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Show HIE STICKS TO Mi Committee Lawyers Unable fo I Shake Man Acenscd of Accepting Ac-cepting Bribes. GJJTSS REASONS WHY HE VOTED FOR LORIMER Robert E. Wilson. Alleged Distributor Dis-tributor of Legislative Jackpot, Jack-pot, Is Missing. CHICAGO, Oct. 7. The hearing before the Lorlmer Investigating committee In this city Is nearlug an end. Leu O'Nell Browne, who told his story for the first time under oath, concluded his testimony today with a number of interesting sidelights side-lights on the political situation in Illinois Illi-nois and tho motives underlying thc bipartisan bi-partisan combination that elected William Wil-liam Ixnimer to tho United States senate. sen-ate. A subpoena was issued todny for SpcaKcr Edward D. Shunleff, who presided pre-sided over the session of thc legislature which elected Mr. Lorlmer. and who, according to Rrownc. first formally approached ap-proached him with rcfori-ncc to securing Doinoerntle-votus for Lorlmer. Mr. Shurt-loff Shurt-loff Is expected to testify, tomorrow, as Is State Senator D. W. ilolstlaw. who will be recalled to rebut the testimony of State Scnutor John Brodcrlck. Noaring the End. Ilolstlaw confessed thai Hroderlck gavo him 52500 for bla Lorlmer vote, and on this charge Broderick Is under Indictment Indict-ment at Springfield. Uroderlck denied the charge while a witness before the senn-torlul senn-torlul committee. The testimony of Shurlleff and Ilolstlaw will practically conclude the hearing here. lSvery effort was made todny to dls-eovcr dls-eovcr the whereabouts of Representative Robert IS. Wilson, alleged distributer of the St. I-ouls "Jackpot ' fund, but without success, rre Is said to be in poor health and the best Information obtainable by the seigcnnt-nt-arms or the committee is i bat be is In the west on real estate business. Tils father will be questioned tomorrow. Wilson is under Indictment on n charge of perjury In Cook county and on a charge of conspiracy to bribe at Springfield. Spring-field. During his testimony today. Minority Mi-nority Leader Browno said that ho saw Wilson last month and that the latter seemed to bo a nervous wreck. Browne Kcops IliB Head. Senator Frazlur led lu tho cross-examination of Mrownc lu the. afternoon. When the senator alluded to tho fact that Browne had not testified at either of his trials, the witness said be bad not done so on tho unanimous advice of his four attorneys. He said his counsel assured him that if ho told bis story in court be would be Indicted for perjury no matter mat-ter what be suld whether he spoke tho truth or not. The hearing has not been distinguished for nulot. but when Senator Frasder began be-gan asking whether Browne had received any monev. tho stillness became almost painful. The first question was: "Did you rucelvo any money or anything any-thing of value for your vote or Semitor Lorlmcr or your efforts to induce other Democrats to vote for hlmV" "No. sir." was Browne's roply, "Did you receive any money for campaign cam-paign purposes because of your vole or acts?" "No, not n penny." Denies Taking Money. "Was any money contributed to your defense In the two trials ns a. result of that vyto or your activity in tho election of Senator Lorlmor?" "Not a cent us result of anything?" "Did anyone at nil contribute money lo your defense?" "Yc. My friend.' came to my rescue, otherwise I could not have bad a defense, for the expenses wcro very heavy." "When ShuurllefT suggested an agreement agree-ment on Democratic voles, did you advise ad-vise with persons outside tbu legislature legisla-ture V" "Vos. I talked to my partner in Ottawa Otta-wa and to a few others." said Browne, und added that lie had not discussed It Continued on Pugo Four. BROWNE STICKS TO HIS STORY .Continued from Pago One. with Chicago politicians. He said that the Democrats did not like Governor De-neen De-neen and were Influenced In some degree In voting for Lorlmcr In the hopo that they would thus shear the governor of some of his power. Witness said that there were enough votes pledged to Lorltner to elect him on May 24. but there was no session that day. Wanted to Mako Sure "There wero enough on the following day also," Browne said. "But we wanted to make assurance doubly auro and try to got. two or three more for good measure, meas-ure, so wc waited until ihe next day." "Were you notified by Loriiner and Shurtleff that a sufficient number wero pledged to elect Lortmer?" asked Senator Sena-tor Frazler. "Yes. but 1 investigated myself and talked to n number of Republicans to make sure." Browne safd he did not believe that any Republican other than Lorimcr was considered as the recipient of Democratic votes. He said that Emanuel Abrahams, the first Democratic representative 'on the roll call, acted as "bellwother" to Indicate Indi-cate by his vote the position taken by the minority leader. Abrahams cast the first Democratic vo& in the house for Lorlmer. Why Lorimer Won. . Browne said that Senator Lorlmer had endeared himself to many Democrats and Republicans by his attitude on the Illinois deep waterways proposition. "He was father, mother and nurse to the projoc:." said the witness. Attorney Alfred' Austrian asked If Governor Gov-ernor Deneen could have been elected senator, and Browne answered: "Yes. I am Inclined to think ho could have been to get him out of tho way." "Would you hao voted for him?" "1 oould not hove voted for him, but I would not have opposed other. Democrats Demo-crats voting for him." The last witness of tho afternoon was Charles 1-1. Simmons, an engineer and contractor, who testified that he saw Leo O'Neill Browne give Representative C. A. White about $23 In tho Brlggs house, Chicago, Chi-cago, June 17. 1000. after White had asked Browne for a loan. On cross-examination. Attorney Austrian Aus-trian brought out that Simmons did not know either Browne or White at the time of the alleged loan, and did not tell of tho occurrence until the next spring. |
