Evening star., 1946-12-16
Two Contractors
Tell Of $1,000
Loans 10 BiIbo
All But $3.50 Repoid, Z,
Witnesses Say; List
Of Gifts Growing
By Robert K. Welsh

Two war contractors told the
Senate War Investigating Com
mittee today that each had made
a loan of 81 200 to Senator Bilbo,
Democrat, of Mississippi in the
fall of 1941, sums distinct from
campaign contributions they
made the following year to Wall
Doxey's senatorial campaign.
One contractor, Bernard L. Knoss
of Meridian, Miss, said he lent
Senator Bilbo $1,000 in November.
1941, OF which the Senator has re-
paid $3.50. He added he is confident
that when the Senator is able to
he will repay me-"
F. T. Newton, the other contrac-
tor, said he lent the Senator 81 200
on December Is, 1871, and has been
repaid in full. 1t was Mr.. Newton
who testified last week that 10
months later he gave Senator Bilbo
S25 900 for use in Mr.. Doxey's CAM
paign.
The total involved in the inquiry
continued to grow today, when Mr..
Knost also testified that he gave
Edward P. Terry, Senator Blbo's
former secretary, $3.50 for the
Doxey campaign, in addition to
S., 900 he had given Senator Bilbo
for the same campaign.
Another high light today was
the revelation that Senator Bilbo's
appeal for donations to help COM
plete the Juniper Grove Baptist
Church and parsonage, near his
home in Poplarville, Miss, was sent
out in October, 1943, on stationery
of the Senate Committee on Pen
sions. Senator Bilbo was chairman
of that committee at the time.
Auto on Gift List.
Mr.. Knost said he gave the Sem
ator $500 or $500 for the church,
but did not get one of the letters.
A Cadillac car was added to the
list OF gifts Senator Bilbo is said to
have received.
Mr.. Knost testified that Michael
T. Morrissey, who rented equipment
for use in construction of Keesler
Field, at Biloxi, Miss, gave the au-
tomobile to the Senator. Mr.. Nor
rissey, taking the stand, identified
himself as a farmer, cattle raiser,
contractor. wholesale liquor dealer
and an operator of retail liquor
establishment on an island in the
| Mississippi River across from Vicks-
burg.
/ Mr. Morrissey admitted he built
an artificial lake and island or
| which Senator Bilbo's dream house
No. 2" was subsequently built ane
had received no payment for tn,
work
Managed Senator's Farm.
He explained that for four years
he had an agreement with Senator
Bilbo to handle the Senator's 5000
acre farm at Poplarville, Miss. He
experimental with various kinds of
farming and cattle raising proceed
ures and lost a total of $48 900 dur
ing that period. Mr.. Morrissey said
that under the agreement he abb
Sorbed the losses and paid all taxes
on the property. If there had been
a profit, the agreement would have
given him so per cent and the other
half to Senator Bilbo, he testified.
Shouting at Senator Ferguson
and Committee Council George
Meader, who had asked what aid
he obtained from Senator Bilbo in
getting the Keesler Field job, Mr..
Morrissey denied he was a war
! contractor"
Rented Equipment for Fee.
He said he had been in the con-
tracing business since 1929 and, in
this instance, merely rented equip
ment to the Government at a S115,-
302 fee. He did not rent to the
contractors who included Mr.. New
ton and Mr.. Knost.
Asked how he happened to build
the lake and island on Senator
Bilbo's property, Mr.. Morrissey re-
called that in April or May, 1941,
he saw Senator Bilbo planning to
clear away some trees to provide
| for a lake and site for a house.
That was another of his dreams, -
the witness said Il told him he was
crazy to think he could do it SO
cheap. I put a bulldozer in there
and made a 25-acre lake in about
six weeks"
Before Mr.. Morrissey took the
stand with John A. Bellan of Vicks-
burg, who kept the books and rec
ords for Morrissey ventures, Mr..
Knost disclosed that in addition to
the $1,000 loan he made to Senator
Bilbo he made a loan of $4,000 to
Mr.. Terry. The Terry loan was
never repaid, he said.
Admits Cadillac Gift.
Mr.. Newton and Mr.. Knost testi-
fed that Mr. Terry repeatedly asked
them for money. Mr.. Newton de-
clared he never gave any personal
loans to Mr.. Terry but may once
have sent him SITS for Christmas
present for Senator Bilbo. Senator
Ferguson brought out that the
Christmas present was furniture.
Mr.. Newton said he could not re-
member whether the furniture was
for Senator Bilbo's office or for the
(See BILBO, Page A-53
go. -. aNII