Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-12-16

ldlSG.
eff they are false" he said, "the
man who perpetrated them on the
public and blackened the regulations
of American Officials and Mexican Of
| ficials alike, deserves exposure and
punishment to the full limit of the
| law"
Consul General Elias told the COM
mittee that every one of those papers
was forged" and to support his AsSer-
ton he declared that the symbol OF
his office did not appear on any of the
papers purporting to have been ex-
| TIA cted from the consulate files. He
denied that he ever had seen Avila
until today, and also directly denied
one of Avila's statements that certain
papers had beenturned over by "Col.
Shandon, formerly connected with the
department Of Justice, to Elias.
One by one, the consul-general,
brother -in-law of President Gales,
LEI fed through the collection of Hearst
documents, declaring again and again
that they were not on the kind OF
paper used by the Mexican government,
that he never had seen them before,
and that in running down kilograms
4
file the committee was at liberty to go
into the records of the Telegraph com
panies and banks with which he had
business.
.There is not a word of truth in
any of Uhem," he said. "They are
forgeries, None were taken from my
office"
Nor had he ever received any money
from his government, he said, for
propaganda in the United States.
At the start of the night session
of the committee Elias was recalled.
Elias said he had never seen Dudley
Field Malone before today and he
had never had any negotiations with
him, directly or indirectly
/ The consul general at first was
unable to say whether the messages
were in the official Mexican code
but later, after inspection. he denied
that the code was authentic, re-
marking that the countersign was
wrong.
Replying to inquiries from Senator
Johnson of California, Elias said he
did not know what the ARGOS, Ltd,
the soviet trade organization in
London, is.
! Elias said he had been paying $500
month to Joe Kelly Tor lectures.
'sIs there anyone besides Mr.. Kelly
to whom you pay money for prose-
lytirg and propagandizing? Senator
johnson asked.
eve pay Mr.. Kelly $500 month,
and Mr.. HaberTnan $500 month,
Elias replied 81 don't know what
they are paid for I am merely the
fiscal agent OF the government IL
this transaction Haberman is in
New York and Kelly here in Wash
ington."
The consul general denied that he
had received any message from Min
ister of Foreign Affairs Estrada at
Mexico City asking for report on
the antecedents of Ambassador Nor
row and particularly whether he had
any relations with petroleum COM
panies.
Asked whether the signatures on
several documents bearing the name
of President Gales, his half rotner,
were authentic, Elias said:
"They look like his signature, but
I do not think they are. can't
say.v
Finally he denied that the letter
heads of the papers were those Of the
president of Mexico.
'Why do you say these are not
the signatures OF your brother?" asked
Senator Bruce, democrat, Maryland.
'sThey do not look the same" Elias
replied. "They are not heavy enough"
Pressed by Senator Johnson, the
consul general said he did not Wan5
to testify positively whether any OF
the signatures shown him were those
of his half brother.
"Then you would rather not say"
johnson inquired
mo, am not sure"
Edward H. Clark. of San Francisco,
manager of the Hearst estate, fol-
lowed Elias Mr.. Hearst had testified
that Mr.. Clark was among the first
to receive the documents.
Clark told the committee he had
been informed by an American pus.-
ness man living in Mexico that there
were documents available in Mexico
City OF vital interest.
!, Later, he said, he authorized the
man to get the documents
The papers were turned over to
lE1EdLSL, .Oldlk SItbu1 +cQNAAAS'
4 ST told Mr.. Hearst / thought the
, letters genuine but did not think
the money went to the senators.
''Mr. Hearst suggested take them
to President Coolidge in South
Dakota
..What happened there?" Reed
asked
II Clark hesitated, but members of
Che committee said they saw no harm
in his speaking.
"I feel very sure President Coolidge
| would not want you to conceal any
: thing" Reed said.
: "By appointment called on Presi-
dent Coolidge in his office at Rapid
!, City and had short conversation, >
f Clark testified.
"He said he did not know that he
= should listen to what had to say
: Ambassador Sheffield was then there
1 He did not discuss the matter OF
look at the papers. I presume nc
: had talked this over with Mr.. Shelf