The Washington herald., 1913-08-28
DEALS OF SOLON
TOLDBYLAWYER
J. Easby-Smith Relates Incl
dents Of Trip to Chesa-
peake Beach.
M'DERMOTT NEEDED COIN
Former House Page Testi6es that Rep
resentatiVe Always Was in
Hot Water.

I After concluding the cross-examination
of l. II. McMichael, former friend, who
has testified against McDermott, Attor-
lney James Easby-Smith yesterday left
the side OF his client and testified before
the House lobby committee in behalf of
Representative McDermOtt OF Illinois.
Mr.. Easby-Smith related under oath
the incidents of a trip he made to Ches-
apeake Beach to see McMichael, who
had written McDermott. asking for
money. Harry L. Barker, a local title
insurance lawyer, who accompanied Mr.
Easby-Smith on that occasion, corrobo-
rated much of the latters testimony
Ralph B. Fleharty, a junior law partner
OF Easby-Smith, told of a meeting be-
tween McDermott and McMichaeI in his
office, at which an effort had been made
TO patch up the differences between the
two men.
Gave McMichneI S25.
Attorney Easby-Smith testified that
McDermott claimed TO owe McMichael
only So, and this was a moral rather
than an actual obligation. Easby-Smith
said he went to Chesapeake Beach,
where McMichaeI was in hiding last
July, and there paid McMichael S25 on
the SO account for McDermott. where
upon "McMichael's attitude changed"
He told me that the letter OF intro
duction written by Col. MulhaH to ]. p.
Bird. OF the n. A. NJ. in New York,
was written at McMichaers suggestion
and that MCDermOtt never knew its con-
tents. as 1t was sealed" testified Easily
Smith.
]. P. Bird later went on the stand
and said he thought the letter was sealed
when presented and that McDermott had
merely asked him to interest himself
in an aeroplane-building venture. He re-
jected the suggestion of mixing up in
McDermott's aeroplane project, and never
saw McDermott again until the present
hearing.
MuIhaII 10 Receive Half.
Michael and McDermott in his Office,
Fleharty said he understood that there
was, among the indehtednesses claimed
Of McDermott by McMichael, an item
OF SIS, one-half Of which MuIhaII was
to receive for his work for McDermott
in the Chicago primaries OF 1872. Fle-
harty said he understood that McMichaei |
expected to receive half of this amount. |
but failing TO get it from MuIhaIl, want |
ed McDermott to pay it.
Fleharty testified that McDermott said |
to McMichael: You're sticking pretty |
close to MulhaH these days. aren't you
To which McMichaeI replied. according |
to Fleharty:
Eyes; If can stick the old guy up for |
anything from SO to 500, can use the |
money"
According to Fleharty. McMichael said
to McDermott:
I'm going on the stand Tuesday, and |
I want to know where l get of"
Soon Changed Mind.
Under cross-examination in the morn
ing. MCMichael testified he had told Rep
Reilly of Connecticut. in the |
course of a conversation on the train
coming from New York. that he had in
tended to get out Of sight after the Null
hall expose. but that he had changed
his mind after talking to the New York
World people.
The former chief page Of the House
ienied emphatically that he had ever
prepared or promised 10 sell an article to
. Hearst newspaper man, though he
,wore two Of them had been most per-
;istent in their attempts to get from
him an article which would injure the
Wilson administration.
Humphrey :. Shaw, formerly a House
,age and secretary to McDermOtt, testi-
led that the latter always was in hot
water as the result Of his aerOplane ven
ures, and that McDermott had described