The Dermott news., 1917-03-08
MEAOOR ACCUSED
 0F BR|BE OFFER
PULASKI COUNTY GRAND JURY INDicTS REFRESHMENTS
 OF CLARK COUNTY.
TWO OTHERS ARE ACCUSED
Senator Burgess and Walker Powell of Little Rock Involved in Charge of Common Conspiracy
 Powell Makes Statement.
Little Rock

Little Rock
 The Pulaski County grand jury, n It's final report submitted to Judge Lea, returned three indictments, one against Representative stephen Mead- or of Clark County. one against Sena- tor l. C. Burgess of Russllville and one against Walker V. Powell of this city The indictment against MT Powell charges a misdemeanor Each of the indicted men was released on sl ,000 bond.
 Burgess and Powell are jointly charged with common conspiracy 70 hold up" persons interested in the sale of soft drinks through introduc- ton of bill providing for heavy tax on the beverages. Common conspir- aey is a common law offense. punish able by S100 fine or Imprisonment in the county jail. or both.
 Mcador, who represents Clark Coun- " in the Legislature. is charged with proposing to Claude Ringo, Little Rock baseball enthusiast. that his sup port for the Sunday baseball bill might be secured by lifting Sl00 note which was about to fall due, Meador's defense. il was said. will be that tho statement was made iocularly in reply to Mr Rngo's question. and that he had no intention of seeking money for his vote.
 Powell and Burgess are charged with preparing a bill to tax temper ance drinks and conspiring 10 secure hribes from local houses interested in their sale. Henry Leiser of the Karcher Candy Company. alderman from the Second Ward. is said 10 have been the principal witness in the two cases against Powell and Burgess
 Walker V Powell made the follow ing statement:
 T am charged with conspiracy in connection with two Senate bi.ls the object of which was to levy tax on certain soft drinks am charged with preparing these bills and giving them to Senator Burgess 10 introduce. and then seeking 10 obtain employment to defeat them.
 "I neither prepared nor had prepar. ed. nor ever saw these bills. either be fore or after they were introduced: neither before nor after their introduc- ton did l in any shape or form dis euss the bills with Senator Burgess. except as I shall state later.
 'I did not know such bills were entered. except that l read in the paper that they had been introduced l was standing in the lobby of the tIo- tel Marion one afternoon when two parties, both strangers 10 me. had me paged and. after finding me. stated their business. saying they were about to be destroyed, providing this heavy tax was levied on them told them knew nothing of the bill in question. but while We were talking Senator Burgess walked out of the elevator and crossed the corridor. and hailed him and asked him about the bill. and he said that it was introduced for the purpose of providing revenue for the State of Arkansas and had been sub
  proved by him after making a few mi. nor changes. l told the two gentle men that would make an investiga- ton of the matter and sec what tho chances were to kill the bill. and they agreed to meet me in the Hotel Ma. rion corridor at 7:30 o'clock that evening In the evening 1 met them. according to appointment. and suy. gested 10 them that the bill might pos. sibly be killed by wearing it out. as the session of the Legislature was SO far advanced. and suggested that the first thing to do would be to have tho bill referred to committee in order that they might he heard. They asked if would name the fee that I would charge to handle the bill for them. which I did These gentlemen said there were others interested in this bill. associates of theirs. and sug- gested that they meet me at my of fee in the State Hank Building ths following morning. which they did
 The next morning they met me In my office and told them that it would not he necessary for them to employ me as Burgess had been arrested and that would perhaps end the whole thing.
 This is all the connection I had with the matter. and I went before the grand jury and explained it to them in detail"