The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-16
FORMER CHIEF
PAGE PROVES A
GOOD WITNESS
Blows Cigarette Smoke in
Faces of Members of House
Lobby Committee as He
Tells Story.
OTHER EMPLOYEES
DEEPLY INVOLVED
Representative James T. Nc
Dermott Placed in Unenvi-
able Situation by Astound-
ing Revelations.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15.-In dra-
matte statement, /. Fl. McMichaels,
dismissed page of the house OF repre-
sentatives, tonight presented to the
house lobby investigating committee
sweeping charge of corruption against
Representative James T. McDermott of
Illinois, for years his sponsor. With
intense earnestness MeMichaels, in
picturesque language, corroborated the
allegations of NJ NJ Mulhsll against
McDermott and made additional
charges, at times shocking the commit
tee and spectators with outbursts of
profanity and slang.
The witness protested that for years
he had exerted every effort to support
McDermott. had loaned him money,
had helped him in his campaigns. Now.
he sail, McDermott had ''thrown him
down. and he felt that 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 cut of fund of S10.-
600 raised by the pawnbrolsers of
Washington to oppose bill passed in
the last congress regulating interest
rates in the district of Columbia.
Begged for Mercy.
Iu this connection McMichaels told
OF trip TO New York when McDer
mott conferred with John McDermott
of an association of brokers and with
George II. Horning, a local pawnbroker
Concluding his testimony, McMichaels
testified that McDermott since the
Mulhall expose had endeavored to get
him to conceal McDermott's g part in the
transaction.
''I met McDermott in the hall Of
this office building" said McMichaels,
his voice unsteady with emotion, ''and
he said my God, I'm ruined man,
What am going to dol Do you sup
pose anybody will believe this old
guy7' I said to him, 'I've worked
hard for you for six years, harder than
l ever worked for any man. tried to
elevate you and help you to big po-
sitiop.' told him I had done all [
could for him.
McDermott's Offer.
"He said, 'You We got nothing to
lose. you don It live with your wife,
I'm congressman and I've got wife
and children. Say you wrote these let
ters unbeknown to me and that
didn t know anything about it. Even
if they prove that you committed per-
Jury and forgery they can only send
YOU down tho river to the ark for two
years and I'll pay you 500 month
while you are there I said to him,
tYes, you re willing to pay me- 500
month to go to Jail for you, but you
won It pay me the wages you honestly
owe me. I've got $11 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 him
self, McMichaels told the committee OF
furnishing $75 TO take Mulhall to Chi
cago to aid McDermott in the 1872
campaign.
"Where did YOU get that money!"
asked Representative Garrett.
"My mother had just died." said
McMichaels, "apd I was executor Tor
my mothers estate. The money was
in bank here to the credit of the
estate and I gave Mulhall check for
il. I had To hustle to put it back.
never got any of it from McDermott.
Trips to PawnbrOkers.
McMichaels told at length Of making
trips to various pawnbrokers in Wash
ington to secure money either for Nc
Dermott or himself
Mcpermott told me-" he said,
''that the pawnbrokers had raised s10,-
900 to fight the loan shark bill and
later he told me he got $500 Of 1T,
When asked him why he did not pay
me what he owed me with part of it,
he said, MY God, man, ] had to pay it
on debts and | still owe $4,000.
Throughout McMichaels's S recital
McDermott, with his
4-l.