The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-12
By WILL IRWIN

By WILL IRWIN
 Newspaper Alliance For The Age HeraId)
 Mrs. Votaw, sister of President Harding, was the innocent cause of bringing Col. Charles R. Forbes and Elias H. Mortimer together. During February, 1923, she was working on a special job in the Veterans5 bureau. She knew Mrs. E. H. Mortimer, a pret- ty and smart young woman, very pop ular in one of the several presidential sets; Mrs. Mortimer sometimes called on her at the office. One afternoon Mrs. Mortimer, Mrs. Votaw and Forbes came out of the Veterans bureau to- gether, and found Mortimer waiting at the curb in his automobile. Introduc- tions were no sooner fineshed than Col onel Forbes and the Mortimers went off on one of those parties which sprinkle the merry history of the Veterans bureau. Forbes seems to haves per- ceived at once that his new friend would be serviceable to his purposes. Mortimer had been an agent for firms which sold supplies to the government. He knew the ropes. Two meetings more, and they had grown intimate 1; three, and Forbes began to talk busi- hess. 5
 Congress is going t opass the Lang ley bill" he said. Seventeen million dollars for new hospitals and their equipment. I want you to find some contractors and get yourself appointed their agent" Further, he advised Mortimer to secure agencies for beds, bed supplies, surgical instruments, den sttal instrunen anytllin and every thing that q hospital might need. 2,
 Supplies, however, did not interest Mortimer SO much as the big hospital contracts. J. W, Thompson and J. W. Black of St. Louis, partners in a. half dozen western construction companies, were in Washington looking for govern ment business.
 And now Mortimer is agent for these men, with promise of B per cent of the profits on any job he may get for them. Thompson, Black and Colonel Forbes grow intimate. Thompson meets the colonel on one of his merry inspee- ton trips to New York; Mortimer finds Forbes and his two employers in close conference at the Wardman Park hotel, Washington. Forbes hands Mortimer list of the sites selected for new hospitals, explaining that it is con- fidential with the government. but sug- , gesting that Thompson and Black look them over.
 Colonel Forbes gives Mortimer his word that no one else, outside of the government, knows the contents of this list. Mortimer, Black and Thompson take joyride to the .edstern sites Then Mortimer gets disturbing news Forbes has been planning to build on the "costeplus" basis. Tie President objects to that, and insists on the con. tract basis-probably because th1t plan gives less opportunity for irregular charges.a But Colonel Forbes reassures Mortimer. Time, he says, is the essence of the contract. Don't worry," he adds, If you are anywheres in line al all, l will see you get the work"
 Mortimer Chief Witness
 Mortimer, whose break with Forbes I shall describe later, is the chief wit. ness as to the system in the Veterans bureau. But he was not an observer oi the first minor scandal to reach public attention. Before construction, sites must be purchased. Here begins the Liyermore, Cal, transaction. Thirty miles or so inland from San Francisco stood the Cresta Blanca vineyard which once gave its name to famous vintage of white wine. Prohibition ruined that at least temporarily; at that time the land was for sale cheap. Charles F Cramer, legal adviser to the Veterans bureau, came from San Francisco. He apparently, was first to mention the Cresta Blanca property as site. The Veterans bureau paid eventually $105.O00 for it: much more, In the opinion of real estate men, than it was worth at the time. Lucien Johnson was the owner of record. The transac tion is so obscured by leases, options escrows and other technicalities tha the laylnen cannot compute exactly what he paid for it. originally; but ht certainly did very good piece of busi ness for himself. Thomas O'Day, friend of Cramer and Matthew O'Brien here after to be mentioned, was. involved 1T nearly every stage of this transaction At the end, we find one Eccles, agen for UDay, following Lucien Johnson to the Crocker bank in San Francisc, and collecting $22,000 for O'Day'. services as agent. The money, al Eccles' request, was deliVeEd not in ( check but in cash. As all real estat, men will agree, a commission of more than 20 per cent on a land transaction h generous, even lavish. And in thii Eaece of business, either side probabl, had as much need for an agent as { dog has for two tails.
 Still less, it would appear, did thu government need the services of Mat thew O'Brien, supervising and construc ting architect. Friend of Cramer ant ODay, lie was projected into the cast as soon as the Livermore contracts were signed. To understand now little he was needed, we must go back intc the history of the Veterans bureau.
 Forbes Signed Contracts
 Early in his administration. Forbe: had obtained from the department Oi
 tcSntinued on Page Feurtsen, Column Ons)
 27 FANATICS SLAIN