Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-16
ARTIST DENIES
CONFESSION TO
ATTACK ON SMITH
World-HeraId EmpIoye De.
cIares Boasting to Fel-
low Workers Got Him
in Trouble.

Leonard Webet. who was a de-
signing artist in the advertising de-
partment of the World-Herald up
to the time of his arrest last Mon
day afternoon on charge of having
been implicated in the attack OF
Mayor Smith during the riots at the
court house September %. yesterday
IN his cell at the county Jail told his
version of the affair.
Police officials insist that Weber
confessed to them, admitting that
he struck Mayor Smith over the
head with revolver and that he
participated in the attempted hang
ing of the mayor. The statement
given at police headquarters was
that Weber's confession was made
to Chief of Detectives Dunn and De-
tectives Troby and Bolar.
Admits Taking Revolver.
He admitted taking a revolver
from the desk of 7. G. Devaney, an
associate worker in the advertising
department of the World Herald,
and he also admitted that he told
several companions in his Office that
be struck Mayor Smith.
"But | did not actually strike
Mayor Smith at ALL he insisted yes
terday when making his latest state
ment. my mouth has gotten me
,nto this trouble. / will tell you
just how it happened. The fellows
a. the office frequently kidded me
about different matters. When the
Ralston bank robbery occurred they
asked me how | was going to spend
all Of the money / got and | told
them ! was going to buy a new au-
tomobile and some other things.
well, after the court house affair
happened. | told the boys in the
Office that ! was there and /
saw the negro hanged. ! was
standing in front of the drug store
at Eighteenth and Harvey streets
when the negro was strung up.
Says He Was Boosting.
80 the fellows at the Office would
ssk me: You was the guy who
struck Mayor Smith, was your and
then I would say that ! was. And
they would ask: we suppose you
was one of the men who helped
hang Will Brown, wasn't your and
would say that l was. I suppose
that ! got to boasting about it. Any
way, know that when they kidded
me just admitted the whole works.
You know, fellows like to kid some
one in an Office"
Weber, in his statement yesterday,
denied that he even saw Mayor
Smith during the Sunday night OF
che court house affair.
u was down town in my auto
mobile and had my wife, mother
in-law and sister in the car with
me-" he continued. The women
said they would be afraid to go
home, so l left them in the car
Lille | went over to the World
I,.rald office and got the revolver
iaom Deveney's desk. The revolver
& d not have any cartridges in 1t
wien | got it. "a
Denies Seeing Mayor.
-Nhen ! returned with the empty
ic3olver found that my wife and
her folks had gone with the auto
mobile. That was about 9 or lit
tie later. | then went over to the
court house, but at no time did |
see Mayor Smith that evening.
II have not made any confession
to anybody since my arrest, stating
that ! struck Mayor Smith.
Somebody has said that 1 tainted
at the police station when they
showed me the revolver that l had
that Sunday night. When they
showed me the revolver | admitted
that had taken it with me. | didn't
faint, but / have weak heart.
was put in limited service while il
the army on account Of my heart
| can't stand much exertion or ex-
element"
Denies He's q Radical.
Nr. Weber asserted that he die
not hold any radical views abou
the government and he insisted tina
he did not hold any grievance
against Mayor Smith.
Weber said that he was born il
Omaha Is years ago, attended Wal
nut Hill public school, Central High
school and studied art at the Scott
Art institute, Chicago. He was mar,
ried nearly two years ago.
He is worrying lest his present
plight will interfere with his pro
fessional career.
He denied that bolsheviki or I
w. w. propaganda has ever appeal