The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-24
NEWSP APER MAN
is PROACHED"
Offered Vacation and Several
Good Things Not to Go
Before Grand Jury.
PROPOSITION sPURNED
Speaker Cannon's Home City
and County Now Under
Scrutiny.

Danvillc, ILL.,. January 23-Speaker
Joseph G. Cannons home city and
county were brought under the
scrutiny of a grand jury to-day in the
hunt for illega! traffic in votes. The
Vermillion county grand Jury. sitting
here. heard eleven with AsseS Twal21.
more including Speaker cannon.s son
in-law, e. " Lecture, banker, arc
subpoenaed to appear Tuesday
The grand jury tJ-day heard Dan
ville's city attorney, accuse If ,avinc
admitted buying votes, ana was giver.
a list of fifty possible witne sics by tt..
accusers. The city attorneys allege,::
trafficking II was testified, was in tn
interest of the present sheriff. John i.
shepard, at the last gene al elect on
one OF the newspaper men told the
1urors he had been approa cicl &c day
oE persons Offering him vacation and
several good things" If he would NOT
go before the grand Jury with his
story.
The two newspaper reporters y.ho
last week sent ont a story purportinr
TO contain a confession" from CITY
Attorney Fraai w. JONES that ne mad
purchased votes which story latc.. was
denied by Jones. demanded TO be all
lowed TO go hefore the granG Jury ana
tell their story.
the newspaper men were r. Fl
trankeberger. a reporter for the Dan
vile Commercial News who claims 10
nave secured Joness alleged confess
sion. and George a. Martin, correspon
dent of an indianapolis n e VS. paper. who
was with F'rankebergcr when the CON
Versation took place
Frankeberger told the grand iu,y
the same story. which, published last
saturday. brought forth prompt de-
nal from City Attorney Jones and
Sheriff John r Shepard 1t was for
Shepard, whose campaign manager he
was. FrankeberGer said that Jones adj
mitted buying the votes
part of the alleged conversation
as given before the grand jury was:
Mr.. Martin: MIR. Jones, did YOU have.
q list of bought votes and the amounts
paid for them?"
Jones. Yes, ! had d partial list Of
those but haven't got it any more:
burned it,"
Frankebcrger: Can you remember
the list?"
Jones Not right off. but I might
have my memory refreshed by some
of these ward captains there in the
Second or Seventh"
I'rankeberger: Lecture was before
tHe SIanu july ana lie lost his mem
Dry"
Jones; well. ] could refresh his
memory on a few points If had a
mind to. There's Il lot OF those fellows
whose memories could be refreshed on
this thing
The preliminary to the conversation
was said by Frankeberger to have been
a statement made by the newspaper
men concerning vote buying Of which
he had some personal knowledge. AZ
repeated TO the grand jury it was:
THAT Zones had rented u small room
in the rear Of the butcher shop OF ii
NJ. Martin, at 500 West Fairchiid
Street; that here. on the last election
day. Jones met a number Of visitors.
approximately seventy-two-instruc
them how TO vote and paid them: tina,
later Martin, who is F'rankebergcra
father-in- law and not related to the
newspaper man from Indianapolis.
asked for and was shown mo list OF
men Jones is alleged TO have paid.
1t was this information which
ITrankcberger testified he brought to
Joncs's Office Saturday. and upon which
he obtained the alleged confession
The city attorney has denied abso-
lutcly that ne confessed. and has said
he would tell what he knows If asked
by tho grand jury. HIS statement was
followed by n subpoena, issued to-day