Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-03
Promoter of North Carolina
Gold Mine Weeps, and Sobs
Stop His Testimony.
JOHN SHELTON WILLIAMS
AND G. E. ROBERTS TESTIFY
Conferences at Treasury Department
on Development of Property
Described. I

W. q. Newman. promoter of North
Carolina sold mine, told a Senate In
Vestgating committee a fearful story
today about the use Of official letter
paper OF the census and rules commit
tee for circulation OF letter from a
mining engineer praising the propertv,
lie testified he asked Senator Over.
mans stenographer to make copies Of
the letter. and that a clerk in the CEN
sus committee made others Senator'S
overman and Chiffon. chairmen of those
committees, knew nothing Of IL. he
said
w nile Newman was telling the story Of
MS struggles to promote the propertv
ne wept. and once sobs stopped MIN
newman said that about thirty-fiye or
forty copies OF the letter on Senate ma
per were sent to his personal friends
among the Gold Hill stockholders. Mons
tested. no P'o-
In voice choked with emotion New
man told the committee OF the early
fHksnes OF himself and his brother. J.
MY brother saw things going to niece.
ne said. and he took Ave sticks Of dyna-
mite ana blew himself into ten thousand
pieces. He left letter saving his life's
work vas gone. He said North Carolina
was the richest state in the I-nion
When 1 heard that l took oath I'd never
let go that property till l proved his
statement or went the way he went
Also Used Presidents Room.
Newman said he had talked with sena-
tors Pomerene. Swanson and Martin
about the mine. He said he had fire.
quently used the presidents room, be-
hind the Senate chamber for his talks,
but had gone there each time at the
invitation of senators. He said Senator
Pomerene was introduced to him by
Gen. Jacob s. Coxey.
Director Of the Mint George E. Roberts
said that he sent F. G. Dewey assayer
OF the mint bureau, to examine the prop
erty after talks with Newman and his
superior. John Shelton Williams, then
assistant secretary of the Treasury. The
expert was sent to determine IL the pro-
duction were sufficient to reopen North
Carolina assay Office
Mr.. Williams gave about the same ex-
PLANTATION as Mr. Roberts. He said he
had no stock in the mine. never ex-
pected to have any and that no one
in his family owned any nor did any
said his brother. w. Berkeley williams.
looked at the mine after Dewey 70.
ported.
Conference at Williams' ONCE.
Mr.. Williams said that the mine had
been discussed at q conference in his
Office in the Treasury at which Newman,
Hennen Jennings. at noted mining on
gineer Of Washington, and his brother.
W. Berkeley Williams. were present He
had taken little part in the conference
he swore. After Williams left Newman
was recalled. and said that the con-
ference in Assistant Secretary williams
office was followed in about three weeks
by another at the home here Of Clevs-
I@v, IOAS 80
Neither of the williams brothers was
present at this second conference but
the appointment for Newman to visit the
Perkins homo was made BY John SHELTON
Williams. Perkins. he said. wantsd 70
gain control Of the mine. and talked it
over for three hours. Finding he could
acquire only a minority interest Per Sins
dropped the negotiations. Newman said
he had an idea what the second confer
ence was to be about before he went to
Perkins home, but he was not pressed
to say where he got that idea.
He said that he had had some CORE
spondence with John Shelton Williams
and Berkeley Williams about the mine.
He preferred that IL be given out by the
other parties.
Clerk Takes Responsibility.
At the hearing yesterday afternoon
Charles H. Martin, clerk of the rules
committee, assumed all responsibility for
the action OF Miss Moore a temporarily
employed stenographer. In copying the
letter. He said that he did not know
the character of the letter at the time
and that he had not given II a thought.
Later he testified that he had bought
5000 worth of stock In the gold mine
against Senator Overman's advice. He
said that he had made hts first purchase
of stock four months ago and that he
thought he was the first man about the
Capitol to get any.
Harry N. Tansil. assistant clerk to the
printing committee. said that he had
made thirty copies OF the letter on COM
mittee stationery. He said that John
w. Halsey, another assistant clerk. had
brought him a copy Of the letter on the
rules committee stationery and had told
him that Newman desired the copies
made. Halsey testified that he had
known Newman for five or six years and
that he thought there was no harm in
making copies Of the Williams letter for
Newman. He admitted that he had
bought 1000 shares of the gold mine
stock on margin at a local stock broker
age, paying about $3.50 for 1t. This mar
gin. he said, had been wiped out since
and he had lost all the money he put
into II. He bought the stock. he said.
without saying anything to Senator Chill
ton.