The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-29
Bellows Falls Lawyer Gives
More Testimony About
Grand Trunk Money
PAID GEORGE STEELE
SOMETHING LIKE $4,000
Latter Was at One Time Editor of
Cheshire Republican and AfterWard
Agent of New Hampshire Liquor
Dealers.

agent VI NeW hampshire Liquor
Dealers.
CONCORD, \, H., Sept. 29.-George A.
Weston of Bellows Falls, agent of Presi-
dent B. \. Kimball of the Concord & Mon
treal railroad, testified for nearly four
hours yesterday afternoon at the public
service commission inquiry into railroad
expenses for legislation in this state
Weston's testimony had much of the
sensational in it. In the first place, he
mentioned George H Steele of Manches-
ter, secretary of the New Hampshire Ii
censees' association and legislative agent, as
receiving railroad money in the fight to
keep the Grand Trunk out of the state In
the second place, he declared that neither
he nor Steele kept books In the third
place, he said he paid Steele what lie
thought he vas worth. while Presidents
Kimbalf paid Weston what the lawyer
asked. All payments were in cash on both
sides ....
Mr. Weston took exception to being
called a ''$27 600 man. and a man OF
mystery. He said he never got S2T 900
and that he had made no attempt to dodge
| d summons to testify in the case.
! Mr. Weston estimated that if the Grand
i Trunk road had been admitted to New
/ Hampshire. the value of New Hampshire
railroad stocks would have deprecated
from 10 to - per cent.
I Concerning the shipment of S12,G63.1o
in cash from Boston to Concord, testified
to by General Auditor Hobbs and Solicitor
Rich last week Mr.. Weston said that the
money had been sent to reimburse Mr..
! kImball for the money he had paid out
on his personal account. He had signed
the vouchers at the request of Mr.. Kim
ball, who had informed him that President
Melen had suggested that he get some at
torney retained by the road to sign the
vouchers for the amount
Il had every confidence in Mr.. Kim
ball. remarked Mr.. Weston, and 50
signed them" Continuing, the Vermont
man said that the varying dates on the
vouchers were explained by Mr. KimbalI
as the dates on which he had borrowed
the money to use in the conduct OF the
campaign against the Grand Trunk until
the Boston & Maine should reimburse
him
The lawyer had never seen Mr. KimbaIl
before he met him in his Office on April
is, 1912. The upshot' said Mr. Wes-
ton, was that Mr. Kimball asked me if
would undertake the work, if [ would take
a retainer and fees, and act for the North
ern and leased lines, as well, to which
proposition | assented
| II told him I should want retainer of
| $500, and good pay, and that | should not
keep track of expenditures, and make no
reports. | made no charges, Kept no books
or memoranda. I set nothing down on pa
per. / started a passbook once to show
= where / was and what | was doing on diff
ferent days but soon got sick of it.
When the fight was ended late in 1912
| believed it to be necessary to keep up the
: fight | had heard rumors of a settlement
S some time before, but the matter had not
: been brought officially to my attention and
concluded that the fight should be kept
up to prevent the Grand Trunk from get
n ting charter at the hands of the legisla
: ture. l had nothing whatever to do witt
the legislature for an Illegal purpose
THE man whom ! employed to assist me
= in my work was newspaperman, former
y editor of the Cheshire Republican, Georg,
Fl. Steele, and / paid him between $4,000
and 81 900 in salary and expenses. Out
n side of that | made no payment to any
body | had vouchers for some of the cx
= penditures, but could not find them, al
though / searched my files carefully
Under examination by Mr. Benton, Nj
Weston said he had first called the atten
n ton of Mr. Kimball to the voucher 70
T S12,665 on a visit to the city on Wednes
day of last week, and had refreshed hi
memory concerning it at a conference a
his office on Monday evening, at which hi
counsel, Mr. Howe and Gen Eastman
= were present.