The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-15
DOUBLE CROSS TOREFORMERS?
STAR WITNESSES CONFESS TO
COMMITTING PERJURY.

PhnadelphiA's Committee OF Seventy in
an Awkward FiN-AneEed Negro Re-
peateFs say They Got Liquor. Hot
Air and Dollar Bills" for AnidayitS.
PHILADELPHIA. March 1l-Reforms en-
bodied In the City Party and its central
governing body. the Committee Of Seventy
got a Jolt from the machine to-day when
two Of its agents were arrested for con-
spiraoy. The conspiracy was ale ged 70
consist OF taking some forty negroes and,
with rum, cigars, hot air and dollar bills,
causing them TO make false afidAyits that
they had repeated their votes In the Third
ward many tfAnes In February's city election
at the instance OF Harry Trainer. organiza-
ton leader Of that ward, and the son OF tho
millionaire whisley man.
Trainer has had a warrant seeking him
for many days, but 1t does not look AZ though
II will ever catch up with him now.
The Seventy Is made up Of staid business
men and is allied with the ministers who
have been recently engaged In praying
for Mayor Weaver. Tonight the Seventy
is explaining that it really was the victim
Of A nasty Job and did not actually hire
men to perjure themselves and fill them
up with liquor, cigars, hot air and dollar
bills
A few days ago the Seventy announced
that they we're going to arrest Trainer on
the ground that he had hired and PAID
gang Of negro repeaters. AhdaVits were
produced from the negroes.
Trainer was away with his sick wife,
but his father started IN TO vindicate the
family honor. The Seventy's star witness,
a negro named Caldwell, was arraigned
to-day before Magistrate Gallagher on the
charge OF conspiracy. All the other ne
Rroes who had made afhdavtts against
Trainer promptly swore they had perjured
themselves at the solicitation OF Caldwell
and the City Party's chief agent Clement
H. Congdon. They declared that In re-
turn for perjured af1davits they got 'whis-
key, cigars, hot air and money all pro-
vided by the reformers
When the Trainer charge was first made
Caldwell appeared with torn clothes and
a bandARed head and said be had been
set upon by organization thugs. During
to-day's hearing he confessed that the
whole thing was fake; that he and a friend
City Party better sensation;
The hearing was followed by the arrest
of Clement Congdon, the reformers' chief
agent He was held In q, 500 bail Clarence
Clark. a huAl<y negro, CaldWeus TlBnJ
hand man. explained on the stand the mode
OF procedure by which affidavits were
turned out at the reformers' headquarters.
Il went to Mr.. Congdon's office with
these other niggers and Mr., Congdon said
there'd be $50 In It II We made good. They
Rad Eone whiskey, some box Of cigars.
We sat and drank and smoked cigars
and Mr.. ConRdon told fairy tales. Mr.,
Con0don wrote of something and says
Ia one of the fellows: What is your namei'
After he got one name, he was typewrtting
II and then he said: That will be all right.
We have got his name down
After that was over they transacted
business with the notary public, guess
he was He sat down at the desk and
soribbled off something on pieoe OF paper,
the same paper the typewr1ting was on;
then he aid Can you writer 70 the INST
feIlov He said Yes he said Sign your
name down there"
These were the affidavits upon which
the warrant for Trainer was issued. Clark
testified that each OF the negroes got a
drink. some cigars and 81 bill from Cald-
well. who got the money from Congdon.
Another interesting feature was the
testimony OF Charles Bratten, a negro.
The newspapers had printed story about
nov thugs had waited for Caldwell and
cHt him up. Bratten admitted no had
done Il at Caldwells request.
sYes, air; my hand cut him, ne said
Your hand cut his coat 90 that the
Citizens party could have newspaper
story that this man had been waylaid by
thugs belonging 20 the organization and