Evening star., 1924-05-08
PROBE OF WHEELER
AND WALSH DETAILED
Helena Attorney Declares Coan
Said He Wanted to Smear
Oil Prosecutor.
CITES INDICTMENT THREAT
Testifes G. O. P. Official Told of
Forcing Prosecutor to Act.

The activities OF Blair Coan, the
Republican national committee in
vestigator. who went to Montana to
| inquire into the records of Senator
Walsh of tho oil committee and Sen
ator Wheeler Of the Daugherty COM
mittee, were further described today
in the Senate Daugherty investiga-
tion.
"Wanted Something on Walsh"
A. A. Grorud. a Helena attorney,
testified he had talked with Coan in
Montana in April.
"Coan came to me and said he
wanted something to smear Senator
Walsh" Grorud said. HE asked me
for afidavits. He said they had.
Wheeler where they wanted him, and
Walsh.
Il told Coan that I knew something
about the Campbell case Con which
Senator Wheeler's indictment was
based) and that there was nothing
they could convict Wheeler about in
that. Coan said that was right, but
that they would have the indictment
to hold over Wheeler anyhow.
Slattery, the United States District
Attorney, had not wished to bring
the case before grand jury even,
Coan went on, but the Department of
Justice had a charge against Slattery
because he had been mixed up in
some liquor prosecutions, and that
made Slaftery go through. anyway"
Coan also said, the witness testi-
fed. that a. Burns agent named Nc
Graw was assisting him.
Blair Coan told me the Depart
ment OF Justice had twenty-five men
In Montana" Grerud said.
Former Wheeler Partner.
Before 1916, Grerud said on Cross
examination. he was a law partner Of
Senator Wheeler. He became a dep
uty attorney general later for the
state of Montana
E. G. Toomey, another Montana
lawyer, told the committee he had
encountered Department of Justice
agents in the state, who said they
were investigating actions of Slat-
terry. The agents, Notwithstanding,
Toomey testified, were out on drink
ing parties with Higgins" who was
said to be an assistant to Slattery
The committee then returned to its
inquiry into the affairs OF Howard
Warrington. M P. Kraffmiller, former
associate of Howard Warrington in
Washington, produced a letter sent
from Columbus, refusing to give back
any part of the money paid by Kraft
miller to Manington as fees for 'le-
gal services"
Says Shooting Threatened.
The witness said that Fred A. Cas-
key, also associated with Warrington,
had told him Will A Orr OF New
York also was trying to get back
money from Manington," and that
Orr threatened to shoot up Jess
Smith and Warrington if he didn't
pay it back"
Paul Rowland, attorney for n. NJ
Daugherty, asked Kranmiller II the
payments you made to Manlng1on
were paid as bribes?"
mo, sir" Kraffmiller said.
Wasn't this money paid by your
clients because they knew Warrington
was close to the Attorney General?'
asked Chairman Brookhart
We'll, we believed he had lnnu-
ence with the Attorney General.
Failed Sometimes
'It turned out frequently that with
all the influence of Mr.. Warrington,
yourself and Fred A Caskey," How
land asked, you were unable to get
liquor permits"
Yes, sir
But Caskey got rioh~ Chairman
Brookhart put in.
II can't say that, SENATOR" Kraft
miller replied, laughingiy.
terjected. why don't you get him?"
"Oh, we did, Chairman Brookhart
replied, but he refused to take our
| subpoena on his constitutional
rights"
Mary Yeager. now employed in the
alien property Office, and formerly in
the office of Attorney General Daugh-
erty, then testified that she took die
| tation from Jess Smith, who 'occu-
pied an Office on the sixth floor of the
Department of Justice" She said
| she worked at Marion during the
Harding campaign, and was acQuaint-
| Thomas B. Fielder, Alfred Urion and
other persons named in the inquiry,
| she said, she also had met
Often Saw Smith.
She saw Smith and former Attorney
General Daugherty together at the
Department of Justice constantly"
Miss Yeager said, but would not
agree that Smith dictated letters for
Daughertys signature.
What did Smith do around there?"
asked Senator Wheeler.
He interviewed people there for
Mr.. Daugherty."
How do you know Smith did things
for Mr.. Daugherty?" put in Senator
Jones, Republican, Washington.
81 don't know, I assume So
''Was Mr.. Smith the only one who
occupied the room he used?'
IT don't know"
Miss Yeager said she knew Smith
was mot an official of the Depart
from him because he was a. close
friend to Mr.: Daugherty and the ad-
ministration-S
John Glenn Of Nashville. Tenn, a
former internal revenue agent, called
to the witness stand for the second
time, testified about the Lou Frank
tax case" on which he worked.
The Southern Lumber and Manu-
featuring Company was Investigated
on information that it was evading
ta1es- Glenn said TT developed
Frank was indicted and fined 81, 1000
and given six months in jail. He
| made two applications for pardon to
President Wilson in the closing days
of the last administration, but was
turned down" Then he was pardoned
| in March, 1891.
Glenn charged that every influence
in the world was successfully brought
| to bear" to prevent Indictment of
Franks associates in the tax matter.
| Many Interceded for Frank.
James A. Finch, pardon attorney
in the Department of Justice, pre-
sented the files in the Frank case.
Federal Judge Sanford, now on the
supreme bench, and the district at
torney, who tried the case reported
adversely" on Franks pardon appli-