Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-05-12
|NOU|S|TORS SEE
END OF LONG GRILL
REFUSAL TO EXCUSE EDMoNDs
TAKEN AS INDICATION OF
NEAR TERMINATION.
LETTERS, DOCUMENTS OF RE-
CENT CAMPAIGN WERE DE-
sTRoYED IN DECEMBER.
COMMITTEE REPUDlATES TEST
MONY OF DETECTIVE
WAGNER.

tigating committee to finally excuse
State Chairman E. A Edmonds, who
was on the stand all day yesterday,
disclosed the fact that the committee
is planning final adjournment by next
Friday 1t does not intend to allow
Edmonds to be excused from further
examination until the last witness has
been examined next week.
A rigid cross examination of Mr..
Edmonds yesterday brought little adj
ditional information regarding the
conduct of the campaign, except that
he said the records and letter files
and other documents of the state cen
trail committee, relating to the cam
paign, were not destroyed until the
latter part of December. The recall
ing of Edward NJ. Mcmahon, formerly
of Manitowoc, brought forth the
statement that he had been told by
DR.. f. H. Gehbe of that city of a de-
livery of 5000 of Stephenson's money
to Assemblyman L. W. Ledvina to
carry on campaign in the interest of
the Marinette millionaire in the north
ern part of Manitowoc county
Further evidence that Assembly
man ]. E. Thomas took an active part
in the discussion at the home of
State Game Warden Stone, when sew
eral wardens were called in to frame
up a story so as to account for the
expenditure of $500 of Stephenson
money by the state game warden was
given by Deputy Game Warden
Kingsley of La Crosse. He fatty
contradicted the testimony of Deputy
Game Warden futile and declared
that Thomas advised the boys: You
viii never be called to the witness
stand the investigation is fake
After repudiating the testimony of
Private Detective Frank T. Wagner
as false and untrue" the senatorial
investigating committee decided yes
terday morning to allow the testi-
mony to stand upon the record so
that interested parties might have an
opportunity to bring prosecutions for
perjury if they so desired. Wagner
is in Milwaukee and it has been re-
ported here from authoritative
sources that he is apparently hiding,
for he could not be found yesterday
afternoon.
When the examination of E. A. Ed
monds was resumed by the commit
tee yesterday afternoon the witness
said he refused to have anything to
do with the making up of the expense
account because he would be unable
to swear to the total amounts. He
did not think that anyone suggested
that the records of the state central
committee be destroyed. He thought
they were kept a month or So Some
of the documents We're destroyed in
Milwaukee and others at his office.
After the statement was filed, accord
ing to law. the papers and records
were rubbish.
Further examination centered
around his campaign transactions
with DR.. Gehbe of Manitowoc. who
handled Stephenson money in Mani
towoc county. Edmonds could not
say whether he had ever promised
Gehbe support for his (Gehbe's) pos
sible candidacy for the craftsmanship
of the republican state central COM
mittee
Edmonds said that he didn't think
he ever talked to anyone about the
part that the game wardens We're to
take in the campaign, before Mr.
Stone came into the deal He said he
had an understanding with Stone
that ali the game wardens who were
TO work for Stephenson should take
vacation while they were politically
active. The principle part of the work
would fall in the month of August,
when most of the wardens would have
a vacation anyway. 1t was agreed
that about 20 or so wardens were to
take part in the campaign. Mr. Ed
monds was then excused and Edward
NJ. McMahon again called to the
stand
Mr.. Mcmahon was also quizzed
about campaign transactions with DR..
Gehbe but nothing of Importance de-
veloped Witness stated that he was
the originator of the idea that Mr..
Stevens of Lancaster should apply TO
the state board of deposits to have
his bank made a state depository
There We're no conditions attached Or
agreements made that Stevens should
in turn become active in Stephenson's
interest. For his work in the cam
paign Stevens received a regular, sal
airy.
Coming back once more TO the cam
paign in Nanitowoc county, Senator
Marsh asked
Did DIR. Gehbe tell you at any