New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-26
Major Upheld
BY Father i'm
Bersgydoll Case
Campbell's Story of Obtain
ing Money From Invest
ments by Friend C.orrob-
GRATED al Investigation
Congress Ends Hearings
Peters Writing Report OH
Escape of Stacker To Be
Presented to Committee
From Tire T'-issn.e's Washington Bureau


appearance to-day before the Peters
special conimitto, investigating the es-
cape of Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, of
William r. Campbell. of Lexington.
KY, father of Major Bruce Campbell,
charged by Mrs. Bergdoll with accept
ing $4,000 to help obtain tho release of
her son, hearings were brought to an
corroborated the story his son told the
committee several days ago of how
he got the money Major Campbell
had acted as military counsel at the
court martial of Bergdoll
After an executive session which
followed the open hearing to-day,
Chairman Peters announced there
would be no more hearings.
A tentative draft of the report which
Wall be submitted to the full COM
mlttee is now being written by Mr..
refers. Its cons Iteration cannot be
begun for at least ten days because
OF the absence of Representative Flood.
OF Virginia, one Of the minority mem.
bers. 1t is possible, Mr.. Peters ad-
mitted, that some members of the COM
mltcee may disagree on some of the
points to be taken up.
Inc report of the committee and all
the evidence taken will be turned over
TO the inspector general of the army
Tor such use as the War Department msv
desire to make.
Representative Luhring, Republican.
OF lndIana,. proposed that Congress or
/ GER the Alien Property Custodian to
ma and retrieve the Bergdoll pot of
gold All that the committee has been
aole TO learn about the gold is that
the Bergdolls got S1O5,OO0 at the Unit
| cd States Treasury and probably buried
IT,, AS 1t was to have been used for
bribery, the Representative pointed out,
1t should be recovered and put back in
the treasury. The committee took no
action on the suggestion.
Investigation Is DELAYED
Resumption of the committee's inves-
tlgatlon was unexpectedly delayed this
morning by the large gallery of the
curious who greeted the committee at
the door of its small room in the base
ment Of the Capitol. To accommodate
the crowd the hearing was moved ia
the large room of the Interstate and
Forelgn Commerce Committe in the
House Office Building. and spectators.
commltteemen, witnesses and reporters
marched to the new quarters.
Representative Johnson, of Kentucky
drama to the proceedings, caused a
small stir again this morning by an
nounclng he had received an anonv-
nous letter from Philadelphia, which
had been opened before it reached him
He refused to reveal it's contents. bur
1T was passed around among the com
mlttee members, who exhibited mark
ed interest in it.
In turning the letter over to Chair
man Peters, Mr.. johnson said: "The
letter is marked: Received in bad con-
oltlon. X. l.. NJ asked the posi-
master of the House about it and he
said the letter evidently had been open
ed between Philadelphia and Washing
ton. 1t would appear that somebody
IN addition to opening the letters of an
enemy of this county, is also opening
letters addressed to a member of Con-
gress."
Major Campbells father told the
committee of the transaction with the
late Colonel Hilton Young, Kentucky
race horse man, which had brought his
son $4,000.
His story was identical with that
by Major Campbell The father said
his son had given $500 to Colonel Young
and two years later he had received
and delivered to his son $4,000, which
Colonel Young had given to him. He
declared that he knew little of the de-
tails or nature of the deal.
General Sherburne, counsel for the
committee, asked him if he believed
it was got through investment in race
horses.
"No; I know it wasn't horse racing"
was the reply.
No Receipt in Transaction
The Kentucky Colonel was a man of
large business interests and there was
no memorandum or receipt exchanged
/ to mark the transaction, said Mr..
Campbell The time of Major Camp
bells visit home when he turned over
the original $500 was the latter part
I of October or early November, 1915,
| the father estimated.
Did your son save this money out
of his pay?" questioned General Sher-
burne.
Il suppose SOL replied Mr.. Campbell
Did you know your son speculated
in stocks?"
ooh, yes. He would speculate in al
most anything" said the witness, while
his son smiled broadly.
/ While Mr. Campbell was on the
stand his son received telegram from
the Seaboard National Bank of New
York In reply to a message he had
sent asking if a deposit of over $4,000
had been made to his and Mrs. Camp
BELLS credit and the date of the de-
post
eyes. December, 1917 $5,os7.37 de-
posted in Laura E. Campbell's ac-
count" read the reply
When General Sherburne dropped
his cross-examination temporarily
Major Campbell asked permission to
question his father. The request was
granted.
"Was this formal business deal or
friendship gambling deal?" he asked.
"A friendship gambling DEAL" re-
piled the father.
DO you remember what I said to
Colonel Young at the time 2"
He replied that he did not
No Limit Put on Deal
"Did I say, shoot the moon or go
as far as you like or do what you
want with it, in giving Colonel Young
the money!"
Something like that" returned MIR.
Campbell
Representative Luhring, of Indiana,
then interrupted to ask:
did Bruce have any money left to
him by relatives or any one else that !
you know OF %
No. sir, not that know of"
Did he have any other money in
1915 besides this $5O0?"
Il don't know. suppose So"
IF he had had $17,50O in various