Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-10-27
WILSON SAYS BROWNE
WORKED FOR L0RIME2
Causes a Stir in the Bribery
Hearing in Chicago.
Browne Tod Wilson All the Ccmo
Gratis Had Agreed to Cast Their
Votes for Lorimer-Talk
with Roger Sullivan.

Driven into a tight corner by fire
Of questions in Chicago from four OF
the eight members of the senate com
mittee investigating the election OF
William Lorimer to the United S ate5
senate, Robert e. CBathroom Bob')
Wilson made number of sensational
admissions. They were:
That ne was directed by Lee O'Neil
Browne to vote for William Lorlmer
for senator; that Browne told him
virtually all the Democrats had agreed
TO cast their vote for Lorimer That
he would not have voted for Lor me
il he had not been positive he would
be elected; that he held conferences
regularly before and after the Lorime
election with Browne in Chicago ard
at Springfield; that he secu ed his
present position in the county clerk
Office through the influence OF Rogel
Sullivan after Lorimer's election; that
he saw ard ignored a telegram from
the Democratic state central commit
tee urging Democratic Legislators to
NOIS lOI DIllHSSI, llldl 4lN QIu HOt
vote for Lorimer earlier in the dead
lock because it would have been his
political suicide.
Wilson's imperturbable calm dissap
peared when he resumed his testimony
and Senators Kern, Lea and Kenyon
took up his examination and subject
ed him to a merciess inquisition. The
of +y, l.,
lief the previous day would not be ac-
cepted by the senator's and they de-
manded that certain lines of informa-
tion they sought be opened to them.
The witness hesitated many times,
but was induced to tell much that ap
parently he desired to Withhold.
Senator Kern, after plying Wilson
with question for nearly half an hour.
brought the direct admission that Lee
O'Neil Browne induced him to vote
for Lorimer and tod him he had ar
ranged with the majority if not all OF
the other Democrats to vote the same
way This testimony caused a decided
stir in the hearing.
The witness told of seeing and talk
ing with Roger Sullivan in Springfield
before the Lorimer election. but denied
that they discussed the senatorial sit
uation He attributed the success of
the Democratic party in recent Illinois
elections to Lorimer's election.
In the previous days testimony Will
son denied emphatically all the charges
concerning the distribution of the
"iack-pot" fund in a bathroom of a
St Louis hotel
Since the death of Representative
Joseph Clark of Vandalia Mr.. Wilson
is the only person connected with the
bathroom incident giving the proposed
banquet as the reason for his St Louis
trip. Former Representative Henry
A. Sheppard OF Jerseyville, who
testified before the committee last
week, said that he merely chanced to
meet Mr.. Wilson in ST Louis and that
he never knew the purpose of the lat
ter's visit. Mr. Sheppard said that
Mr. Wilson told him nothing about a
banquet
OF the six Democratic members of
the legislature who are said to have
received $500 Jackpot money from Mr..
Wilson, Mr.. Sheppard is the only one
still living who denies he received
money.
The confession of Charles A. White
led to the confessions of Michael
Link, who since has died, and of H. ].
C. Beckemeyer. Mr.. Beckemeyer tes-
titled that MI Wilson invented the
banquet story a year after the bath
room incident.
Representative Clark, the fifth leg
islator said to have received money
from Wilson, stuck to the banquet
story until his death a few months
ago.
State Senator John Bro6erick told
sensational story of how he was ap-
preached by A. NJ. Bergener, assistant
city editor of the Examiner, as ar
emissary Of States Attorney Burke OF
Springfield, and promised immunity
from his Indictments.
A second later Attorney Hea'y, for
the committee, riddlcd his testimony
and opened the way for perjury prose
cutions by producing a letter from
Broderick asking d. w. Hols law t.
come to Chicago. Frederick has per
sistently sworn that he never wro {
Holstlaw and that the latter was al tht
West Madison street saloon only once
He admitted authorship of the letter.
In his testimony Hostlaw declared
he made two trips to Chicago. On thu
first trip he said he received $2,500 FOL
his Lorimer vote and on the second
$500 out of the "jack pot Holstaw''
first visit is the one Broderick admit
ted.