Evening star., 1924-03-12
INQUIRY
TO OPEN AT 4P.M.;;
WITNESSES READY
Special Stress During Probe
to Be Placed on Activities
of Jesse Smith.

The Daugherty investigation will be
opened this afternoon at 4 o'clock
under a decision reached today by the
| special Senate committee. Chairman
Brookhart announced that testimony
of witne sses would be begun at that
hour.
| Senator BIookhart would not dis
close the names Of the witnesses to
be heard today. or the reasons behind
the sudden decision for imme ediate
opening of the inquiry.
Il will say, however, that there
is a sufficient reason for the imn1e-
diate hearing" said Mr.. Brookhart.
The part played in Department of
Justice affairs by Jesse Smith. friend
Of Attorney General Daugherty, who
committed suicide a year ago in Mr..
Daugherty's apartment here, will be
inquired into in detail in the Senate
investigation.
Senator Wheeler, democrat, Mon
| tana, preparing the case for tho COM
uittee, announced that all kilograms
sent to and received by Smith at Co
lumbus, Ohio, after the election Of
President Harding, had been sub
poenaed.
The senator said that the reported
| influence of oil interest in the Mexi-
| can revolution, planned for inquiry
at the opening session. probably
would give way to some other un-
disclosed subject.
Had Intfnnated Inquiry.
A forecast that the inquiry would
go into the relations between the At
torney General and Smith was given
by Senator Wheeler, in An address
several weeks ago in the Senate, in
which he referred to Smiths activi-
ties as mysterious. Smith occupied an
office adjoining Mr.. Daugherty's in
the Department of Justice.
The reference made by Senator
Wheeler in his speech February 10
said:
Everybody knows that Jesse Smith.
who was brought from the state of
Ohio and had an Office in the De-
partment Of Justice and who was not
on the pay roll, was accepting money
in connection with various charges
that arose in the Department of Jus
tice."
The plans to delve into this angle
were disclosed by Senator Wheeler
upon his return today from a secret
mission out of town. He withheld
/, information regarding his work yes
terday, but said that he had to open
the hearings tomorrow.
He conferred today with Chairman
Brookhart and committee assistants
in the preparation of additional
subpoenas.
VIII Demand TeleErams.
In search for the connection Of
Jesse Smith, the telegraph companies
| here and at Washington Court House,
Ohio, were directed to submit "all
! incoming and outgoing messages sent
by or received by Jesse W. Smith,
since November, 1920, and up to the
time Of his DEATH
| Another subpoena issued was for
Will r. A. Hayes, manager of the
Ungerleider Company. Columbus,
Ohio, to appear Immediately and bring
certain documents. A firm Of that
| name is q stock brokerage house
which formerly had Washington
branch Office.
M0rtimer Is Called.
Issuance of subpoena for Elias H.
! Mortimer, the principal witness
| against former Director Forbes in the
Veterans Bureau investigation, has
indicated another phase of the Daugh-
erty inquiry, and Mr.. Brookhart has
j let 1t be known that other leads"
have been received in the last few
| days which he and Senator Wheeler
\ regard as important" He has re-
| fused, however, to diyulge their ma
| ture thus far in advance Of their con-
! sideration.
! Authority Wldened.
The committees authority was
: broaded under a resolution adopted
yesterday by the Senate upon request
| Of Chairman Brookhart. Under 1t
! each senator on the committee Is au-
thorized to subpoena witnesses and
! also to take testimony alone at any
/ place outside of Washington. The
! latter power, Chairman Brookhart
said, already has been found to be
| desirable.