Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-15
Hastings Denounees
Any Inference He Paid
Money 10 Mahaffy
Ex-senator Engages
In Heated Word Bottle
With Tobey for Hour
By WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.

BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.
Former Senator Hastings of Della
ware today characterized as plain
damn lie" any inference that he
paid money to Harry c, Mahafiy, jr.,
clerk of the United States Court in
Wilmington, Del, for continuance
Of an r. C. A. antitrust suit in 1882.
The former Senator appeared be-
fore the Senate Committee on Inter-
state and Foreign Commerce, now
inquiring into the circumstances Of
the suits continuance.
Albert Hislop, former Mayor OF
Portsmouth, N. H., who took the
stand shortly before noon, did not
recall the 81 500 check which, it has
been testified, was given to him by
Roger J. Whiteford, Capital attor-
ney, in 1882 and claimed by COM
mittee witnesses to have been for
former Senator Moses of New
Hampshire for his part in bringing
about postponement of the suit. He
said he had received number OF
checks from Mr.. Whiteford in the
form of loans.
There was heated word battle
between Senator Tobey, Republican,
of New Hampshire and Mr.. Hastings
during the entire hour Mr.. Hastings
was on the stand today. Senator
Tobey was acting as chairman.
Mr.. Hastings said he did not re-
member many things that happened
in 1882, and therefore could not ex-
plain many actions about which
Senator Tobey questioned him.
When his account books and check
stub books were put in evidence the
former Senator was Of little use in
explaining various items, as he indi-
Gated to the committee that he left
such details to his bookkeeper, who
Is now dead.
Questioned on Mutations.
He was questioned particularly as
to notation on statement put into
the record several days ago by C..
Edward Duffy, former law partner of
Mr.. Hastings. This statement had
a notation concerning 50 500 received
from Mr.. Whiteford, and which Mr..
Duffy testified Mr.. Hastings told him
he had to pay to Mr.. Mahaffy for
getting a continuance of the suit.
Mr.. Hastings said the only explana-
ton Of the statement he could give
was that it concerned money which
had not been turned over to the firm
account at the time the statement
was prepared.
Senator Tobey asked If Mr.. Hast
ings had lost a case in the United
States Court in Wilmington since
1884. The witness answered that he
wished he could say no, and then
added that if the Senator were i'm
plying that the witness had been
favored by Federal Judge Fields
presiding in the court, he was wrong
Taking up the pages from Mr..
Hastings account books, Senator
Tobey questioned an entry. not in
chronological order with other en-
tries, concerning q payment from
Mr.. Whiteford Of $4,000. The
amount was entered in ink and the
name Of Mr.. Whiteford was in pen
Gil. Senator Tobey called attention
to this and also to what he said was
difference in the handwriting of
this particular entry and others on
the page. Mr.. Hastings said the
chances were that he told the book
keeper about the check the first time
he saw her after he arrived home
and didn't give her the name until
later. Further than that he said he
could not explain it.
Refuses Explanation.
Later Mr.. Hastings emphatically
refused to explain anything con-
corning entries in the book, stating
he knew nothing about them and
had left all such matters entirely
to his bookkeeper.
He could not explain how the
$500 check had been transferred to
the firm account. He added that at
that time $4,000 was all that he had
received for his work on the case
and added:
Does anybody think I was going
30 turn that over to Mahaffy? That's
q crazy suggestion"
Senator White, Republican, of
Maine interjected that there has
been no evidence that any of that
money ever found its way into Mr..