The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-18
DEMOCRATS CERTAIN TO WIN, SAYS SENATOR HARRISON
VETS PROBE BACK
 TO NORMAL QUIZ
(Continued from Page one.) )


 safe while he was travelling on
 trains"
 When Forbes left the veterans bu- reau, Sweet said he took with him
 only his personal papers, a stack five or six inches high" The witness had no knowledge as to their con- tents.
 Sweet said he wrote and assumed. sole responsibility for the "flowery letter sent to a woman in Stockton,
 Cal, thanking her for her enter tainment of the party at her home.'
 "Then you were the poet laureate of the veterans bureau?" said Senator Reed
 ~There's been so much prose in this case, I think we can stand for J little poetry" remarked Senator Walsh, democrat, Massachusetts.
 No Knowledge That Forbes Drank
 Sweet and Ralph Dority. who had l duties corresponding to that of an executive officer under Forbes, said they had no knowledge that Forbes ever had taken drink in the bu- lreau, nor did they have any knowl- edge that he ever kept any liquor there.
 I Asked about the code Mortimer Iclaitns was framed upon the Pacific
 coast trip and in which Forbes sec retarv was named Pickles sweet said the first he ever heard of 1t was when he read newspaper accounts oI Mortimer's testimony. He never knew of Forbes receiving any code messages.
 Forbes had nothing to do with the contract with the Continental Chem Heal company of Watzka, Ill.,. the com mittee was told by Otto E. koegie'
 assistant district attorney for the
 District of Columbia and formerly of the legal division of the veterans bu- reau. He added that the director be- came incensed when he learned or
 excessive purchases under the con
 tract ,, Koegle said, T want to say that sen !. ator Watson of Indiana had nothing
 to do with that contract, as has been
 stated, and it is an abominable He to connect him with it in any way Koegle told of a visit to Perryvllle, Md. soon after the depot was turned
 over to the bureau by the pupnc
 health service, and asserted that con
 dittons were wary bad" with morale low. doctors using s60 worth of cleo
 tricity a month without paying Tor IL,
 and with a row on between Catholics and Protestants.
 One of the first papers read was letter addressed to My Dear Rather inc and Mort" It said;
 Wanted a Ride.
 'sYou will see by the enclosed that June 1 was best I could do. Will keep
 you advised and hope you Will give
 me a ride some time. You certainly have been generous with your car . With love to you both. JACh. Mortimer said this was from T W. Thompson of the Thompson Black Construction company of Chicago,
 who was seeking to government con
 tracts at that time.
 "On the strength of promises made , to Thompson by Forbes about govern . , ment work" said Mortimer. ne hao
 promised Mrs. Mortimer an expensive , car. She was in the west about the time the car was ready and l know
 the car never was delivered. A telegram sent from Washington on March 28, 1922, and addressed to , F. H. Mortimer at the Waldorf hotel, : New York, and signed Katherine" said:
 Colonel left 1;o6 p. m. Be at } Wentworth"
 Mortimer said the telegram was } sent by his wife. "Forbes decided when we first be- gan talking about these contracts. Mortimer said, that 1t would pc pei ter for us not to be seen together Tn Washington too much. l went 10
 New York and she let me know when 7 he would be there" ORyan then put into the record g 1 number of telegran1s cen Jafne s w. Black of the Thompson-Black , company and Mortimer, for the pur- pose, it was explained, of showing } that Mortimer did have business re-
 lations with Black.
 One of the telegrams was dated at , Seattle on July 4, 1922 signed James
 w. Black" and addressed to Mortimer
 at San Francisco.
 "Will have all of the Scotch gem
 erals when you arrive here, with r General Haig in command," said the r telegram. There Was also inquiry as to when Mortimer would reach Seattle.
 { At that time Mortimer was in San
 Francisco with Forbes and his offi- [ cia1 party. and Mortimer said the arrangement was to meet Black at |, Seattle, which they did. , Were all the Scotch generals there?" asked Senator Reed.
 Yes" Mortimer responded. Another telegram dated at Seattle, July 26, 1922, signed James w , Black" and addressed to Mortimer at Washington, said;
 } When will you be here? Any
 news"
 Another telegram signed "Jones" dated at Omaha on August 10, and addressed to Mortimer said: win meet you in Minneapolis Tuesday"
 Mortimer testified that this tele- gram was from Black, that he. had remined Black later that his code name was "Briscoe" , The witness said he met Black in Minneapolis, and that the conference had to do with the hospital at St. Cloud, Minn., which Mortimer previ- ously testified was one of those to be } incluoed in the split" of western hospital work between the Thomp- son Black company and the Hurley Mason company.
 ] You heard Colonel Forbes testify that he and Mrs. Mortimer were never alone except on one occasion for a ) couple of minutes in the Wardman Park hotel?" asked MT. O'Ryan. "Yes, sir !, O'Ryan then read into the record telegram addressed to Mortimer in Washington and sent from White , Sulphur Springs. West Va, on August 30, 1922. It said:
 Colonel motoring back Saturday l morning. MT. Sweet arrives Friday morning. Wire your plans. Love.
 KATHERINE"
 Mortimer explained that he and Mrs. Mortimer went to Green Brier : hotel at White Sulphur Springs in August. 1922, and that to his utter suprise." Forbes arrived about two
 days later.