The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-10-07
FIRST TIME MINORITY LEADER
HAS TALKED FOR HIMSELF
UNDER OATH.
APPEAR AGAIN TODAY
Enters Sweeping Denial Of All Wrong
Doing Charged to tiim--Tels
About Trip to St Louis
and Why RE Went.


Chicago, Oct. For the first time
under oath Zee O'Neil Browne, Demo
cratic minority leader Of the lower
house at Springfield, today told the
senatorial investigating comission the
story of the election OF William Lori
mer in the United States senate.
Browne was tried twice on charge
OF bribing Representative Chas. A.
White to vote for Lorimer, but did
not testify. The first trial resulted
in disagreement and the second in
acquittal He has still to stand trial
on an indictment making similar
charges, returned at Springfield.
The witness talked composedly, en-
tering a sweeping denial of any wrong
doing in connection with Lorimer's
election. He is a lawyer, and his at
torney, Thomas Dawson, found little
to do in advising his client as to his
answers.
The matter of securing votes for
I4orimer, the witness stated, was first
mentioned to him in casual way ny
Representative David Shanner. Later
about three weeks before the elec-
tion-Speaker Shurtlef asked him
how many Of his following among the
Democrats would be willing to vote
for Lorimm.
{ "a told shnrtleff and later L.orlmef
himself. Browne said, Fthat no
Democrat would vote for Lorimer
with my consent, unless they--Shurt-
left and Lorimer-would give me
their words that no Democrats should
vote for Lorimer until his election
was assured
Browne testified that he saw Lori'
mer and Shurtler frequently after
having decided to support the former
and talked to many Democratic repre-
sentatives. including White, Beck
meyer, Sheppard, Link, and Clark, al
of whom have testified before the
senatorial committee.
He said he did not personally see
all the members of his faction about
their votes on the senatorship, that
some of them were spoken to by Rep
resentatives Cermak and j. G. Wer
dell
He denied that he sent a report tt
Robert +. Wilson, alleged distributor
of the jack pot in st. Louis, in July
He admitted he had written to severa
persons expressing regret that HI
could not have them with him.
Browne said he was in st. Loui'
on June 81, 1909, fixed by other wit
nesses as the time and place whei
$1,000 packages of money were hand
ed to them by Browne. He said h
met Representative Henry A. Sher
hard, Michael Link, Fl. J. c. Beck
meyer and Chas. Luke in the South
ern Hotel,
He asserted he did not tell Repre-
sentative White he was going there
The purpose in going to st. Louis
he said, was to confer with the reT
resentatives named on the subject o
sUdlb UhlIuIdBt W tliC i'ChIONiut'o' -
later talked with the governor on tn
subject, he said.
Browne denied that he had give
Link or Beckmeyer any money in tn
Southern Hotel, at st. Louis, on Jun
81, 1909, as testified to by them.
Touching the relations with Whit
the witness said he helped White dra'
up bills and assisted him becaus
White was deeply interested in HI
work.
Another witness was Thos. Curral
Republican legislator, who testified
rebuttal to the testimony of Whit
Curan said White approached him
Springfield and asked him to hold G
TO the woman's ten hour bill
white told me there might
something in it, the witness said.
Later he asked me II anythr
was doing in Lorimers election
told him did not know"
The hearing will be continued t
morrow with Browne again on Il
stand.