The Detroit times., 1911-05-02
sLEUTHs HIRED TO.
FAsTEA BRIBERY ON
LEGISLATORS
Three Detectives Employed by
Columbus Citizens Are Arrested
and Real Purpose of Their
Activities Is Made Public.
Grand Jury VIII Take Up General
Investigation of Conditions in
Ohio Legislature.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May H.
Burns detectives who have been
probing alleged corruption OF the
present state legislature, this al
ternoon asserted that they have
n secured evidence against no less
than twenty members and are
confident that great many more
Will be Involved when the grand
Jury begins It's probe tomorrow
morning. They assert that ~
members Of the senate alone will
be charged with boodlins, In
which event there would not be
quorum left to transact busi'
ness.
William J. Burns, head OF the
detective agency, will come TO
Columbus tomorrow morning to
take personal charge Of his forces.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 1.-The
Ohio state legislature is today facing
. sweeping grand jury probe of alleg-
Cd boodling during the present ses-
sion, following the arrest OF F. s. Har-
rison. A. @. Bailey and David Perry.
three Burns detectives, on a charge
Of trying to bride Rep. George p.
Nye.
The three men arrested under the
superstition that they were lobbyists
after Nye had reported the attempt
TO bride him to Speaker Vining and
trap had been laid to catch them.
With their arrest, however, the
three supposed lobbyists at once iden-
tiled themselves as Burns detectives
employed in probing alleged corrup-
ton In the legislature and admitted
they have already established cases
against at least four legislators. These
cases will be taken before the grand
Jury tomorrow morning.
The three detectives, nevertheless,
were arraigned today on charges OF
bribing Nye and were bound over
to the grand jury in $1,000 bonds each,
which they gave.
Although the grand jury was tomor-
row morning take up the general graft
probe. II Is feared that the unexpected
arrest of the three Burns detectives
will seriously cripple its success. The
three men had been at work here for |
six weeks when, in attempting to see |
II Rep. Nye was susceptible TO bribery, |
they made Il possible for him to lay |
the trap that resulted in their arrest |
and the making public the plan for a |
secret probe Of the legislature,
Nye was first approached by Detec-
lives Bailey and Berry and given 500 |
to enlist his support against the bill |
limiting the working hours Of women |
to nine hours day. Nye. at once |
went to Speaker Vining with the bride |
and both, presuming that the detec-
tives were bona fide lobbyists, ar
ranged for Nye to meet them again |
and accept another bride when there
would be witnesses present. -,....~I
While this was being done, however,
Chief Detective Harrison was proceed
ing likewise to arrange for another
bride to be given Nye when he also I
would have witnesses present Harri-
son secured adjoining rooms at
local hotel and fitted up one with a |
distaphone so that any conversation |
In one room could be heard In the
next room over the dictaphone where
q stenographer would take down /
everything said as evidence. It was
under these circumstances that Nye
accepted the bride, and the same
rooms with the dictaphone were to be |
used for similar operations by detec-
tiyes In an effort to bride other legis- |
lators. The arrest, however, Of the |
three men as the result Of Nye's hav-
Ing detailed the whole affair TO Speak
er Yining brought the probe by the |
detectives TO q sudden end.
The Burns men, however, declare |
that before their discovery was
brought about. they had secured evil |
dence against four other legislators,
and these the grand jury will inyesti- |
gate.
The graft Investigation was brought
about By local manufacturers and mer- |
chants who were disguised at the re- |
peated demands made on them by
lesIslators. A large fund was raised |
and placed In the. hands Of Charles
Freshman, president OF the chamber of
commerce, who turned the matter
over to the Burns detective agency.