The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-20
U. S. Senator McLean's Re fusal to Come Across With Endorsement For Con gressional Candidates Is Brought to Light. Ashe's Peculiar Methods in Collecting Funds Sensa- tion of Forenoon's In quiry of States Attorney Cummings.

Stamford, July Ebenezer J.HilI, the chronic congressman of the Fourth district, took the stand this afternoon at the federal inquiry into the alleged violation of the corrupt practices act in his election to succeed Jeremiah Donovan
 The former congressman sat through an unusually eventfAI xnorn- Ing session before he was called. after the noonday recess. to explain how it came to pass that the Republican con gressiona1 committee came to spend $10, ,000 in the last campaign.
 4The star witness of the morning session was J. J. Ashe. zAsl1e was for meriy a furrier, identified with the hat business in Norwalk. In later years he conducted the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in Washington Square, New York city, where many shopgirls were killed in a fire.
 Ashe told, under the adroit ques- tfoning of Homer s. Cummtngs, coun- seI for MT. Donovan, the story of his visit to Danbury with Hill, his confer ence with. q secret gathering of man. ufacturers in Danbury club, of their making a pool of funds to help in the campaign, and of his co-operation with Charles A. Mallory in the solicitation of funds.
 Ashe admitted that he had no auth ority to collect funds, was no ones political agent, carried no credentials and was not obliged to give any ac- counting of his collections He said he gathered 1850, inechecks and cash. and that Mallory got another sum.
 The fact that former U- s. Senator George B. Mclean refused to come across with an endorsement of MT. Hi1Ts candidacy became known for the first time to-day when Milton Fessenden resumed the witness stand McIeanss reply to a request of this nature was termed as ''unsatisfac- tory.''
 First of the witnesses to-day was Judge F. A Bartlett of the Bridge port City court. He was a candidate for State Senator, and was a mem Der of the Congressional committee when Hil1 made his run.
 HeS was unable to tell much of the committee's finances or other aotivi- ties.
 As he was the next witness, and his disclosures of. the unusual methods resorted to in the gathering of funds was the sensation1of the morning ses- sion.
 George A. Darroy of westport told how he had received $50 from l A c. Wheeler. Hills political agent He credited the payment. manager Of the Westport fund, to State Sen, ator Salmon. It was Ian error," hs said.
 When Milton Fessenden was on the witness stand again. Cummings had him produce a mass of eorrespon- dence with Hill, Wheeler and oth. CTS.
 Fessenden admitted that Hill picked out even the bill board locations l where the posters bearing Hills like ness were Ito appear. He told alow Hill prepared copy for printed ap- peals for funds to effect his cleo ton
 Then it was that came the inter. esttng sidelight of McLean's refusa, to endorse Hill.
 | In reply to such an appeal, there was a brief note from Mclean. saying that Hi1 would be elected any how.
 Fessenden was most reluctant ts disclose this fact and it was brough out only when Cummings insisted up on explanation of the phrase in an other letter referring to McLean J letter as very unsatisfactory.