The Washington times., 1924-04-10
'F|GHT|N' FOOL, ;
THEY SAY Of
WHEELER
Montana Senator Is Putting
Up Fierce Battle Against
Enemies.
By JOHN T. LAMBERT,
Cosmopolitan News Service,

A TALL slight, stopped man with
red hair and blue eyes was a few
days ago the fighting prosecutor OF
the alleged graft and corruption in
the Attorney Generals office.
He is today the accused-indicted
by a jury within his own State.
But he is still fighting.
Senator Burton K. Wheeler of
Montana has the reputation of being
the fight'nist fighter that has en-.
tered the United States Senate in a
generation. At the close of one of
his sensational attacks upon
Daugherty, the Republicans of the
Senate decided to go into party
caucus at once. They were all
formulating plans in the hope of
running him to a fall when the
veteran Senator Lodge, who was
pacing the floor nervously and twirl-
ing his watch chain, exclaimed,
why that man Wheeler is more
ruthless than Jim Reed"
Drove DetractOr Out.
A few weeks ago a pussy-footer,
believed to be attached to Daugh.
erty's department, was moving
through the Capitol corridors, but
tonholing this one and that one with
mysterious hints about Wheeler.
you know what kind Of a guy
he is" the agent would whisper
knowingly.
Or, "Of course, you know his rec
ord out West"
The fellow was suddenly sum-
moned to Wheeler's office. Wheeler
closed the door, locked it, put the
key into his pocket. turned to the
man, and said:
You dirty whelp, unless you
clear out of here with your lying
insinuations 1 will call you before
the committee and make you at
tempt to prove in public what you
are whispering in private"
The man decamped.
Has Way With Witnesses.
Wheeler is said to have that
ability to get the confidence of
obstinate witnesses that was pc.
culiar years ago to the venerable
Justice Golf, of New York. Roxie
Stinson had for years refused to
discuss Jess Smiths case, vet
Wheeler saw her but once, dis
placed so much reliance upon him
that she accompanied him to Wash
ington and went upon the stand.
When he was absent, she asked to
be excused from testifying. CASTOR
3. Means was another with whom
skillful lawyers have had trouble
in the past but he revealed to
Wheeler stories which the rest of
the world had been unable to get
from him.
Wheeler has had fighting life.
In Massachusetts,, where he was
born forty-two years ago, the doc
tors told him he was tubercular
and that he would have to quit his
boyhood associations and settle in
some land of high climate. He
worked his way through college,
in fact he met and courted his
wife while he was selling photo.
craps during the summer vacation
to pay his way through the Uni.
versity Of Michigan.
During the war he was United
States attorney in Montana. He
refused to railroad the Reds" into
Jail without trial, and he thus in.
GuIIG lhC Vi pOW0E'
full corporations which sought to
ruin him. When he ran for office
they placarded the State with bill
posters containing a flaming red
hand.
Saved From Thugs
Toughs, believed to have been
private detectives hired by a cop
per company, broke up one of his
rallies and followed him and an
itinerant preacher up into the Mon
tana mountains. They were about
to assault him when voice
pierced the stiffness of night, say.
ing: 'Haly, the first man that
crosses the threshold Of that shanty
will be shot down like a dog" A
young farmer war veteran had
trailed the thugs and, armed with
rifle and shotgun, arrived in time
to save him.
He once sent for the president
of tho ' W. w. to come to his Of