The Washington times., 1911-08-07


20, what a tangled web we weave"
when first we start lying and then boil
stering up the first lie with a new one,
and then inventing a circumstance 10
sustain both, and then promulgaung
theory to buttress the three. and then
going back 10 sort of point up and
plumb" the structure with a few
touches of falsehood mortar, and later
discover that It needs a coat OF white
lie wash to conceal earlier impertec-
tons
And then all at once the whole thlns
tumbles down about our ears and in
desperation we start telllng the IfuIh
as the shortest way out.
That was the scrape which the HON
H. J. c. Beckemeyer. late Democratic
member of the Illinois Legislature got
into when he first explained that ne
didn't get money for voting for LorlHler'
He was on the witness stanG To-Day
covered with the wreck of his careIulIS-
built structure of falsifcations, trying
TO kick his way out, and 10 convince
the tormentors of the inquisitlon' that
even when a man had quadruple-
plated record of lying on other occls-
ions. he ought to be believed When
6naIIv he goes into the honesty game.
Admits Getting Money.
Beckemeyer is in many ways the
most dangerous witness the LorlmeT
side of the case has to meet. and Juose
Hanecv. with Lorimer sitting close at
his right, spent the entire forenoon try
DANKRnnVPT'G
tive with his earlier denials. Becke-
meyer now admits that he got $1,000 from
Lee O'Nein Brown and another SSoc
from the Jackpot" He corrooorates
the essentials of White: The story OF
the leadership of Brown in delivering
the Democrats to LOrimer; OF the meet
ing of legislators in st. Louis hotel,
at which their pieces of the jackpot
were handed out to them; or the gen.
eral suspicion that the Senatorial cleo
ton was a result of corrupt methods.
Easy to Dodge Issue.
It's easy for a Senator to decide either
wav he likes, on the Beckeheyer tes-
tirnony. He can vote for Lorimer. and
gay:
..Oh. l couldn't take that last story
Of Reckemeyer's he had told too mary
other stories, denying everything, be-
fore it. If l admit that he lied in the
earlier ofies. why should l believe him
| IN the last one?'
or. If Senator Hiskedule takes the
other tack and want to oppose Lorimer,
| he can explain:
| WHY. yes, Beckemeyer lied as long
as there seemed any chance of making
started telling the truth, and that
| sounds better
II does sound better, too; there is no
doubt of that. All the effort to break
down the confession story failed:
| After Beckemeyer will come HolStaN
the State senator, who has confessed
that he, too, was paid to vote for Lori.
mer.
Altogether, the wonderful thing about
the case as thus far developed is thai
| 1t has reached out aand drawn in so
| few of the fifty-three Democrats who
voted for Lorimer. Witnesses seem
| afraid to give the names of men they
have suspected.
Witness Is Wary.
| Beckemeyer was urged 10 name mer
whom he suspected of parts in handling
or getting then money, but he would
not do it. He said he had always be.
neved that Nanny" Abrahsms, he OF
the beautiful childhood friendship with
Lorimer, was a leader in the thing, bu,
| he didn't know, and never mad secured
any evidence that Nanny" was get.
ting money.
| Aprahams was the bellwether Of the
Democratic flock of Lorimer supporters
His name led the alphabetical roll cal
of the house, and it was finally al.
ranged that when the deal was ali ar.
| ranged. and the votes ready to be de.
livered, Abrahams would get the til
and vote for the man agreed upon
| Thereupon all. the other Democrats II
the plan were to vote for the same mar
| that Abrahams named. 10.
Beckemeyer told this in an inciden
tai. matter-of-fact way. 1t didn't seen
to impress him as remarkable. He didn'
know for certain who was to give tn
word to Abrahams, but of course 1t wa.
the leaders" But, he had difaeult'