The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-28
"FALSER THAN HELL
Was EVER THOUGHT"
"a.
Mayor Gill of Seattle Denies
He Accepted Billings
ley's Brides.
FORGOT ABOUT PAPERS
Left Them in Room Where
Alleged Bribery Transac-
ton Took Place.

Seattle. March 27.--Mayor Hiram e.
Gill, principal defendant in the whis-
key conspiracy case on trial in the
United States district court, went on
the witness stand in his own behalf
this afternoon and declared that Bill
|ingslcy's accusation that he had ac-
ccptcd a bride of $4,000 from the liquor
seller. was 'falscr than hell was ever
thought of being" A little later the
mayor flatly contradicted testimony Of
Rev. Mark A. Matthews as to an al
legged conversation between the clergy
man and the mayor concerning the AL
legged bride. The other defendants on
trial are Chief of Police Charles l..
Rockingham and City Detectives Pey-
ser, Pooman. Doom and McLennan. all
charged with conspiracy to import
liquor into the state Of Washington.
Wrecked Drug Stores.
The mayor told Of his wrecking of
the Billingslcy drug stores and his cf-
forts to put the Billingslcys out Of
business and complained that in this
fight he did not have the cooperation
of Prosecuting Attorney Lundin. The
mayor admitted that he had publicly
declared he would run the Billingslcys
out of town. but said he knew he was
Onl ymaking bluff and could not
carry out his threat, especially with
the prosecuting attorney not helping.
The mayor told of the Bilints6leys'
attorney, George +. Vandcrvccr, ne
gotiating with him last August for a
settlement between the city and the
Bilingsleys under which the city
would drop it's suits and the Billings
lcys would drop their suits against the
city. Nandcrvecr said the Billingslcys
had told him they were going to quit
liquor selling, but that he (Vander-
vccr) would not guarantee it. In the
negotiations Nandervccr did not men,
ton the Billingsley papers seized in the
Bilingsley drug store raid and the
| mayor did not consider them of any
| importance. he said.
| Damaging Papers.
| The compromise with the Billings
lcys was practically completed August
-, the mayor testified. on August
30, Eandcrvcer called on him, he said.
and complained that the Billingslcys
had not yet received their seized
papers. The mayor nt once went to
the office Of the chief of police to in
qurc why the papers had not been re-
turned, Captain Charles sullivan. be-
ing called in by the chief. said Sar-
geant Putnam of the dry" squad re-
fused to give the papers up. The
mayor told him to go to Putnam and
make pcremptory demand for them.
sullivan returned with the papers. by
that time Logan Billingslcy had been
brought into the office to get the
papers and the papers were being
turned over to him when Sullivan
called the mayors attention to the fact
that the papers were under subpoena
fled. rcprimanded his subordinates fol
not telling about the subpoena before
and left the office in anger. not know.
ing Or caring what became of tn.
papers.
Logan Billingslcy's testimony at thu
beginning of the trial was that thu
papers were of great value as evidcnc,
against him and that surrender of tn,
papers was Il part of the service TO
which he paid Mayor Gill a $4,000 brib,
in the chiefs office on August 80, thu
day when he got the papers.
: Chief Rockingham was cross exam
ined earlier in the day.