Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-01-07
Testimony Of Witness Shows
Mrs. Kirk Herself Said She
Expected Assistance of Sen
ator in Husbands Release.
SWEAR BuSHEE CLAIMED
IGNORANCE OF MURDER
Told H. H. Antics, Pardon OF.
ficer Johnson and Bee Re.
porter He Thought Kirk
Guilty Only Of "Bootlegging."

Lincoln. Jan. 6-(Special Telc-
gram.)-Startling testimony was del
veloped today at the state CONF
MISSIONS inquiry into the release
of Beryl Kirk on "furlougll" !"
signed by State Senator B. Ke|
Bushee. A new light was thrown upon
the connection of the senator with
the, case revealing aspects of the
affair which appeared to indicate
that for months previous to thc|
release he had knowledge of the
case.
Statement of Bushee.
That State Senator Bushee did
make the statement that at thel
time he sigued the furlough' he|
believed the charge was merely that
of "bootlegging," was testified to|
by three witnesses, H. Fl. Antics
of the public welfare board; Z. NJ.
Johnson, state parole office and
John f. Kenncbeck, reporter for
The Bee, all of whom testified that
Mr.. Bushee had plainly and pos
itively stated to them, or in their|
presence and hearing, that hs|
thought the charge was only boot 4
Logging"
This is in direct controversion|
of what State Senator Bushee has
said, that he never made such a
statement in excusing his act Of
"furlouglling" from the penitentiary
man under sentence of 20 year.
for murder.
The hearing will continue at Q
tomorrow, at which time, said the
attorney general, he will call few
more witnesses including Cover
nor McKelvie, who is expected be-
fore 4.
Kinks Hope in Bushee.
The new and startling Develop
| ment in the inquiry came through
the testimony of Taylor Kennerly,
managing editor of The Bee, who
was called to relate a conversation
he personally had with Mrs. Kirk
about the lst of July, previous to the
signing of the "furlough."
According to the statement Mrs.
Kirk made to Mr.. Kennerly, she
was not only expecting at that time
|. to get her husband out-of the pen1
itentiary, but was depending upon
State Senator Bushee to aid her.
Kennerly Was Puzzled.
Mr.. kennerly testified that he was
puzzled by the statement made byl
Mrs. Kirk, and asked her if she did
not mean that she expected the gov1
ernor, or the lieutenant governor to
pardon the man out, but she repeat
ed that State Senator Bushee was
the man who had promised to aid
her. /
Mr.. kennerly testified that he wa j
much puzzled to know how a mere
state senator could get a man oud
OF the penitentiary, but that he paid
little attention to the entire inter-
view, anyway, as he had-not been on
the P 2r at the time of the Mala
schock robbery, was not familia !
with either the case or Kinks conJ
,nection with it, and considered the
affair of little importance.
Bushee Saw Attorneys Then.
Mrs. Kirk, however, went on to
tell him. said Mr.. Kennerly. the de \
tails.
She said, testified Mr.. KennerlyJ
that she had already raised $1,000
and in addition to the Omaha attor 1
neys had attorneys at Lincoln, the
state capital She needed more
money. she said, and she had c~..e
to him because she feared The Bee
would oppose her attempts to get
out her husband, her activities in1
raising the money having attracted
some attention at that time.
John T. Dunn. chief Of the
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