The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1918-08-07
OVERMAN THINKS
TRAVIS INNOCENT
Of Any Wrong Doing and
Richard Mcdonald May
be Investigated
AND PERHAPS DISMISSED

=
Washington, Aug. THAT Rich
ard Mcdonald, who represents him
self as Chicago banker, will be sub
jected to personal Investigation
and probably dismissed from the
government service for his unseemfy
procedure in the arrest and detention
Of Edward l.. Travis, was the sensa-
tional development unfolded to the
writer yesterday. Senator Lee S.
Overman conferred with Secretary or
the conduct of Mcdonald, who is in
the employ of the naval intelligence
department. Secretary Daniels told
the junior Senator that the first
knowledge he had of the arrest Of
Mr.. Travis was the accounts carried
in the newspapers. He promised an
Investigation.
Before leaving for his home in Sal
isbury, Senator Overman yesterday
authorized the following statement
expressly for hits correspondence:
Gas soon as I read your account
of the preliminary setting to the trial
of Mr.. Travis, l hastened to Wash
ington. felt that when a friend
needs help is when he is in trouble.
| came not to shield anybody if they
were in the wrong, but from your ar
ticle as appeared in the North Caro-
lima newspapers, which | read in
Asheville, / could not find wherein
Mr.. Travis was guilty of any wrong
full act
when l reached Washington
Monday / went to the office to SEE
Attorney General Thomas w. Grego-
ry. found him out of his office, the
attorney General being out of the
city in connection with the aircraft
investigation. l had a conference
with Assistant Attorney Generals
OBrien and Graham. They did not
know anything concerning the case,
stating that the affair had been sent
to them from the Navy Department.
They agreed with me that it was a
high-handed sort of treatment to
lock man up for sixteen hours and
deny him all communication with his
wife and friends. The Assistant
Attorney Generals knew of no crime
charged against Travis.
II went to see Secretary Daniels
this morning, and he informed me
that he knew absolutely nothing
/ about the affair except what he saw
In the newspapers. He promised to
investigate the case of Mcdonald.
i do not believe there is a case on
record in the United States in which
man has been locked up for sixteen
hours without being permitted to
communicate with his wife or
friends said Senator Overman. II
told the Department of Justice that
did not want to shield any one gull
ty OF wrongdoing, but | could not
see anything in the charges against
Mr.. Travis. The department prom
ised to investigate the action of lock-
ing the former Corporation Commits
sion chairman in Jail sixteen hours
without seeing his friends.
Il came to Washington to ascer-
tain the facts l would hurry back
to lend helpful hand to any North
Carolinian who had been treated in
such fashion. have not even
seen Mr.. Travis and do not know of
his whereabouts. l have taken upon
myself to investigate the case, but
cannot find any wrongdoing.
Replying to this inquiry as to
whether the matter was being promp.
ted by political enemies of Mr. Ira
Wis, as suggested in a Washington
newspaper, Senator Overman said:
am not prepared to say as to
that. But | do know there is a mys-
terry In this whole matter. I have
not been able to ferret 1t out. saw
the United States District Attorney,
and he told me that he condemned
the treatment of Mr.. Travis. he
stated that he saw no crime In the
action OF Mr.. Travis, unless 1t de-
veloped that he had advanced efforts
to secure a deferred military CLASH
fication for Green"