Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-05
DAUCHERTY WOES
LA|DTOFR|ENDSH|P
FOR JESS ". SMITH
Silence Explained by Refusal
to BIacken His Memory
to Clear Himself.
REASON is ADVANCED
FOR BURNING RECORDS
Destruction Revealed as Due to
Fear of Drawing Harmless Incl
dent Into Discussion.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

RY DAVID IAAWRENtE.
Now that the prosecution OF Harry
NJ. Daugherty has been dropped, que
to the failure of two juries to agree,
the story may be told of what the in
innate friends of the former Attorney
General are convinced did really
happen.
Unless one knew the incredible per-
sonaIity of Jess w. Smith, who com
mitted suicide, and the circumstances
which, woven together, shed light on
the mystery, there is difficulty In un'
derstanding the whole episode. For
Jess Smith is dead-and nothing that
can be said about him can be cor
roborated-at least, it would have been
useless to tell the story to jury-and
Harry Daugherty is not the type who
would rely on revelations about his
lifelong friend as a defense.
Concealed Deals From Daugherty.
That Jess Smith received money from
various persons who sought to infiu-
ence Government action is unques-
toned. That Harry Daugherty knew
nothing about it until it was too late
is also accepted by his friends as
doSoiu.e u usii' <1SitSuSI. ~~ ~~
cealed from him what he was really
doing in Washington. On this point
the comment today of Mrs. Mabel
Walker Willebrandt, Assistant Attor-
ney General, is pertinent.
II once brought to the attention of
the Attorney General" she said, 1.-The
Sdse u sohlS O.io p0o.iess WI"
iiau ..a. g1ieu 70 Calia Ma s
huoh proceeuhss oioushI. ss1 nealu
tnat Jess smith was sonhsIow 'nlAeu
Up III tue case' ous uiuh -, Nsom
20 wnat eSten,. Dut uesp.e .ne ~
tnat Jess Sniln was inipoI.uLlns tue
At.orney GeneraI NOT 70 pesln extra
oltlon proceeolngs, the Altornsy Gen
srdl accep.eu my ieconii1enuo.aou
tnat speclal coulseI pe enp1oyeu "
prosecute. l olo not know Unit
long Lime aIlerWaTdss- Iact, d.ei
Jess Siuitn ~ ~u!su-.-an0 svie~ ~ us .. u ~
!enaants aanittea M a.ltnat IL Jess annln
nan IecelVeu Ssssuvo - help lneH'
WITH their case. ~
Sought To Use Influence.
Mrz w;,lahro rdt 10 conv;nced also
that there were mo nv othey-instances
in which less Smith s0,,ght To usa
his infiuanca and that he never LET
the Attornev CaneraI know he was
hainU maid for his GArVir6E Less
smith was not q Government em-
nlove. hut Mr.. Dauehertv allowed
him 10 ,,se a, desl, in the Dena rtmen,
of .Justice. because he attended to
MANY rersonal matters for him He
vUas as ready tn serve as q valet as
Ia was r. ba secretary He falI
in with lobbyists who had been active
an politics. The supposition is that
tney oiten lnVelgieo Smltn INTO thelr
pio.s;
~ 10 Cohnuehtiy assumed py irienos
SI the iorher attorney Ieherai tnat
ire uiu hol olscover Snltn oupncity
uhtlf IeW Gays pelore the suicide.
1aIry Daugnerty Is oeneveo TO nave
sapIesseo niIhseII IN sucn strong terms
ludt ~ WAS one OF the immediate
I1sos y. the Su.CioS y, Jess SInltn.
ale "ds Jusl Iile hi,lu VINO would Ieel
.Ial' nas sihs losS ene irienoship ana
un. VI nus Dest lrieno' tnere was
loInns eise 70 nVe lot;
1SsS olii.h Hau an idea tnat prac-
s4edi ponlics permitted ioDoylng so
Ions ao ne was not IN the Govern
nienl service. he mad the theory
Inal oootIeggers were really being
prosecuted wrongly and that to
get any one 1ree from the clutches
OF the Voistead act was nothing
NAiotA eiiC puiCIdoe VI HQuOT
from Dootleggers. as SO many citi-
zens do nowadays. His mind was
not well trained. 1t was a simple
KIND OF reasoning which he employed
IN defense of his lobbying, though
pardiy anybody knew he was getting
calo Tor 1t.
Declined fo Tell Story
Tbep ub, i, u,;,, - .,,os s;s,.
Harry Dangher,v tau re -. ~, uiuni t,,,.a ;
He could 1nt 80 ,.ns Ills ~ IA.
hecanse tha III, - ooi ecu ~
knew tha fao,S ~, 'iaiI "iio
Sides ~ ,,,as n,,hi;, .;u oe
I,is ifaion1 er;aJ w. .I.'is sioii ~ W
heen ren,7;rad 80 nn,,h Mou,u nav
do,,h,ad ',.o,,,s u ~ eIiei i, ui,
ratha, a. a. eo'e " JAN
,rhan -, =, -,
the han,, ,.onords no ~, M MWe
go, ~ uo oui iIsu! Inns ques-