Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-25
ASKED FOR INFORMATION
Commissioners Want Copy Of the
Charges Against the Assessor.
BASIS OF HIS PUBLIC ATTACK
Michael J. Keane Denies Statement
Made Regarding His Connection
With Excise Cases.


ments which Oden Horstmann laid before
| President Taft concerning the excise
board. and which later was given to for
mer Representative William S. Bennett of
New York, furnishing the basis for Mr..
| Bennets attack upon Samuel T. Kalbfus
on the floor Of the House of Representa-
tives February =, 1911. was made today
by Frank j. Hogan, attorney for Mr..
| kabfus. in the investigation into the ex-
else board and it's affairs now going on
at the District building.
/ Mr.. Hogan asked the Commissioners,
| just as the hearing opened at II oclock
this morning, to telegraph former Repre-
sentative Bennett for the papers or in
| formation which Oden Horstmann laid
before him few days previous to Rep
resentative Bennet's speech on the House
| noor. The Commissioners will telegraph
to the former representative tonight.
| The Importance of the paper to Mr..
| kalbfus. his attorney believes, lies in
the fact that it is assumed that state
ments were made in the memoranda
which have not been made public, and
| letter from horstmann 10 the Gommis-
sioners. in which nothing was stated
except a bare copy of real estate trans
fers.
AuSWCI NOL E9dIASAdCLOAys
While Mr.. Horstmann was on the
stand he was asked time and time
again for the papers which he showed
to the President, but the answer Mr..
Hogan received from him was:
IF you want those papers you know
where they are.
1t is admitted that the same papers
formed the basis for the Bennett at
tack Mr.. Horstmann said he had
taken n~tes to the White House, and
that later he had taken the same notes
to Representative Bennett
The telegram which will go to Repre-
sentative Bennett is as follows:
THE Commissioners of the District OF
Columbia are holding a public li1veS,lSa- ~ "a
ton into the conduct of Samuel 7. kalbe
fus. assistant assessor and memper ol
the excise board AS you have taken
considerable interest in this matter ana
doubtless have written or verbal 1nforma-
ton relating thereto, the commissioners
would be glad to receive from you any
papers that might assist them in TINS IN
yestigation, together with letter from
you unless you prefer to appear In per-
son.
1t is signed:
Columbia, by Cuno II. Rudolph, pres'-
dent,
Investigating Saloon License.
Michael J. Keane attorney FOR the
Abner Drury Brewing Company; Mrs.
Edith Shoemaker Black and Mrs Mary
Buckley were witnesses in the IN
vestigation this morning. Mrs Black
and Mrs Buckley have sold real estate
in which Mr.. kalbfus afterward be-
came interested, and which real estate
Is mentioned in the Horstmann letter
to the Commissioners
The caSe of John c. ROnayne. saloon
keeper, mentioned in Mr.. Whites re-
port as a possible example of an i'm
proper issue of a saloon license, was
gone into very thoroughly this morn
ing, Mr.. Hogan asking the questions
and Mr.. keane answering
Concerning this Mr.. Keane said:
I'm 1905 Ronayne was charged with
conducting an unlicensed bar. He ran
a wholesale liquor store on 7th street
northwest near what was then the
one-mile limit One day in his absence
a green clerk sold some customer or
other less than pint of whisky. Ro-
nayne ran Il wholesale place and the
clerk sold a retail amount of liquor
Arrest of Ronayne Follows.
.Ronayne was arrested and the case
went over from November TO February,
1906. He demanded jury trial and put
up bond. ! represented him in the
q
Counsel Pugh and explained To him that
Ronayne was not present ut the time
of the oiIenSe. that II was ms Ilrst OF
fense. and Mr.. Push agreed 10 ask Tor
personal bonds. Whereupon. when the
case came into court. Ronayne pleaded
guilty and his personal bonds We're
taken
WAS it purely a technical viola tion?'
| asked Mr.. Hogan.
1T was.
Mr.. Keane' then told in detail the story
| of his clients movements in the liquor
| business:
| of business by selling out in August.
| 1906, and a month later. September, 1906
| he bought place in the southeast rms
retail license was given him after the
| matter / spoke of had been settled in
! court.
| Discovers Adverse Report.
| Mr. keane said that later when some
other transfer was sought, he found that
some police official had made an adverse
report against Ronayne and had incor-
porated in the report the statement that
when Ronayne had furnished personal
bonds he had promised to keep out of the
| liquor business.
| Now. knew there never had been
| such a prom se, continued Mr.. keane.
| II looked up the police officer. who said
I
the statement of "A policeman who had
| been in the precinct where Ronayne had
| conducted his wholesale place. Then l
| went to Mr.. Pugh, who came to the ex-
| else board in person and contradicted
| that statement. He explained that the
! offense was merely a technical one, and
| that he had not eXacted the promise men
! toned in the report
| And the board acted on the matter
after they had received that information
from Mr. Pugh?' asked Nj. Hogan.
| Yes"
Denial of Allegations.
The Edwards case" in which the
license for the Piedmont Hotel was held
nm to the Commissioners as a case
where improper influence had been at
work. was taken up and furnished some
of the fiattest denials of the entire
Ihearing. In the report, on which Mr..
White. assistant corporation counsel,
has based his recommendation for the
,nresent investigation, there is long
statement to the effect that certain
attorney in this city tried TO get Si,u j
from the proprietor of the hotel say
ling that Mr.. Keane had let II be known
that the excise board would have to be
liked.
when did you first hear that this
: man had been using your name in a
statement attributed TO you that 1T was