Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-10-20
lOR|MER PROBE IS
BEGUN IN CHICAGO
Senate Committee Resumes
Hearing of the Case.
Stories Of Offers of Money Made at
Springfield During the Senator
isl Deadlock of 1909 Will
Be Investigated.

Attention of the Lorimer senate in.
yestsatlng committee in Chicago turn.
ed to stories of offers of money
which were made around the state
capitol during the senatorial deadlock
OF 1909, when the inquiry was resumed.
Half dozen members of that legisla-
tuTe were waiting to be called as wit
nesses to tell either of offers which
had been made to them or of conver-
sations they had overheard. Seven OF
the eight senator's on the committee
from the United States senate are ex-
pected to take part in the discussions.
Six were at the hearing when it was
opened and word was received from
John w. Kern of Indiana that he will
be here in couple of days
Senator Frank A. Landee of Moline
was the firs( witness. In long cross.
examination, full OF clashes and
wrangling, Attorney Elbridee Hanecy
tried to force him to say that Gov.
ernor Deneen had besought him to
testify as an anti-Lorimer witness.
John NJ. Peffers, former secretary to
Senator Hopkins, and now attorney OF
the city of Aurora, Ill, testified that
State Senator George NJ. Mccormick
met him in the Illinois hotel and told
him that he would give him $2,500 if
he would change his vote from Hop.
kins to Lorimer. PETERS said that
when he refused Mccormick asked
him to name his amount.
Senator Mccormick, at a previous
hearing of the committee, had sworn
he never made such a statement
PETERS, who was active in Albert J.
Hopkins campaign in the senatorial
race, swore before the committee upon
the reopening of the hearing in Judge
GrosscuD's courtroom. that McCo mick
did say this and at the last moment
switched from Hopkins to Lorimer in
surfing Lorimers election. Mccormick
lives in Alton.
A new sensation in the case was
sprung when Representative Henry
S. Terrill of Colchester testified that
Representative John Griffin of Chicago
told him he would receive $1,000 if he
voted for Lorimer. He said also he
had been told by Representative
Richard P. Hagan of Chicago that his
vote had been solicited by Griffin.
The witness declared that Lorimer
sent David e. Shanahan to him the
night before the election, and that he
met Mr.. Lorimer in the speakers room
and was asked by the senator to vote
for him. At first he testified that MIR.
Lorimer said the Democrats would
I. H., L..
mony, saying that Mr. Lorlmer urged
his to support his candidacy, and said,
'Ill be put over tomorrow, anyway"
When Senator Mccormick was re-
called to the witness stand he denied
he ever had told John M. PETERS, for
mer secretary to ex-senator Hopkins,
that he had been offered S2,500 to vote
for Lorimer. He said he had not re-
ceived or been offered a cent; knew
no member of the Legislature who was
dishonest, never heard of the jackpot
fund or any corruption in Springfield,
and did not believe Whites confession
or the testimony of Link, Holstlaw or
Beckemeyer.
Henry A. Sheppard, former Demo
cratic state representative named
by Charles A. White as one of the men
who met Lee O'Neil Browne and Rob
ert E. Wilson il ST. Louis On occa-
sions when Lorimer and Jackpot
money was distributed, made revela.
ticns Of circumstances hitherto con.
cealed, while under constant fire of
questions from members of the Lori
mer investigating committee of the
United States senate.
Mr.. Sheppard was on the witness
stand the entire day and had a high
II uncomfortable time. John Fl. Mar
bic, attorney for the committee, and
members of the investigating body
hammered away at MIN and trapped
him into several minor contradictions
of his testimony before the previous
senate committee The witness stood
finn in his declaration, however, that
he had received no money from either
Browne or Wilson.