Evening star., 1924-03-20
RICHARD DECLARES
He WAS "BUNKED"
IN FIGHT FILM DEAL
Believed Muma and Asso-
Ciates Could Get Law Pass.
ed to Permit Showing.
PROMOTER WENT AHEAD
=: ANYHOW, PAYING FINES
Holdridge Statement on Quotation
of Daugherty Partially Con-
! firmed by Spellacy.

After hearing Tex Rickard, fight
promoter, tell them he got bunked'
when he went into the deal" witt
Jap Muma, Will A. Orr and the
mysterious IKE" Martin to show the
CarpentierDemp~ey fight picture:
and escape prosecution. the Daugh.
erty Investigating committee. today
turned to verifying the testimony OF
G. o. Holdridge, Department oi
Justice agent.
Holdridge, in previous testimony tc
the committee, quoted Muma as hav-
ing said Attorney General Daugherty
had told him (Muma) that if the
'dear' went over he (Muma) ought
to get a big cut out of it, at least
so per cent.
Confirmed In Part.
Holdridge presented his statement
TO the committee with an attest by
Thomas Spellacy. a former Depart.
1nent of Justice agent, as absolutely
true
When the committee got Spellacy
on the stand today he confirm ed
some of Holdridge's testimony, but
made a change in Holdridge's account
of Muma's report of the alleged con-
Sersation with the Attorney General
''As l remember Muma's statement
Spellacy said, sit wasn't that Mr.
Daugherty suggested a SO per cent
cut, but that he thought Muma was
interceding for Tex Rickard, and that
Daugherty said Muma ought to get
an interest for that. Muma said he
told Daugherty he was going to get
an interest"
Never Checked 1t Up.
spelIacy admitted on cross exam
;nation that he never had checked
up" on Muma's statements to Hold
ridge.
Rickard told the committee that he
"got bunked' when he arranged with
Muma, Orr and Martin to exhibit the
motion pictures.
They never did anything at all
for their money" Rickard told the
committee, adding Muma had told
him he could get a law passed legal
azing the showing of the pictures, but
failed to do so. .,.
Claimed No influence.
Emphasizing that none of them
claimed any influence with Attorney
General Daugherty,. Rickard main
tanned that, expecting passage OF q
ahead and got fined instead.
When he found they were not de
livering the goods" he revised the
contract on a basis which contem.
plated Orr's influence in liking IT,
with the New York state board OF
censorship. Some results were OBJ
tained there, Rickard said, and as the
contract finally was revised, he testl-
fled, Orr got little more than $4,000
for his share and Martin and Muma
each got 4 little more than $4,000.
"I never thought there was any
conspiracy" Rickard said.
Rickard First Witness.
Senator Wheeler was on the job
early and called Richard first. The
fight promoter identified himself as
q man in the amusement business"
He promoted the Dempsey-Carpen-
tier fight on July 2, 1921, and ar
ranged with F. c. Quimby of New
York to motion picture the bout: He
knew that it was a violation of the
law, he said, to transport the pic
lures into other states, but intended
to show them In New Jersey.
Senator Wheeler got him to say he
knew Jap Muma and to name John
Ringing, the partner to his own busi-
ness enterprises.
Concerning Jess Smith, he said, he
"didnt remember meeting him"
Didn't you meet him at the prize
Tght?" Senator Wheeler asked.
'I don't recollect so doing" Rickard
said.
Proposal From Muma.
when did Jap Muma first suggest
you show the picture outside of New
Jersey?"
when did Muma bring the picture
to Washington"
"A few days after the fight"
did he tell you he showed it at
Ned McLean's house?"
He did"
Rickard said he had not been told
that President Harding and cabinet
members saw the fight pictures.
"Munia said merely it was to be
shown at a party, party, kIckard RaasH% ara saio' sh
discussion. A man named Martin"
came with Muma to see him.
"Muma told me he thought he could
get a law passed to distribute the
Get a law passed." Senator Wheel
er exclaimed you know he didn't,
and yet You agreed by contract to
give him so per cent of the receipts
from the picture?'
Yes"
Orr Came In Later.
How much did you give ORR"
HE came into the thing thirty days
later" Rickard said. He was to get
20 per cent. We made Muma and
Martin take that up because they
weren't delivering the goods--didnt
get a law passed or anything"
Rickard produced contract dated
June 80 between himself, Muma and
81. N. Martin 1t provided the latter
were to receive SO per cent of the
gross receipts If law was passed
to legalize Interstate showing of the
film. This contract, Rickard explain
! ed, was replaced, and this contract
between Rickard, F. c. Quimby and
Jack Kearns, as Demp ;ey's manager,
gave Muma Is per cent Of the net
proceeds of the interstate picture
distribution.
Another gave I. N. Martin Is per
cent of the net and third, 20 per
cent to Will A. Orr. The language
was identical The total split out
was so per cent of the net proceeds.
when did Muma first take the
picture to Washingtonr Wheeler
went on
! "He called me up, and asked for
the film," Rickard said.
WAS this to promote legislation p
Wanted 1t for Party.
"No, he said 1t was for party?"
did you make a practice Of let
ting these out to parties?"
II did to soldiers in hospitals and
other places"
Senator Wheeler asked if this sort.