The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-11-01
John A. Hennessy, Suffers
Graft Investigator, Told
Story on the Stand
WHITMAN PROBES
SERIOUS CHARGES
Democratic Candidate for
Mayor Also Was
Accused

New York, Nov. John A. Hennessy,
former Governor Suffers graft investi-
gator, who has been campaigning against
Tammany hall, testified on the witness
stand yesterday and declared that Will
liam j. Conners of Buffalo had told him
of having collected $4,000 from James
Stewart, state barge canal contractor,
at the request of Charles F. Murphy.
Hennessy was called as the first witness
in the "John Doe" proceedings instituted
by District Attorney Whitman to in
vestigate the charges made by Hennessy
against Murphy, Edward T.. Mccall, the
Democratic candidate for mayor, and
others.
Hennessy said that he had seen Con-
ners in Buffalo this fall during his in
vestigations into graft in the state high
way department and that Henry Bur
gard of Buffalo and "a big contractor
named McDonough" of Niagara, were
present.
"Conners told me-" said the witness,
"that Murphy had asked him to get
good contribution from Jim Stewart be-
cause Stewart had got a good contract.
Murphy didn't know Stewart and Con-
ners did. Conners said he got the $685.
900 from Stewart in Dunkirk, | think it
was, in October, 1910"
Hennessy explained that he had been
asked to see Corners after it became
known that he (Hennessy) had learned
of the contribution, as well as of two
other political contributions OF $4,000
each which, he said, George Mcclure of
Syracuse has told him Stewart had made
in 1911 and 1912 Mcclure he said, was
connected with the Barber Asphalt
company.
"Conners wanted to know ii I was
right about the money" continued Hen
messy. Il said. "yes,-I got Jim Stewart
three times Conners said, Yes, | got
$4,000 from Stewart for Murphy. |
don't want to get into this. Murphy
asked me for it."
The witness testified further that Nc
Guire has told him that one Of Stewart's
$4,000 contributions had gone to Nor
man F. Mack, chairman of the national
Democratic committee, and another to
j. Sergeant Cram, a Tammany politi-
clan.
Mcclure told him, the witness said, of
other contributions made by state barge
canal and highway contractors.
"McGuire said that if [ got list of
road contractors I'd have list of con-
tributors--that none OF them escaped,
Hennessy declared
The witness also asserted that Nc
Guire had told him that Stewart had re-
ceived an offer from Thomas NJ. Smith,
secretary of Tammany hall, and man
named Doyle" by which Stewart could
obtain barge canal contract by the
payment Of $4,000. Stewart was the
second to lowest bidder on the contract
and the McGovern Contracting company,
of which Smith and Phil Donahue were
members, were the lowest bidders. This
was before Governor Sulzer took Office.
Sulzer was requested, according to the
witness informal ton, to advise the high
way department not to award the con-
tract until after he was inaugurated.
The award was postponed and then
Smith and Doyle, according to the wit
ness, reduced their offer to Stewart to
$l25,000. Stewart wouldn't pay the
money, the contract went to the Nc
Govern company, and bid which Stew
art had on another contract and which
was the lowest was thrown out. Stew
art, however, got this latter contract
when the bids were reopened, Hennessy
said Mcclure had told him.
H. S. Kerbaugh, another contractor,
gave up" $4,000 in 1911 and $4,000 in
1912, the witness said McGuire had in
formed him, and of these contributions
zone or the other went to Norman e.
Mack" He added that Mcclure had
said that 100000 in all went to Muir
ply.
Hennessy told of a meeting in Gov
ernor Dix's office in Albany, as reported
to him by Mcclure, between Everett
Fowler of Kingston, Norman E. Mack |
and c. Gordon Reel, then superintendent
of highways, at which it was agreed that |
Fowler should get all the division en-
gineers of the highway department and |
have them collect from the contractors. |
This Fowler did, Hennessy said, and |
turned the money over to Mr. Mack. |
Hennessy started to read a list of these |
contributions, but after naming James |
Walker as having given 81 900, he was
interrupted by adjournment until Mon
day.