Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-11
Indicates He Gave Little In
formation Due to Guests
ProprietieS.
HIGHT, NEXT WITNESS,
is QUIZZED HALF HOUR
Indicates Willingness to Tell About
Alleged Wet Party of
Cabinet Member.

Valley Railroad, to use his own express
sion, spent short but sweet" three
minutes before the grand jury this
morning, explaining his connection with
the Fahy Wall Street dinner at the
Willard Hotel in 1925.
That Mr.. Loomis had very little to
say to the grand jury about what Sen
ator Brookhart told the Senate was a
Wall Street booze party" was evident
in Mr.. Loomis' reply as to questioning
by reporters at IL o'clock this morning,
shortly before he entered the grand Jury
room.
you don't expect me to discuss for
the public what happened when I was
a guest at private dinner. do you?"
Mr.. Loomis said.
Mr.. Loomis arrived at the courthouse
shortly before l. o'clock, spent 10
minutes in United States District At
torney Leo A. Royer's office, and then
made his three-minute visit to the
grand jury room.
On his return Mr.. LOOMS reiterated
his statement made before he entered
the grand jury room, and added:
Excused From Further Appearance.
You'll have to rely on the labora-
tory experience and smelling propen-
sites of Mr.. Brookhart. I was q guest
at the dinner. have some idea Of
the proprieties"
Mr. Loomis, who appeared at the in
Wtation of District Attorney Rover to
testify as to the happenings at the
Wall Street dinner, was excused from
further appearance before the grand
jury by the district attorney.
Frank s. Hight, manager of the Will
lard Hotel, Immediately followed Mr..
Loomis to testify before the grand jury.
He carried with him a bulky brief case.
He was questioned for approximately
half an hour. He left the grand jury
room and would make no statement as
to what his testimony consisted of.
Walter W. Liggett, author of series
OF articles on the liquor situation In
Washington, particularly as it refers to
Official circles, was the third witness to
be called in the investigation of the
Wall Street dinner. He went before the
jury shortly after IL o'clock.
The grand jury questioned Liggett
less than Is minutes.
Liggett, following his visit to the grand
jury room, said he had not been uues-
toned by the jury as to dates and names
In incidents he revealed In his article
IN a current magazine. He declared
that Il am not engaged as a snopoer
or a spy
Willing to Tell of Party.
Liggett, however, said that he was
perfectly willing to tell the grand jury
when he appeared before it and is still
willing to tell of an alleged liquor party
given by member of the cabinet dur
ing the Harding administration.
For the rest of his testimony Liggett
said he supplied the grand jury with
the data collected by him for his Plain
Talk article. The estimates, he said,
were the result of figures supplied him
by Sergts. Little and Letterman of the
Washington police force.
Mr.. Rover stated after the questioning
OF Loomts, Hight and Liggett that at
present he has no plans for inviting
other persons who attended the dinner
70 testify before the grand jury. He said
that II the grand jury desires any
further information on the dinner it
VIII probably have to defer its taking of
testimony for 10 days or two weeks at
least, because the Mcpherson case is
scheduled to go before the Jury tomor-
row, and in view of the number of wit
neSSeS to be examined is not expected
TO be cleared for 10 days or two weeks,
While not excused by the grand fury.
Llggett declared that he believed he had
given that body all the information Il
desired Of him.
Brookhart appeared before the grand
Jury last week after he had regaled the
Senate with an account of the dinner
he SAID that handsome silver hip TASKS
containing whisky were provided for the
guests, that he sat between Otto II
Kahn, the New York financier. and
Loomis, and that he saw the latter par
take Of the intoxicant.
Figures Given In Article.
Writing in the current issue of Plain
Talk, Liggett estimated WashinQton's
weekly consumption of hard liquor at
$4,000 quarts weekly, asserted that 600
people are engaged in the LIQUOR trafic
here and said in addition that there
Is plenty of drinking in high Govern
ment circles and that Capitol Hill is
probably the wettest place in Wash
mgton."
He charged. too, that members of the
senate are served by an Official boot
logger" and use their influence to keen
him out of jail-and on the job." The
House, he said, Is served by "at least
SIX bootleggers, who seem to enjoy
virtual immunity from arrest"
He estimated the city'S annual LIQUOR
bill at $20,000,000 with another million
added for malt extract used in making
home brew.