Evening star., 1927-05-16
MAYOR IN INDIANA
SPURNS IMMUNITY
Offered Bribe to Resign, Says
Indianapolis Executive
in Politics Probe.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS, May 16.-Immuni-
ty in the present investigation into
charges of alleged political corruption
in Indiana has been offered Mayor
John l.. Duvall OF Indianapolis If he
and City Controller William c. Buser
will resign, according to a statement
last night by the mayor. sum of
money was offered both men, he said,
The offers were refused.
"A sum of money sufficient for each
OF us to retire to private life for our
remaining years and the entire mat
ter relating to this probe would be
disposed of if the controller and my
self would resigns" was the PROPOSE
tion the mayor said "a representative
OF a certain political faction here"
proposed to him about week ago.
Tells Bribe Offer.
"About two days later a well known
Catholic minister of this city promised
me that the investigation that is being
conducted would not affect me if /
would consider the replacing of the
present city controller with one to be
selected by the above faction" the
mayor continued. He said he made
no reply.
Mayor Duvall declared that a few
days later the man who had previous
ly visited him renewed his offer and
admitted the faction he represented
was anxious to gain control of the city
administration. The mayer said he re-
piled that he was not bartering or
trading his position as mayor and had
no fear of any investigation. The fac
tion mentioned has been and is now
active in the political investigation
being conducted" the mayor said
The statement comes on the eve of
PRONUNCIATION of laws of the 1927 IN
diana General Assembly, for which
Prosecutor William II. Remy of Ma
rion County has said he was awaiting
before filing affidavits as a result of
more than seven months investigation
of purported corruption among In
diana politicians and officials by two
grand juries and the prosecutors staff.
The new laws would strengthen the
affidavits.
Leaders of local political factions
denied knowledge of the mayors
charges.
Special Probe Asked.
In two previous letters Duvall asked
Judge A. Collins of the Criminal
Court to call special session of the
grand jury to consider charges of
malfeasance in office by Prosecutor
Remy and by the previous city adj
miniStration. This the judge refused.
Duvall also protested he could not
receive a fair and impartial treat
ment from the prosecutors investigat-
ing body, which is believed to have
included the mayor in its investiga-
ton.
The recent grand jury, which took
up the investigation into the corrup
tion charges when it's predecessor ex-
pired after failure to return indict-
ments was dismissed several days
ago following the conviction of James
A. Armitage, local politician, on charg-
es of attempted bribery of one of it's
members. The prosecutors office was
empowered by Judge Collins to contin-
ue the investigation.
The grand jury investigation was
begun following charges by Thomas
H. Adams, publisher of the Vincennes,
Ind, Commercial, that D. C. Stephen
son, serving life term in the Michi-
gan City State prison for murder, had
entered into fraudulent agreements
with State and city officials. Twice
Stephenson was brought into court,
but he refused to testify concerning
the charges. He was considered a
power in State politics while grand
dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Khan
and before his conviction for the mur-
der of Madge Oberholtzer of Indian
apolis.