Broom was soon discharged
from the prison. Reddoch Of
fered his services and the De-
partment of Justice employed
him to obtain affidavits III sup
port of his charge. Reddoch
soon thereafter furnished two
affidavits. one signed Joe Grog-
an, the other J. A. Sherman.
Each affiant stated that he had
i'll January, 1901, read a letter
from Hon. Claude Kitchin to
McBroom making the above
proposition, that in said letter
McBrooM was directed in case
he accepted the proposition, to
send the money to W. w. Kitch-
in. and that thereafter the aft
ant saw the sum Of two hun
dred and fifty dollars in cur
rencv counted out by McBroom,
PIT in an envelope and address
ed 20 w. W. kitchin. Reddoch
also reported that the assistant
postmaster at Nashville, Tenn.
sealed up the letter and would
testify to the same facts.
Upon receipt of these affida-
Wits. the whole matter was re-
ferred to Hon. Holmes Conrad,
who. after consultation with
the Attorney General, decided
to have the information verified
from an independent source.
For this purpose an experienced
po5tOfiice Inspector was detail
ed. After concluding his in
vestigation he reported that the
assistant postmaster al Nash
vile knew nothiag whatever
OF the charges made by Red
doch. He further reported that
although he mad been to the
residence, as given by Reddoch,
Of Sherman and TO the firm for
whom Sherman was said to
work. he had been unable to
find any trace Of any such man.
He reported further that Grog
az. whom he found engaged in
a poker game in Oklahoma,
stated that McBroom appeared
to be a wealthy man, having
with him in the penitentiary
more that six hundred dollars
in cash at one time; that he had
had no talk with Reddock eX-
cept at the time he signed the
affidavit. The inspector found
that this man had served q
term in the penitentiary, and
in last August was with Red
doch when Reddoch wrote his
letter to Mr.. Payne. The in
spector also discovered that
Reddoch himself had served a
term of four wears in the penl