Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-06
M'MURRAY
MADE OFFER
TO ANOTHER
D. C. McCurtAin, Choctaw
Delegate, Has New
Bribe Charge.
LIKE THAT OF GORE
Declares Effort Was Made to
Get His Official Aid for
Former Land Claims.
LIKE THAT OF GORE

Muskogee. Okla, Aug. 6.-Senator
Curtis, of Kansas, testifying before
the congressional committee investi-
eating the McMurray contracts today,
declared in substance that not only
he but Vice President Sherman disap-
proved of the contracts whereby the
attorneys fee of S3,O0O,OOO was to be
allowed on the sale of the Indian lands
in Oklahoma.
COnfers with Taft.
Curtis told of a conference between
himself, President Taft and Vice Presi-
dent Sherman at which the sale of In
dian lands was discussed. 1t was point
cd out to the president that under
the treaty with the Indians the govern
I,.ent was obliged to act as sales agent
fer them and that ito give attorneys
fees in this instance would be simply
TO deprive the Indians of that much
profit guaranteed to them by the gov
ernment.''
Offered Another $4,000.
D. c. McCurtain, Choctaw Indian,
son of the governor of the Choctaw
nation and attorney for that tribe,
testified that in 1908 ]. F. McMurray
personally offered him $4,000 not
to oppose certain land contracts.
These contracts were for the sale of
100000 acres of Indian lands, and
were contracts which were disap-
proved by President Roosevelt.
Was Delegate to Washington.
McCurtain was then Choctaw dele
gate to Washington and had opposed
the contracts The McMurray con-
tracts now pending are new and were
obtained after the disapproval by
President Roosevelt of the old ones.
Mcclure Denies, Too.
Congressman Mcclure of Oklahoma,
on the stand this afternoon, testified
he had never been interested directly
or indirectly in the Indian land deal.
Denies the Offer.
Muskogee, Okla. Aug. e.. F.
McMurray in an interview today de-
MED he had ever offered $4,000 or
any other amount to McCurtain.
Hamon Says Gore "Lied.v
Muskogee, Okla, Aug. 6.-Jake L.
Hamon, of Lawton, The man from
my own town. whom Senator Gore
svore had attempted to bribe him and
whom Congressman Creager said had
made improper overtures in order to in
fuence Creager's support in legisla /
tion of interest to Hamon, testified yes
te.day before the select congressional
Investigating committee, declaring !
that the story told by Creager was un-
true, and that when Gore said that he, |
Hamon, had borrowed money from
Gore. the senator lied
Core, according to the witness on
10 1od h, CC-p'c- nf7ipo I
during the noon hour. through the /
chamber of the senate into secluded /
place in the senate library, and after I
closing the doors talked to him about /
financing his next senatorial campaign. |
Never Named Sherman.
Hamon denied he had ever men
toned to Senator Gore the name of /
Senator Curtis, Vice President Sher-
man or former Senators Long and
Tnurston of Kansas and Nebraska.
Hamon said he agreed to assist Gore
IN financing his campaign, and while
there discussed some pending legisla-
tion of interest to Hamon that Gore
night get through for him.
Hamon testified that, although he did
not care to divulge the business of his
clients, he was compelled because OF
the unfair method of Senator Gore to
say that he was in Washington at the
time of the alleged attempted bribery
ac the paid attorney for Governor Has
keil and other Muskogee defendants in
the town lot cases.
Accuses Gore.
Hamon yesterday afternoon told of
Alleged shady deals in connection with
buying lots in the Gore addition ad-
joining Lawton, Okla, several years
ago. He said he and Gore and others
had agreed to buy the lots in as cheap
1y as possible and not to bid against
each other.
Hamon, after undergoing severe
cross-examination by Congressman
Sanders, became angry and declared he
had known for some time that Senator
Gore could be approached. He said
once in a town lot case, another time
he had been bribed by the American
Book company. Another instance was ;
when A. w. Lawrence of Lawton was
present, said Hamon, when Gore said:
''If get a chance to steal something
for you I'll do it,
Gore Borrowed from Owen.
It developed that Gore had borrowed /
$4,000 and Senator Owen had gone on 1
his note. According to Hamon, Gore i
asked him to raise $1,000 SO he could ]