Evening star., 1924-04-10
BURNS HAD AGENTS
TRAILING WHEELER,
HE SAYS, ON STAND
Claims Operatives Were Sent
to Montana at Request of
Postal Authorities.
ADMITS HE DISCUSSED
CASE WITH DAUGHERTY
Committee inquiries Into Phone
Call to Great Falls by
G. o. P. Official.

In an interim between testimony about
the Miller Bros. land fraud case in
Oklahoma and the Old Hickory Powder
Plant litigation in Tennessee. the
Daugherty committee today dipped q
finger into the controversy which has
arisen over indictment of the committee
prosecutor. Senator Wheeler by Mon
tana grand jury.
Two witnesses were questioned briefly
about the charges against Senator
Wheeler and various circumstances that
attended or followed his Indictment
Testimony of Burns.
William J. Burns. chief of the jus
tice Departments secret agents, testi
fed that he had sent several men into
Montana on the Wheeler case-the
first three or four weeks ago at the
request of the Post Office Department.
He had talked to former Attorney
General Daugherty about the case,
he said, but replied in the negative 20
question as to whether Daugherty
had said he wanted to get something
on Wheeler"
The other witness was Arthur
Lambdin, an official Of the telephone
company here. who told the commit
tee that George b Lockwood, secre-
tary OF the republican national COM
mittee, talked yesterday from Wash
ington to Blair Cohen at Great
Falls, Mont, where the indictment
against Wheeler was returned on
Tuesday. Burns later identified
Cohen az an employe of the national
The purpose Of introducing Lamb
d1n's testimony was not revealed by
Senator Wheeler, but he told his col
leagues IN his Senate speech ct yes,
terday that he had received word in
o Legal hers sens t5Ine
Three Men Mt Work.
Burns testified that three of his men
! had worked in Montana on the
Wheeler case.
! who ordered you 10 send those men
out?" Wheeler asked.
Nobody; / sent them out" said
Burns. THE Post Office Department
asked for them"
Burns also said that he had report
ed to Daugherty that you (Senator
Wheeler) were attorney for the Cor
don-Campbell concern" The con-
Tersation took place at Daugherty's
apartment. Burns said, but added
'he would have to look it up" to see
whether it was before or after Daugh
erty left Office as Attorney General.
The investigation of the Gordon
Campbell company was started b.
"Mr Cunningham Of the Post Office
that Cunningham was now on his
way to Washington from Great Falls.
The witness said he didn't know"
that Lockwood and Daugherty were
; ''close friends" but had seen the two
men together in Daugherty's apart
ment."
Talked With Daugherty.
Burns was talking with Daughertv
about this hearing here" he said
. when the Campbell matter came up.
He wanted to get something on
Wheeler" Chairman Brookhart sug
gested.
HE didn't say So" Burns replied
Then you Immediately sent three
/ men there" Chairman BrookharL
went on.
"Oh, no; we sent the first man oct
there three or four weeks ago. when
/ the Post Office Department asked for
LAS soon as this investigation got
under way" Senator Wheeler put in.
/ You and Mr.. Daugherty have dis
cussed this investigation great dea!
and he's sought your help?" Senator
! Wheeler asked.
| We've talked of it--I wouldn't say
! helped" Burns concluded.
| VIII Investigate Bank.
| In executive session, the Senate
| committee decided today to speed up
! its investigation of the books of the
| Midland Bank, at Washington Court
House, Ohio. Senator Wheeler. the
! committee prosecutor. will leave for
| Ohio tonight to begin the work.
| Senator Moses. republican, New
| Hampshire. who was named as
! subcommittee member to make the
! Ohio inquiry with Wheeler, vigor-
! ously opposed the prosecutors plans
| and later withdrew from the sub
! committee. Chairman Brookhart talk
i ing his place.
Senator Moses said afterward that
! his objection to making the immedi-
ate trip to Ohio was based only Oh
his personal engagements and pend
ing Senate business.
The committee has been seeking
| for several weeks to get access to the
books of the Midland Bank, of which
M s. Daugherty, brother of former
Atbci hCy 1GHCIdl is pres
ident. At first the records were sub
poenaed, but the bank replied IT
would be impossible to send them to
washington. Then a special exam
iner was sent to Washington Cours
House. A controversy arose as to
| the scope of his inquiries into the
business of the bank. with the result
that his investigation has been sus-
| pended.
Subpoena Ignored.
| A subpoena also was issued for NJ.
S. Daugherty, but he has failed to
appear here, and contempt proceed
ings against him have been consid-
cred The committee prosecutor be-
lieves the bank books contain evi
dence confirmatory of certain testi-
mony given in regard to the financia
operations of Harry M. Daugherty,
Jess Smith and others.
The meeting of the committee this
morning behind closed doors is sal
| to have developed some heated pas
| sages among members as to the best
! method of procedure. Senator Moses
i withdrawal from the subcommittee
| followed an argument in which some
| of the major differences of opinion
| that have been developing in the COM
| mittee came openly to the surface for
| the first time.
| When the doors were opened the
| committee resumed its inquiry into
(C0nfipIIp5 ON ua a fsoI,,.,,,, 0