Evening star., 1923-10-24
Agent of Company Says
$1,000 Given to Former
Head of Veterans Bureau,
Who Promised Contract.
DRINKING PARTIES COST
HEAVILY, WITNESS HOLDS
Money Never Repaid, Nor Was
Note Given for It, Senate Prob
ers Told-Director Accepted Fa-
vors, Assuring Return in Form
of Work.

Principals OF the Thompson Black
Company loaned $4,000 to Charles r.
Forbes, while he was director Of the
Veterans Bureau, at a time when the
company was seeking contract for the
construction of a government hospital,
Elias II. Mortimer of Philadelphia, a
former agent of the company, testified
today at the Senate investieation of the
Veterans Bureau.
Mr.. Mortimer said it was near the
end of long negotiations for the con-
tract that Mr.. Forbes told him at a
hotel in this city that Mrs. Forbes had
gone abroad and that he was very hard
up and desired a loan. The witness said
Forbes fixed the sum at $4,000. and he
arranged with James W. Black and j.
w. Thompson. who then were at the
hotel, to advance the money.
Mortimer also told the committee
that the negotiations for the contract
with Forbes were marked by num-
ber of drinking" parties in Washing
ton. Atlantic City. Philadelphia and
New York. He declared the former
director was a frequent dinner guest
at his hotel apartm here, and
that he paid the expenses of a four
day party at Atlantic City, and also
the expenses of two parties at the
Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia.
Says Forbes Promised Aid.
During this time-from February.
1922, to June, ls22-he continued, Mr.
Forbes had conferences with Mr.
Black and Mr.. Thompson concerning
contracts, and had promised that their
firm would be taken care of in the
letting of contracts over which he
claimed he had absolute authority
Officials OF the company also were
given a confidential list of the sites
where it was proposed to erect hos
pitfalls, Mortimer further testified, and
after an inspection they decided they
would want to build the proposed
plant at Northampton, Mass, and so
informed Mr.. Forbes. The director
then. according to the witness, sup
piled them with plans and specifica-
tionS in advance of the general dis
tribution of this information to con
tractors. Mortimer said this nat
urally gave his firm a tremendous
advantage.
Says Loan Never Paid.
Questioned by members of the conn
mittee Mortimer said Forbes never
had given him any record to show
for the inde btedness, nor had he ever
paid the loan. He added that he had
advanced money TO Forbes at other
times. but did not give the amounts.
Mortimer testified that he obtained
an advance of $4,000 just before he
paid the money over, with view TO
using the second $1,000 to pay the
expenses of a trip he took with Mr..
Forbes to the Pacific coast. He as
serted that he did pay all of Mr..
Forbes expenses except railroad fare,
which was paid by the government.
Mortimer said he personally re-
ceived an advance from his company
of $4,000. He delivered the $4,000 TO
Forbes at n party in Chicago, and
that Forbes merely thanked him for
il.
1T asked him for a note for the
amount" the witness continued, but
he just laughed"
Charges Heavy Drinking.
The cost of the Pacific coast trip.
made by Forbes for the purpose or
inspecting government hospital sites.
was estimated by Mortimer at $1,000.
He said there were q number OF
parties" on the coast. and that the
after the Forbes party reached the
Fairmont Hotel at San Francisco.
Forbes. he testified, had "a couple OF
dozen bottles of wines sent up to
the hotel from Livermore, but little
of the wine was touched there and
we took IL in automobiles to Stock
ton" He added that Scotch Awas
plentiful, and that this was the drink
largely consumed.
At Stockton, he continued. a party
was arraigned for Rough and Ready
Island" and it finally wound up at the
home of a woman friend of Mr..
Forbes at Stockton. whose name was
withheld from the record. The wit
ness said the home referred to had .
bar in 1t ''as long as this room"
TNhr y al Co.
the committee, in response to in
quiries from members, told the com
mittee he was presenting this phase
of the matter because it showed that
high officials of the bureau, at time
when the need for hospital facilities
for caring for former service men
was most pressing. were spending
much of their time on parties"
Gen. O'Ryan then introduced copy
of letter which he said Mr.. Forbes
had written to his woman friend in
Stockton Hnder date of July 26, 1922.
saying:
From Stockton to Washington.
some 5000 miles intervene, but l be-
lieYe / could astoniSh you If / were
to record in this letter the yiZualiza-
ton of that neyer-to-be forgotten
room in your home, the name OF
which Is a word obsolescent II not
obsolete. / think / remember not only
the details of construction and the
beauty of the whole effect, but the
heat of Washington conjures up be-
fore me as in mirage the innumer-
able things that greeted ones eyes
and excited the palate of the thirsty.
If could but materIalize these things.
/ assure you that Washington, in its
bravest of torrid days, would offer
me no apprehension of discomfort"
Continuing his testimony, Mortimer
said that on the Pacific coast they
met c. D. Hurley of the Hurley-Ma-
son Company of Tacoma, of which
company the witness said Forbes had
told him he was a vice president at
the time he became director of the
bureau. Mortimer said the Hurley
Mason Company was interested in
obtaining contracts for the bureau
hospitals and that Mr.. Hurley told
him he wanted to take the contract
for the hospital at American Lake,
Wash, in his own name and to go in
with Mr.. Black on the contract for
the Liyermore Hospital.
The witness told of a secret code
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