Show CLARK CASE montana senator is placed in an unenviable position witnesses vho aho testify as to his illegitimate use of money in senatorial campaign thousands of dollars offered and paid for votes men whom dark attempted to bribe fell how the offers were made washington jan 6 sir henry C stiff speaker of the montana house of representatives was the first witness in the dark case before the senate committee on privileges and elections today campbell of montana questioned mr stiff and his questions were directed to showing that the embarrassed financial condition of state representative mccaugh liu had been taken advantage of by senator dark to approach him to secure his vote and also stiffs own vot had been improperly solicited mr stiff stated that he knew that mr mclaughlin was in distressed financial circumstances prior to the meeting of the legislature he also stated that lie had himself been approached pro ached by W M bickford BIck tord as a representative of mr dark and his support solicited for the latter the questions bringing out this information vere all objected to by the defense who insisted that mr dark must bo directly connected with all the transactions with which it was sought to connect ills name the reply was that his connection would be shown over mr darks signature the questioning cf mr stiff was then directed toward showing that mr bickford Bick tord had sought to secure mr stiffs services to examine the title of property to be purchased by mr dark from mr mclaughlin for a part of the consideration on mccaugh lins part being as bickford specified that mr mclaughlin support dark for the senate mr stiff testified to the correctness of this outline and added that bickford had told him that he stiff should receive for his individual services when 50 would have been a good tee that his own vote was wanted for dark and that he should be put on mr darks list of attorneys tor a number of years mr bickford had in this connection exhibited a list of property to ba sold by mclaughlin with prices to be paid which were in excess of the value of the property and this property was afterwards conveyed to mr dark mr stiff also stated that the agreement with mclaughlin provided that mclaughlin was to be employed by mr dark for years at 2400 a year and that mclaughlin had since been employed in this connection he also said mr mclaughlin had voted for dark the witness stated that in another conversation with mr bickford Bick tord a week prior to the meeting of the legislature he had offered him if ie would withdraw from the contest I 1 or the and support mr dark for the mr stiff also detailed a conversation with mr A B cook former state auditor who had offered him to vote for dark 1 I madeno definite reply said mr stiff because I 1 wanted to further investigate vesti gate what was going on I 1 told lim that it mr dark really wanted to secure my vote he could afford to pay more than and suggested saying I 1 did not want this to c understood as an offer on my part mr cook said he would see dark and we agreed to meet again that day I 1 did not however see him again on this subject he also said that as speaker in selecting a committee of investigation in the dark matter he had not known all he members selected were unfriendly to dark replying further to questions concerning his suggestion of as the price dark should pay for its vote he said I 1 believe I 1 was perfectly justified in doing what I 1 did I 1 considered that a most outrageous crime was being perpetrated and I 1 was willing to act the part of detective fred whiteside montana state senator from Cleaf bead county eliat he had been approached prior to and after the meeting of the legisla tuie in the interest of mr darks candidacy by john S neill john B wellcome and charles W dark a son of the senator he had seen mr wellcome by appointment at his room at a hotel in helena and had also mot lire others of mr darks friends chehad also met mr dark who told urn that wellcome Well como had spoken favorably of him the first intimation he had that his support of mr dark would be to hs interest was from mr nelll afterwards mr wellcome told him hat his vote for and support of mr lurk would be worth he had so operated with the supporters of mr for the purpose of exposing the irrupt methods which he was satis d were being used to secure darks he exhibited a list of the numbers of the legislature whom mr and senator darks son had him to see they had told alm ilm they were willing to pay or any democratic vote and more for he vote of J T anderson bounty |