Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-25
Col. MulhaII Invites Attorney
Easby-Smith to go
Outside"
ENRAGED BY QUESTION
ABOUT CODE OF MORAL s
Witness Testifies He Tried to Sell
Letters Attacking N. A. NJ.
to w. r. Hearst.

lightning flashed in the House lobby
investigating committee today for the
| third time, when Col. Mulhall In a loud
voice invited Representative McDer-
motts attorney. James Easily Smith.
TO go outside the committee room"
representative Nolan, the committee
member who had passed the previous
invitation to an attorney to leave the
room and settle differences on the out
SIDE. was not present. Col. Mulhall
outdid the progressive member in vio-
ience OF tone and general vehemence
James Easily Smith. the attorney, had
merely asked. in a calm and unruffied
manner:
Col. Mulhall have you any code OF
morals at all?"
Mr.. Easby-Smith began today the de
fense OF Representative McDermott His
general line was to discredit Col. Null
hall entirely and to prove. If possible, that
at the time the former lobbyist had been
attempting to sell newspapers articles
attacking the n. A. NJ, he was also en-
deavoring to get back into the associa-
tlon.
Offers Letters to Hearst.
Mulhall swore he tried to dispose of
his letters to William r. Hearst Ii.
negotiated for some time with Perriton
Maxwell. editor Of Hearst's magazine
Maxwell, he said. who wanted to print
the letters. said he had told Mr.. Hearst
and that the only reason Maxwell could
advance for Mr. Hearst's lack of inter-
est was that he thought 1t would help
the present administration
Mulhall SWOre he never saw Hearst but
said Maxwell gave him this information.
Mulhall agreed after long questioning
q Tn form co,,fo ffx-a
James E. Watson late In May, 1913, try
Ing to get his influence to be reinstated
by the National Association of Manu-
facturers after he had tried to dispose
Of his letters. He said he left the asso-
ciation in January, 1913, and that he had
expressed q willingness TO go back on
conditions.
Arthur West a Witness.
Arthur West, once of Washington and
now of Dayton, Ohio. testified he had
been Representative McDermott's secre-
tary from December, 1907, to August.
| 1909, and that Isaac McMichael had
never been McDermotts secretary in that
| period. The first time he ever saw
Col" Mulhal was YESTERDAY. he said.
having seen McDermott at Fritz Reuters
after dark-at least not frequently. He
came back to Washington. said West.
a
newspaper from March, 1911. to Septem-
Der, 1912. He said McMichael was not
McDermott's secretary then: and he had
not seen Mulhall nor heard Of him in
that period.
Mr.. West told of the secret ROOM in
the Capitol building which has been
spoken OF in the lobby testimony. West
occupied room q with Clyde Tavenner,
now a representative in Congress. News
paper work was carried on in that room.
he said, beginning with the late fall or
| 1911, for several months. Room - was
| the 'secret room," assigned to Repre-
| sentative McDermott.
Room in State Of Disorder.
West testified that room % was gener-
ally in a state of disorder. indicating II
| was never occupied.
Previous testimony by McMichael Was
that Col MuIhall had used this secret
ROOM next to Tavenner and Vests news
| bureau West said he had seen neither
McDermott nor Mulhall in the so-called
secret chamber.
Under searching questions from Repre-
ment that McMichael had never handled
anw of Representative McDermotts let
| ters or correspondence
II didn't like McMichael." West said.
Il thought he was vulgar, ignorant
fellow. and l didn't like to have him
around
Excites McMichaels Ire.
McMichael. on hearing himself thus
characterized, glared at the witness
through a pair OF small eyeglasses and
conferred volubly with former Police
man Murphy. who has been mentioned in
the hearing as being a friend of McDer-
mott.
Representative Willis. republican
brought out the fact that room y in the
Capitol was being used from which TO
send out democratic campaign literature
West said he had objected to McDer-
motifs constant association with NC
M.chael. but that nothing came OF II.
Representative Cline took an antago-
nistic view of Vests statement that
room % was not occupied.
James Easily Smith asked:
Didn't you think Mr.. McDermott was
somewhat Of a blowhard?"
YES I caught McDermott in SO many
lies 1 never knew when to believe him.
"You mean that he would boast of such
things as having secret room.
Chairman Garrett asked about McDer-
motifs habits.
"McDermott was about the same as
McMichael, and I had hopes of reform
ing his manners and speech, but j did
not have much success"
West used to write political dope" for
McDerMott In Chicago, when McDermott
was running for Congress the first time
Out of this grew the intimacy which led
to West accepting the position as the
representatives secretary.
Mulhall Cross-Examined.
Col. Mulhall took the stand and Me-
Dermott's counsel, James EasbySm
began to cross-question him concerning
the article In the New York World which
started the Mulhall phase of the lobby
investigation.
The attorney produced copies OF the
Chicago Tribune containing a Mulhall-
signed article which was said to DO
s.more complete" than the World ar.
ticle 1t was two pages In length.