Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-24
INA" pERGD0LL BERATES
.pROBERS AS BUSYB0D|ES
House Committee Learns OF
Thousands Paid in Behalf
OF Stacker Sons.

Washinstoh. May 2a.--The special
House committee investigating the es-.
cape Of Grover c. BcrEdoll came OF a
had second In q lively TIT yesterday with
the draft dodger's mother, Mrs. Emma
c. Bergdoll. TO add to its discontinue
the committee was compelled to reject
= demand OF Representative Ben john
soh (Dem.. kyl that Mrs. Bergdoll be
held In contempt OF the House.
In Mrs. Berkdoll the members found
. Tartar. She snapped at them. nouted
them. tofd them they were busybodies
aud nnally wound up by declaring. II
am tired Of tuu sticking your noses into
my personal business and I'll answer
no more questions"
At that time she was being ques-
toned by johnson and he Immediately
dcma nded that Chairman Peters prepare
the necessary papers to have her held
In contempt
Mrs. BerEdoll laughed "Ha hal" as
Peters stated that the demand would
be con sdered in executive session.
After the executive session Mrs. Berg
doll was told that she could so home
and the committee announced that no
further action would be taken in the
contempt move.
Mrs. BerEdol has proved a tractable
witness regarding financial matters
until the committee attempted to find
where she had buried the 100000 pot
Of gold Bergdoll was supposed to be
looking for when he was released from
prison. Then she became stubborn.
She stated fatty that she would not
show the gold to anyone. not even her
sons and merely laughed when asked
II she would show IL TO a member of
the committees.
Its nobody.s business but my own.
/ wont bring 1, into court and / wont
to escape the drafts The ledger shows
show IL to anybody" and again she
laughed When Representative Lurins
expressed doubt as to her having the
money at ali.
This seemed to anger Representative
Luhring and he began harsh cross
examination that resulted chiefly in get
ting himself laughed at by Mrs. Berg
doll. the committee and the spectators.
"wnl you say why you named your
con after our most warlike President
he asked.
.Grover Cleveland was not warlike."
renlied Mrs. Bergdoll. HE lodged the
draft In the Civil War and paid fine
of $500 for doing it"
Replying to questions as TO whether
Grover was brought up TO be a draft
dodrer. Mrs Bergdol said: II brought
my. son up TO be President, maybe, some
day"
What? Your boy Bergdoll be Presi-
dent7" exclaimed Luhring.
Yes. he's got just as good chance
as YOU" was the repHs and Lunrins
subsidized as everybody laughed.
Ma" Bergdon. as she 10 famiiiariy
called. showed that she possesses
keen business sense. She gave the
committee a ledger containing an ac-
count of the expenditure of every cent
since Grover and his brother Irwin neo
that ma" did not count pennies IN
helping her soma
spept Many Thousands.
II showed hundreds given 10 GroVer
While he was In tail--in all more tnan
$500 hundreds givn when she merely
,hou~ht she was helping him. and
many thousands to lawyers, stenogra-
nhers. doctors and others. She told OF
giving $500 TO an army officer to BUY
Grover razors. neckties and other COM
forts and candy, books and other thfngs
for his fellow prisoners
In ALI she spent in this way nearly
sso 900 and she still has $4,000 1udg-
ment obtained by a lawyer hanging
over her Among those, according 10
the ledger. who shared IN TINS sum,
vas ID. Clarence Gibbony, now dead,
who. in addition to receiving various
large sums, was loaned $4,000; Harry
weinberger Of New York, to whom sne
claims to have paid $1,000 in fees;
Rurn,s detectives $500; James E.
gnmir. several thousands; Frank Har-
rigan. $3.50.
A loan of $50. 900 to her other son,
Charles A Braun, two weeks before
Crover's escape, excited the attention
Of the committee. and brought another
int