New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-05
SEN1TORS CROSS-EX-
ANIMATION DELAYED.
Defendant Bmes Finances,
Surprising 4ssociates, Who
Betercd HIM Wealthy.
ley Telegraph To tie Tribune I

prise OF his associates in the LegisIature
and politicians generally, Senator lothian
+. Aids testified to-day before his
brother Senators, who are trying him on
bribery charges. that his entire fortune
was about $4,000. He lived in an apart
ment at Norwich, for which he paid $50
month. he said His much yaunted
Adirondack camp dwindled to a part in
I terest IN a camping club and q log
shack which could be duplicated for less
than $1,000. The only real estate he
owned was one acre OF Adirondack land
along the Beaver River
Senator Aids writhed considerably
when he gave his testimony under inter
rogation from Martin w. LittIeton. his
counsel, which at times had a touch of
aspcrity in it. He told some of his Sen
ate friends later that it was distinctly
humiliating to him thus to bare his
| financial conditions and the lcgislative-
political world here did not seem sur
prised that he felt Inundated, for close
political associates have believed, nd
/ think they have been led to believe, that
Aids was a wealthy man. He has been
estimated as having a fortune of from
100000 to $4,000, He lives here at
the Fort Orange Club. which is rather
exclusive and correspondingIy expensive.
His personal expenditures while not Law
ish hardly would come within his legis-
lative salary. and his friends say he has
q. considerable fondness for automo-
biIes
Direct Examination Strung Out.
By testimony of this sort, by the in
PRODUCTION in evidence of various docu-
ments and by interposing couple of
other witnesses the Aids lawyers
strung out their direct examination of
the defendant through the days ses-
sion They will still have some direct
/ examination on Tuesday morning. Thus
| they prevented any SS-eXamlnatiOn
OF Senator Aids to-day regarding his
! story OF the events of adjournment day.
1901. although James W. Osborne was
keen to begin his attempts demolish
that story.
1t was shrewd work, as clever as the
jockeying for place of contestants in a
race The Aids side gained not only Il
three DAYS rest for their client, who is
/ in bad health, before he must encounter
his Srlling but time to let his emphatic
and spectacular denial of the bribery
charge penetrate to all parts of the state
before the Conger lawyers have an op
portunity to shake it.
The Aids side did not have things all
its own way to-day, though. In the
cross-cxamination by Mr.. osborne of ex-
/ y,-l,f in,
/ 1901 introduced the highway Legislation
which Senator Conger testified was used
! to strike" the bridge companies, the
! witness disclosed d lack of memory
/ garding that bill. Mr. Stevens was I'm
/ able to remember what he had done to
get the bill out Of the Rules Committee
or what was the matter with it in the
Internal Affairs Committee. So strange
did this seem to Mr.. Osborne that after
! a series of questions designed to empha-
( size the "treachery' of that committee
toward the bill, he demanded:
Can you give any reason why the
sleeping sickness seemed to attack
! everybody who had anything to do with
that bill about that time?'
And Mr.. Stevens could not. The time
being considered then was the period be
tween April S. when the peculiar about
/ face a S to the amendments to the Malby
/ Stevens bills took place in the Assem-
blv and the day of adjournment-that
! is the period was that when. according
to Senator Bonn Conger's story. Aids
and Jean Burnett were making their
strikes and getting promises from
Frank Ironger that the bridge money
/ would be Forthcoming.
Osbo-nc's Line of Attack.
Mr.. OsborneS line of attack was The
one folIoweG by Linn in cross-nXaminlnS
All important witnesses. From numcr-
ous ones he mas gained bits OF testimony
which the Couger side thinks backs up
the contention that more than the platt
poiiticai .ufuence killed the highway
legislation in 1901 and in subsequent
wears r'or instance, Representative
George Maiby testified that Speaker
Nixon had extraordinary legislative
power. Mir. Doughty testified that it
Was Legislative courtesy" toward Mr..
conger which kept the Stevens Malhy
hills in the Assembly Internal Affairs
Committee in 1901. but Mr.. Bridgeman
r-bo in 1gu:; introduced the Stevens BILL
testified that it was reported but was
.cnt hack to the committee for Il hear
inc, which was never held And Sena tor
Auds testified yesterday that his friend
M. Cook told him III 1901 about d cor
r,ution fund which Frank Conger was
,ai.ine in connection with this very
legislation.
The Comger lawyers contend that the
..+eots.. fy' of Mr. OshOTnes metaphor
Was this corruption fund. Concededly
This was good legislation for everybody
lint the bridge companies Speaker
Nixon was powerful. He could have re
nnrted the bill in 1901 they imply IL
their oss-examinations, IN essence
Nbz didn't he? Had he the sleeping
sickness? Mr.. Conger was not a mem
be,. of the Legislature in 1908, but the
hin died in committee Was thc tSetse
~ around or was it only an indication
that Frank Congers search after
,.o,,glla fund in 1901 WAS successful, even
,f cook did not contribute, and that sim
H. rppds were collected ana proved cf-
f.ctiye in subsequent years?
,SVEVENS YESTlFIES.