The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-08-20
Tells SORID tale
REPRESENTATIVE M'DERMOTT IS
TIE CHIEF FIGURE
RE TOOK MUCH MONEY

III. McNIichaels, Dismissed Page,
Who Says Representative From
Illinois Threw Him Down.
In a dramatic statement, j. H. Nc
Michaels, dismissed chief page Of the
House Of Representatives, Saturday
night presented 80 the House lobby
investigating committee a sweeping
charge of corruption against Repre-
sentative James E. McDermott, of IL
linois, for years his sponsor. With
intense earnestness McMichaels, in
picturesque language, corroborated
the allegations Of NJ. NJ. Mulhall
against McDermott and made addi-
tional charges, at times shocking the
committee and spectators with out
bursts of profanity and slang.
The witness declared that for years
he had exerted every effort to.support
McDermott, had loaned him money,
had helped him in his campaigns.
Now, he said, McDermott had
thrown him down" and he felt he
must tell the truth.
In addition to the charges already
made, McMichaels swore that the Chi
cago Representative told him that he
received $500 out of fund Of s1O,-
900 raised by the pawnbrokers OF
Washington to oppose bill possed in
the last Cor gress regulating interest
rates In the District of Columbia. In
this connection McMichaels told of a
trip to New York, when McDermott
conferred with a member Of an asso-
citation of brewers, and with George
H. Horning. local pawnbroker.
Concluding his testimony McMi-
chaels testified that Congressman Nc
Dermott since the Mulhall expose,
had endeavored to get him to conceal
McDermott's alleged part in the
transaction.
"I met McDermott in the hall Of
| this Office building" said McMichaels,
his voice unsteady with emotion,
land he said, My God, am a ruined
man. What am I going to do? Do
you suppose anybody will believe this
old guy?' / said to him, I've worked
hard for you for six years, harder
than I ever worked for any man. I
tried to elevate you and help you to
a big position I told him l had
done all I could for him. He said,
You've got nothing to lose, you don't
live with your wife I'm Congress-
man and I've got wife and children.
Say you wrote these letters unbe-
known to me and that didn't know
ANYTHING about it. Even if they
prove that you committed perjury
and forgery they can only send you
down the river to the ark for two
years and I'll pay you 500 a month
while you are there
"I said to him, yes, you're willing
to pay me 500 a month to go to jail
for you, but you won't pay me the
wages you honestly owe me. I've got
eleven dollars in my pocket, that's all
I've got to show for six years work,
but I won't do this for you"
Apparently struggling to control
himself, McMichaels told the COM
mittee of furnishing SIS to take Null
hall to Chicago to aid McDermott in
the 1912 campaign.
"Where did you get that money!
asked Representative Garrett.
my mother had Just died." said
McMichaels. "and I was executor for
my mothers will. The money was in
a bank here to the credit Of the es-
tate and gave Mulhall check for 1t.
I had to hustle to put it back.
never got any of it from McDermott.
! McMichaels told at length of max
ing trips to various pawnorokers IN
Washington to secure money either
for McDermott or himself.
"McDermott told me-" he said,
that the pawnbrokers had raised
$4,000 to fight the loan shark bill
and later he told me he got $1,000
out of it. When I asked him why he
didn't pay me what he owed me with
a. part of it, he said, My God, man, l
had to pay it on debts and still owe
s9,O00.'"
The witness said that he, McDer-
mott and Mulhall, after comforting at
the Capitol, would adjourn to din
ing room in a small hotel. near the
Capitol, for "extended sessions. He
described the room provided in the
Capitol for the conferences as
"good place to sleep off drunks".
"How would you or McDermott
know about the other having money
after these conferences" said Chair
man Garrett.
Wed Just smile at each other,
he said. Both of us was careful not
to let the other know about how
much money we had. If Mulhall
gave me two bills I'd hide the larger
one and flash the smaller one, be-
cause every time I flashed anything
over two dollars he copped half Of it.
He would go to the cashier and give
him his money and draw two dollars
and come back to where was. He'd
say to the cashier, For Gods sake
don't let Mac see this We were
both doing this
| Attempts by Mulhall to dispose Of
a collection Of aGdavits, which, Nc
Michaels said showed that Burns de-
tectives had committed perjury in a
counterie:ting case, were detailed at
length. After Mulhall had left the
National Association of Manufacture
ers, the witness said. these aflidavits
| nf oftnrnaVS