The Washington herald., 1913-03-15
PAGE REPEATS
STORY TOLD GORE.
Investigation Of Charges
Against Carl Loemer Start
ed in the Senate.
BOY TAKES GRILLING
Mother Causes Laugh When She Says
She Slept After Reading Con-
gressional Record.

Another Senate investigation got un-
der way yesterday afternoon. The Sen
ate Committee on Privileges and Elec-
tions, under direction of the Senate, on
action taken Thursday, begun a probe OF
the charges made on the Senate floor by
Senator Gore of Oklahoma against Carl
Loeff1er, Acting Assistant Doorkeeper on
the Republican side of the Senate Cham
ber.
Senator Gore sought to prevent the
election of Loeffier as the minority door,
keeper when his name was proposed on
behalf of the Republican side. The Senate
declined to reject the minority nominee
but adopted Senator Cores motion di-
recting an investigation. The basis OF
Senator Cores charge was a story told
to the Senator by William Harrison, for
merly a Senate page, who is now in
charge of the telephone service at the
Senate. Harrison told Senator Gore that
Loeffler took from his hands certificate
of deposit that was an important docu-
ment in the Lorimer investigation, and
that Loenier disappeared through one of
the Senate doors with it.
The document was lost in the Senate
Chamber while the Lorimer case was be-
ing considered for the first time in the
Senate, and has not been seen since. The
incident to which the boy referred oc-
CURED during the first Lorimer trial while
young Harrison was acting as a page.
Three witnesses were examined by the
Senate committee yesterday. The first
witness was William Harrison, the COM
planning witness, who testified that he
was fourteen years old: that his mother
Is a widow, employed as a clerk in the
War Department. who repeated substan-
TALLY the story related by Senator Gore
Thursday. The witness admitted that he
had no grievance against Loeffler, and
that he had first secured his ap-
prominent through Loefier. and was
under some personal obligations to
him. The lad was numerically grilled
by the committee. Senator Gore was
present and questioned the witnesses. and
once or twice objected to the examination
of the witness by members of the COM
mittee.
Loefier on stand.
Carl Loeffier. the accused empIove. was
the second witness. and told a straight
forward story. He said that he was not
handed the particular paper, but that not
irfrequently he had relieved pages of
documents in their possession in order to
expedite their return to the proper place
He admitted that he may have taken
other papers from the hands of the pages
on that day. but was quite certain that
deposit which State Senator Holtslaw,
of the Illinois Legislature is alleged
to have received at Chicago bank,
and which was exhibited in the Senate
and then mysteriously disappeared.
Loeffler expressed the opinion that the
deposit slip, in being passed around
among Senators on the floor for in
spection, was mislaid, probably swept
out in waste paper.
Mrs. Harrison. mother of the boy
who told the story to Senator Gore,
next took the stand. Her story was
brief. She said that when her son
first told of the incident she admon-
ished him to keep quiet about it. and
was impatient with him when he final
ly admitted 10 her that he had told
Senator Gore about the matter. Mrs.
Harrison aroused a laugh in the COM
mittee while detailing her movements
Thursday night. when she said that
after calling up Senator Gore over the
telephoned she had read a copy of the
Congressional Record and then fell
asleep
1T must have had a soothing effect
on YOU" remarked Senator Bradley of
Kentucky.
Other witnesses are yet to be heard,
but the investigation is likely to be
members OF the committee believe that
Loeffier is guiltless of attracting the
deposit slip. but they believe that the
Senate page probably handed him a
paper which related to another matter.