The Washington times., 1924-05-21
THREAT To GET
WHEELER IS
CHARGED
w. O.. Duckstein Tells Sena-
tors Justice Agents Also
Stole Means Papers.
Continued from First Page.)

to frame you, Senator Wheeler,
and they were going to railroad
Means in New York"
Ladies Watching Senators.
When Duckstein testified O'Brien
and Petit were out to get" mem
bera. of the Daugherty investigating
committee, Wheeler asked:
did they tell you how they
were going to do it,"
"Oh, yes" replied Duckstein.
'They said they had men in Iowa
getting dope on Senator Brookhart
and men in Montana working up a
case on Senator Wheeler.
''They also said they had lady
Investigators stationed in the ladies'
rest room adjoining Senator Wheel
er's office and ladies watching
Senator Brookhart," said Duck.
stein.
Duckstein said he had frequently
seen O'Brien and Petit attending
committee hearings.
The committee did not press
Duckstein for further details to
get" the committee and directed
the inquiry to the relationship of
the late Jesse Smith to Daugherty.
Returns to Jesse Smith.
Smith had an office in the De-
partment Of Justice" said Duck.
stein. 1T was generally regarded
all over town that he was Daugh-
erty's right-hand man. My wife
told me she had worked for Smith;
had taken dictation from him in
. he S-tv -
In a recent speech Daugherty
said he did not know Smith had
desk in the Department Of Jus
tice.
Smith used a Department Of Jus.
tice telephone to get In touch with
his stock brokers'" Duckstein
added.
In reply to a question by former
Senator George Chamberlain. one
OF Daugherty's attorneys, Duckstein
said the letter, which Petit and
O'Brien exhibited was written by
Todd to Daugherty and not by
the former Attorney General.
Had Means Satehels.
Duckstein said that on the night
Of March 81, the day Means reported
the papers were stolen, P. j.
O'Brien and Walter Petit called him
on the telephone. O'Brien and Petit
said that they had some important
papers which they wanted Mrs.
Duckstein to identify.
MY wife is a special agent Of the
Department Of Justice" Duckstein
said.
"O'Brien asked me IL they could
bring the papers to my apartment. B."
II said, No; didn't want to get
into any mess.
Finally they drove up to the
apartment and my wife and / went
down to their car.
ION the floor of the automobile
were three black satchels.
Identified by Wife.
my wife identified them az
Means papers. was worried
about this, so / suggested that we
drive out to some lonely road and
look at the papers"
Duckstein said the party drove to
an unfreQuented road in Rock Creek
Park.
"OBrien and Petit earnestly re
Quested that my wife and keep
quiet. They said they were leaving
that night for New York to take the
papers to Todd"
did they tell you how they got
the papers?" asked Senator Wheeler
(Dem) of Montana.
mo, they did not"
why didn't you tell the com
mittee?"
II didn't think It was my duty"
Under a particularly severe cross
examination by Wheeler, Duck
stein admitted he had told Means
about who had the missing papers.
why did you do that?"
Issues Subpoena For Todd.
because Means told me that with
the papers stolen they were going
to get him in New York and that
he would have to call my wife an
witness. I didn't want her to
get mixed up in the affair.""
Interrupting Duckstein's testi.
mony, Senator Brookhart (Rep.) OF
Iowa, chairman. ordered a subpoena
issued for Todd to bring here
those stolen papers"
Todd is assigned to direct the
prosecution of Means in New York
on conspiracy charges.
Came For Frame Up.
"Why did O'Brien and Petit come
to Washington" asked former Sen.
ator Chamberlain, one of Daugh.
erty' counsel.
Primarily to watch Means for
Todd" replied Duckstein. but
they also said they were going to
frame the committee"
"You were drinking the night
they told you this?"
"Oh, yes"
And the more you drank, the
more vivid become their story?"
"Oh, no, but good liquor always
makes one talk more fluently."
did you get the impression they
were stringing your"
IT did not"
when did you see the papers?"
about o'clock on the night of
March 81. The papers were In the
tonneau Of the car. Petit was driv.
Ing. did not notice whether the
car S;oeni had q a local or New York
Told Of Indictment.
Duckstein explained that he held
flashlight while his wife identi.
fled the papers as belonging to
Means.
"O'Brien and Petit insisted that
they were not Department Of Jus.
tice agents but ''were special inves.
tigators for Todd" Duckstein said.
Have you seen these men since?,
asked Chamberlain.
About week later, O'Brien
called me on the phone and said
Senator Wheeler had been indicted.
This was a day before the announces.
ment came out in the papers"