The Washington times., 1912-02-10
.LORIMER VERDICT
MAY NOT Be GIVEN
UNTIL SESSION ENDS
Vote on Custer Not Expected
In Senate Before Illinois
Primaries.

While the taking of testimony in the
Lorlmer case is now closed, 1t will be
several weeks at least before the spe-
cial committee makes a report to the
Senate. 1t is expected to be well along
toward the close of the session before
the Senate finally votes on the question
of ousting Mr.. Lorimer. That no vote
will be had before the April primaries
in Illinois is now considered a certainty.
The situation in the Senate on the
ousting of Mr.. Lorlmer is close, but in
spite of the optimistic claims made by
the Lorimer side, 1t is believed general
ly he will be ousted. The committee,
which consists of eight members, Is ex-
pected to divide four to four in making
report to the Senate. Senator'S Kern,
Kenyon, and Lea are considered GER
tain to oppose Mr.. Lorimer. with prob
ably one other Senator,
The end of the hearing came unex-
pectedly, and it was decided to go no
further into certain lines of testimony
looked on as immaterial. The final act
of the inquiry was plea made by the
counsel Tor Mr.. Lorimer, Judge Hanecy,
that the matter, having been once acted
on by the Senate, could not be at
tackled the second time on the same
charge; The committee agreed to al
not considered that it will be taken Sc
riously, either by the committee or the
Senate.
Sheridan Test Uncertain.
The outcome of the test of the ca
pacity of ]. e. Sheridan, stenographer
for the Burns agency, to take notes
over a telephone from a dictagraph, was
left more or less up in the air. Numer-
Gus breaks occurred in the notes. and
Sheridan got only fragments of the rele-
want conversation. Whether the test
was in all respects entirely fair to the
young man and whether conditions
were not harder than those under which
he took the original notes of the al
legged admissions of MCGOWAN, however,
is matter of difference of opinion.
Many of those who heard 1t, and espe-
cially the Lorimer partisans, contended
that the test corroborated the accusa-
Sheridan had faxed the original
notes.
1t appeared when comparison was
made with the notes taken by the Of
30 words right out of one test of 800.
In a 500-word test. he got 60 or 70
words right. In one part of the test
in which about 500 words bore on
in another where about 1000 words
touched on the subject he got 155
words. OF these, ID were credited to
the wrong person.
The test, however, left the MCGOWAN
admission in as much doubt as ever.
A wrangle occurred among the law
yers over it. On the Lorimer side. 1t
was insisted Sheridan had FALLEN
down and had not "made good" On
the other side. 1T was declared he had
done as well as could be expected.
Little Bearing Ultimately.
Sheridan when in the chair before
the committee had no difficulty in
reading such notes as he had taken.
AS soon as he made the notes they
were taken from him and he did not
have possession of them again until
he was ordered to testify before the
committee. lie seemed cool and self
possessed.
The whole MCGOWAN affair in any
event will have little bearing on the
ultimate outcome of the case in the
Senate. Its bearing from the outset
has been recognized to be only indi-
rect on the question whether Edward
Hines set out to raise money to meet
the cost of putting Lorimer across
Blumenberg wrote a letter apollo
giEing to the committee for his con-
duct last Saturday night The COM
mittee, however, will certify his case
to the Senate. though 1t probably
Will not be pressed, on the ground
that he has been in poor health for
months.
Edward Hines, before the hearing
closed, was permitted to enter a denial
TO bribe Miss Helen Seavers, a tele-
graph operator.