The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-01-24


 The payments were made at regular intervals from 1894 to December, 1888, when the scandal broke. The items ran as high as $5,0O0 and as low as $4l6.
 McNeil and the dead swindler were on intimate terms, address ing each other as Don" and Arch" Coster-Musica sent gifts of liquor to McNeil for distribu- ton to political friends and sug- gested names for appointment to public office.
 The McKesson- Robbins corres- pondence frequently mentions the name of Cummings. One letter from "Coster" to a friend fol- lows:
 q am glad that the Attorney General and Mrs. Cummings are enjoying a vacation with you. I would send some bubbles for the occasion, if l did not feel that you would drink 1t all and give the General nothing, so I will await his return to Wash- ington.
 II know of nothing that you can bring to the attention of the General at this time except a prayer that he take the ad- vice of sound, honest business men, that really have at heart the success of the Administa- tion, feeling that unless the Ad- ministrati0n has some of the best men of the United States in the Senate, without taking re- course to the crack pot college professors, Socialists and Com munists that he Is giving aid and comfort to, and that if he would take counsel with some of the experienced business men, whose record of success full accomplishment Is open to him we could go long ways toward bringing this country back to prosperity .... I hope before the General leaves that I can get to you an advance copy of my annual report, which sums up the subjects of taxa ton and labor relations, and clearly sets forth what business is up against"
 In still another letter Coster- Musica complains to a politico that he Is losing faith in the ability of the Democratic party to deliver:
 Tt seems that their idea of delivery Is by way of talk or attractive dinners attended by attractive personalities that can do more talking than perform ing, all of which may be per- fectly fine and most interesting to some people, but 1t does not interest me d bit So 1t seems to me that we had bet- ter adopt the policy of perform ancc first and payment after, rather than vice versa In the future."
 ALCATRAZ JOB
 Justice Department officials aren't saying so publicly, but they are convinced that the recent Alcatraz break was an inside job. James V. Bennett, U. s. Prison director, is making a personal in- vestigation of the affair, has re- ported privately that in no other way could the five desperadoes have obtained the tools that en- abled them to get out of their barred cell blocks.
 A shakeup in the Alcatraz staff is certain. Changes will also be made in the electrical signal sys- tenn.
 BELL-HOP DIPLOMAT
 For a long time the State De- partment career corps operated on the theory that the more ritzy its members, and the less they knew about human beings, especially those west of the Alleghanies, the better qualified they were to keep the United States out of in- ternational disturbances. But now, in the most important change of policy since we stopped belaboring Pan-American coun- tries, the State Department has let down the high-hat standard and admitted a hotel bell-hop as a career diplomat.
 Last week, Kenneth Oakley, Arkansas, aged 25, laid aside the brass-buttoned uniform which he wears at the Hay Adams House, walked across Lafayetfs SSusre to the state