Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-05-03
NEW WITNESS IN
L0RIMER INQUIRY
Lumber Company Director Tells
of Hines Boasts.
rILDEN CITED FOR CONTEMPT
Illinois Senate Voted 20 to 7 for Ar
rest of Chicago Packer for Refus-
ina to Produce Books Before
Helm Committee.

ing to Produce Books Before
Helm Committee.
/ Springfield, Ill - How Edward
Hines. in a conversation in the
Grand Pacific hotel at Chicago on
May 1, 1909, boosted that he had
elected Senators Stephenson and Lori
mer. was told before the Helm inyesti-
eating committee by w. II. Cook Of
Duluth. a stakeholder in the Hines
Lumber company.
He said Henry furnish, lumber
man now in Oregon. was present at
I this conversation. The witness said
Hines approached him and furnish
and said he was having a --- OF
| time in Washington" He said:
There is Stephenson; we elected him,
and now he is working for free ium-
ber." He said furnish inquired about
the senatorial deadlock, and Hines an
| swered:
1T is all fixed Lorimer will be
elected. We had picked Boutell for
senator, but when the lumber schedule
came up he voted for free lumber /
took the matter up with Aldrich, and
we agreed we must have another man.
We agreed to take 1t up with Lorimer
and It is all fixed"
Whom did Hines mean by Ste
phenson?" asked Attorney John j..
Healy.
Il don't know" said Mr. Cook, but
/ thought he referred to Senator Ste
phenson Of Wisconsin"
The witness said he met Hines
again by arrangement of C. F. Wiehe,
brother.in-law Of Hines, or Isaac Ba-
ker a buyer for the Hines Lumber
company lie met Hines in the lobby
of the Grand Pacific hotel and went
to his room to hold a long-distance
telephone conversation. While there a
message came from Springfield for
Hines. Hines took the receiver, he
said. and said: rs this you, governor?
Well, just left Taft and Aldrich in
Washington, and they tell me under
no circumstances shall Hopkins be re-
turned to the senate Now. | will be
down on the next train. Don't leave
anything undone. | will have all the
money necessary"
Witness said he saw Wiehe about o
year later in Chicago, in May or June,
and had a conversation with him and
William O'Brien, another lumberman,
in the Grand Pacific hotel at mid
night
"Wiehe seemed anxious that we get
out of town. said Cook. He said If
we did not we might be called before
a grand jury which might investigate
| the Lorimer case. He said Hines had
told him Lorimer had called him up
and told him we were In town and for
Gods sake to get us out.
"OBrien said they were making it
hot for Hines. Wiehe said; Yes they
will get him, too He talks too much.
Every time a reporter approaches him
he talks enough to hll two columns "
Cook said he saw Hines two or three
weeks later in Alfred E. MeCordick's
Office in the Rookery building,
After talking about some business
matters" said the witness, Hines and
| went down. AS soon as we got out
Hines spoke to me of story about q
telephone conversation. and said they
got 1t all mixed up. He said they had
him talking to former Governor Yates,
whereas he said he was talking with
Governor Deneen. He said he didn't
want to betray the confidence of Taft
and Aldrich. for II he did he wouldn't
dare go back to Washington.
MY impression was that Hines was
talking with Deneen when he used the
telephone in my room in the Grand
Pacific, but Mr.. O'Brien, who was pres
ent, insisted Hines was talking with
Yates"
Cook admitted he had business trou-
hles with Hines, but said that would
not lead him to make misstatement
to the committee.
After battling for six hours as to
the reasonableness of tho suspicion
that Edward Tilden had acted as the
| banker for the $1,000 fund which
/ elected Senator Lorimer. the Illinois
! HtnAtC NhttN ~ ~ & 10 II tHA TIE mr.
! lionaire for contempt in refusing tC
I produce before the Helm committee
/ his bank accounts and papers bearing
/ on the Lorimer scandal
. George NJ, Benedict. cashier of the
/ Drovers' National bank. and William
! c. Cummins, president of the Dro
yers' Trust and Savings bank-two o.
Tilden's banks which refused to pro
duce his accounts-we~e cited anC
viii also be arrested
II was agreed among the Counse
that the defendants shall be permitte,
TO institute habeas corpus proceeding
to determine the legal controyers,