The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-09
GRAFT CHARGES
 RAISE A RUMPUS New York Solns Hear Rat ting of Dead Mems Bones MONEY CHANGES HANDS Witness Is Brought Before the State Senate Who Swears to Paying
 Out Large Sums of Money
 to Legislators
MONEY CHANGES HANDS

Albany, N. T., February S.-"The man who handled the money" was brought be- | fore the state senate today by Senator | Benjamin Conger to confirm Conger' s charge that Jotham Aids its majority leader. accepted s1O0O for influencing leg islation. He proved to be Hiram c. Moe, former bank cashier of Broughton, where l Conger lives, and he declared positively | that April 9, 1901, he had hainded Sena- | tor Aids an envelope containing Sl000 at the capitol. The purpose for which this alleged transfer of money was made | did not appear in the direct testimony to- day, but Conger filed an affidavit in which | he declared the payment was made to Aids on Aids demand 'in the interests of the American Bridge company" The rattle of dead mems bones added | a mysterious interest to the hearing this afternoon, for Moe declared that on the same day he paid Aids 5000 he gave to another legislator s40Oo and to another s1O00
 The tense anxiety displayed by both sides to guard the identity of the alleged recipients of these sums was explained | when Senator Bracket arose and pleaded with the contestants not to besnlirch the names of those who could not possibly appear to defend themselves.
 The man who Moe said sent him to AL many with the $50oO to distribute to three legislative leaders also is dead. He was Frank Conger, brother of the senator and at the time these events occurred was vice president of the bridge company.
 Moe said the money he gave Aids was | in greenbacks, but added that the earlier | stages of the alleged transactions were | traceable by documentary evidence. Con- | gers lawyer produced a cancelled check ez- .4rr pad hp Qc gers secretary. This check, Moe said, he took to Syracuse and exchanged for $500 in cash and two New York drafts. These drafts bore among other | inducements the letters "S. D. G. C." which Moe explained stood for Syracuse | Dry Goods company" which had guar anteed them to the First National bank of Syracuse, where he turned the drafts into money. It was Guernsey Williams, an employe of this firm, said Moe. who identified him at the bank Williams at tended the investigation and later will be | called as a witness.
 The only other witness today was William A. Smith, editor of the Owego Times Tioga countys principal news paper Owego was the home of for mer United States Senator Thomas C Platt. Smith testified that in 1901 the Owego Bridge company was threatr ening to move it's plant if certain leg islatlon became law. The witness ap- pealed to Senator Platt and received the following reply:
 According to Aids statement ths bill that passed is not objectionable to the bridge people, provided the oth- CT bill Is held There is no doubt the ether bill will remain in the com mittee"
 There is an impression here tonight that the introduction of Platt into the controversy will be welcomed by ths defense and that 1t will open a way for Senator Aids to plead that in re- gard to this highway legislation he only followed the instructions of the former republican leader of the state
 The bill of particulars Senator Con- ger was forced to file when the scs- sion opened described this bill as ar amendment to the high way laws in troduced during 1901 in the lower house by Assemblyman Stevens and in the Senate by Senator Maltby. In bis opening address James W. Osborne Conger's chief counsel read from the records to show that this measure passed the Senate and that it was then referred to the assembly committed on internal affairs which already had the Stevens bill in it's control.
 Mir. Osborne told how these bills were finally changed. One was exactly wh al the bridge interests wanted and the other remained in the original form which the bridge corporation had op- posed.
 The latter bill prevented the cou ltS boards from building bridges that cost more than $500 without referring then to a popular vote. The former in- creased the limit above named in whici l after the necessary vote was secured bridge of $1c,000 could be constructed