Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1914-07-08
COLO HILL MINE SCANDAL.
Proceedings Before The Investigating Com
mittee. Necessity Of Muck RakslS.

Washington, D. G., July q
Investigation of the use of Sen
ate stationery in the promotio!
of a gold mile, at Gold Hill, N
O.. was begun today by Senat
privileges and elections subcc m
mlttee, with Senators Overman
of North Carolina and Chiffon o
West Virginia, as the principl
witness
Senator Overman told the com
mittee that he had bought $2,.
600 worth of stock in the mine
when q Treasury expert, VINO ex
amined the properly, told him i
was worth $50. 100000. He sale
tat Walter George Newmau, who
promoted the niue, frequently
had visited him at his Office. Ht
often allowed his constituents &c
write letters at his office. Sena
tor Overman said, and declared
shat the letters in questio Il
which contained q Federal repor,
on the mlne by J. G. Williams a
mining engineer ware written en-
the paper of the Senate Tales c,m-
mittee, without his Knowledge, by
Miss Helen B Moore, stone.
grapher in his eff 80, at the in
stance of Newman, Senator Over
mad said his son.in-law, Z @.
Gregory, was employed by New
man as attorney Ter the mimi e
company
II told him some muck cracker
would find out about it AID insist
on investigation. ~ added Senator
Chiffon.
Senator Chiffon said be bought
so 600 shares of stock in the nine
at so cents a share.
Miss Moore, Senate Overm AZ /
stenographer, told of writing he
letters for Newman, and Charles
West, q negro messenger. said be
had given Newman some Of the
stationery of the rules com mittee
G. 81. Martin, clerk to the rulse
committee said he owned $4,000
worth of stock in 1.-THE mine, but
that the purchase was made sew
ersl months before the Williams
letter appeared.
John W. Halssy, clerk so the
census committee. said that at
Newman's request be had directed
. subordinate to make about
thirty ee, ;e, Of. the Williams
letter on committee paper. He
said he had bought 1000 shares
of Geld Hill stock on
margin several months
before the letter was written.
The stock went down and his
margin of about $3.50 was wiped
out he said.
Newman probably will appear
before the committee tomorrow.
John Skeleton Williams, comp
troller of the currency, and
George e Roberts, director of
the mint, will be aeked to explain
the sending of government ex-
pert to examine the mine
Senator Overman said that he
understood that during his alb
sence from his Office, and without
his consent, probably three or
four copies of a letter written by
J G Williams, a mining expert,
to Senator W. E Chiffon in re.
gard TO the Gold Hill property
had been copied on stationery OF
the Rules Com mittee of which he
is chairman,
No one will suppose for min.
ute that Mr.. Overman deliberate
ly handed out committee ON
statiouery to Newman to use for
boosting the worthless stock OF
the Gold H,ll mine, and it is pre-.
sumed the committee of inquiry
will fully exonsrate him in this
regard. which, 1t is believed, will
be full and complete, yet it ie
hoped, it will not coavey the
impression that the Gold Hill
stock dealers have been given q
license to continue their wild cat
operations aud a bill of good
character.
CANT AND HYPoCRICY.
Mr.. Martin stated that he as
sumed all the responsibility and
blame for what happened in Sen
ator Ovsrman's otfiea i'll connec-
tion with copy nz Of thu J c.
Will ans letter on Rules Com t
tee paper; that frequently Sena-
tor Overman' constituents fr. n
North Carolina come into the Of
fice and ask for sheet of paper
to write a letter on and that be
has never yet refused to graz
such request from any constltu.
ent; that Mas Moore, the lady
stel'ographer, had freq tertly, to
his knowledge, WRIT n !etters
for constituents, who happened =
be in the office, on Senate ssatio.i.
cry and that Miss Moore had 6
right to assume that thee was
nothing improper or reprehensibl'
in making the copy of the lette
which she made for Mr.. Newman
and which brought about thi