The Washington herald., 1914-07-04
Mine INTERESTED
IHECOMPTROLLER
John Skelton Williams Asked
Price Of Control Of Gold
Hill Property.
PROBERS GET THE FACTS
Walter George Newman. Promoter.
Also on Stand. Tells of Talking
to Hennen Jennings.
PROBERS GET THE FACTS

1obn SkeItou Williams. comptroller Of
,he currency and Walter George New
man. promoter Of the Gold HIN mining
nronsytv. were witnesses yesterday be
fore the Senate committee investigating
fhe exploitRtion OF the property upor
senate stationery obtained from the COM
lnfttee rooms Of Senator'S overman and
ChiIton.
The days testimony brought out the
following statements
That John Skelton Williams-then As
sistant Secretary Of the Treasury-sug-
gested that Walter George Newman, the
promoter of the gold mine, meet Hen
nen Jennings a mining engineer of con-
siderable wealth, who was formerly asso-
ciated with Mr.. Williams on the direc-
torate of the Seaboard Air Line.
That Mr. Newman met Jennings in Mr..
williams ONCE. and that Williams asked
IL Newman would sell control OF the
property.
Arranged Conference.
That John skelton Williams later sug-
gested and arranged q conference be-
tween Newman and Cleveland Perkins,
another mining engineer who has been
associated with Mr.. Jennings in exten-
sive ventures, and who also served on
the Seaboard Air Line directorate with
That at this conference inquiries also
were addressed to Newman as to his will
ingness to sell control.
That Mr.. Williams later suggested to
his brother Berkeley, of Richmond, that
he and Mr.. Jennings stop of at Sauls-
bury. N. c.. and inspect the Newman
mine, and that later Berkeley Williams
did make the trip with an expert and in:
vestgated the property.
Most a. f1Aa ,,-z-.
Walter George Newman, the promoter;
some were borne out by the testimony OF
Comptroller Williams himself.
Paid Another Visit.
OF the conference attended by Hennen
Jennings and others in Mr.. Williams Of
nee. the comptroller said:
When Mr.. Newman was advised that
the Development of his mine was not
such as TO justify the department in po-
ing ahead. or taking any steps looking to
the opening of the assay office. Mr.. New
man paid another visit on me I men
toned Mr.. Jennings as a man whom I
had known to be an experienced and
successful engineer in the operation of
gold mines in South Africa.
Mr.. Newman expressed an earnest de-
sire to be thrown into contact with Mr..
Jennings, and I arranged for Mr.. lem
introduced him, and at that conference
Mr.. Newman came with Mr. Phillips. of
New York. who was introduced as the
principal officer Of the Tennessee Conner
company and also as an associate with
M Newman in certain gold-rnining VEN
lures in which Mr.. Newman formerly
lad been interested in Nevada Mr.. Jen-
nings called, probably at my telephone
request. and Mr.. Newman and they had
short conference. or talked there as
10 the North Carolina gold property"
"NO Active Part"
did you take any part in the confer
ence?" asked Senator Hughes.
No active part" said Mr. Williams.
Il was in my office at the time. Know
ing Mr.. Newman's enthusiasm, felt II
proper in introducing Mr.. Newman to
Mr.. Jennings, that Mr.. Jennings should
be informed as to what the department
knew about the matter Therefore, Il
was that I asked Dr. Dewey Cthe ASSAY
expert who visited the mine) to come
around and report verbally what he had
discovered in a few hours OF observation
at the mine DR.. Dewey stated what he
had learned there, and that practically
ended the matter so far as Mr. Jennings
was concerned. I do not know whether
Mr.. Newman and Mr.. Jennings met
again
Newman kept reporting that he was
discovering new veins. and making new
borings, but Mr.. Williams was not salts
lied that there was anything to justify
the reOpening of the assay office, said
was very solicitious that Mr.. Jennings