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THE AUGUSTA DAILY HERALD
VOLUME XIX. No. 31.
JUDGE SPEER, AS
WITNESS ON OA TH,
DENIES CHARGES
Under Interroqation of E. H.
Callaway of Augusta As Coun
sel. Prepared Statement Read
From Stand After Examina
tion of All Witnesses Com
pleted Today. Inquiry Ends
CHAIRMAN WEBB RULES
REPLIES MUST BE MADE
AS IN OTHER TESTIMONY
Jurist Says He Made No Jail
Threats; Never Asked Favor
of Son-in-Law; Explains
Breach With Akerman and
the King Loan.
Savannah, Ga.—Hearings before the
special congressional committee Inves
tigating the official record of Federal
Judge Emory Speer, southern district
of Georgia, were concluded here nt
1:20 this afternoon. Members of the
committee will leave at 9 o’clock to
night for Washington.
Given Three Weeks.
Chairman Webb announced that
Judge Speer and his counsel would be
given three weeks in which to file a
reply brief to the charges brought out
during the investigation.
Members of the committee declined
to intimate what recommendations
would be made to the house Judiciary
committee as a result of the two
Weeks’ investigation. The hearings
began in Macon, Ga., January 19. O.i
January 26 the scene of the hearings
was shifted to this City.
Jurist is Sworn.
Savannah, Ga.—Federal Judge Em
ory Speer was called as a witness to
day before the congressional commit
tee investigating charges of official
misconduct against him. Just before
the Jurist was sworn, Chairman Webb
announced that Judge Speer's testi
mony would complete the investiga
tion.
f
By Judge Callaway.
Judge Speer was interrogated by
E. H. Callaway, one of his counsel.
The witness denied having told Dis
trict Attorney Alexander Akerman
that he would raise the latter’s fee
in a bankruptcy case if he would
withdraw his protest against fees
awarded in the case to the firm of
Talley & Heyward. In his testimony
before the committee at Macon, Ga.,
Mr. Akerman declared that Judge
fc'peer had made such a proposal.
No Jail Threats.
Judge Speer also denied having
thratened to sentence to jail any law
yer who sought to disqualify him in
a case in which his son-in-iaw, A. H.
Heyward, was counsel. Mr. Akerman
In his testimony yesterday before the
committee stated that Judge Speer
had made this threat in November,
1910.
“I always disqualified myself in
cases where Talley & Heyward had
connection,” declared Judge Speer.
«T had nothing whatever to do with
the partnership between Talley and
Heyward. My son-in-law never con
sulted me.
Never Asked a Favor.
“I did, however, delay the partner
ship for a time on account of the
Greene-Gaynor case. I never asked
for a favor for my son-in-law and it
has never occurred to me that a law
yer who happens to be the son-in-law
of a Judge should be debarred from
practicing his profession.”
The witness also denied having had
anything to do with the partnership
of the law firm of Isaacs & Heyward.
The Akerman Breach.
Judge Speer was then asked to ex
plain the breach between himself and
District Attorney Akerman. "Our
differences” said the witness, “grew
out of our diverging views on ques
tions involving the policy of the law
and principles of morality upon which
the welfare of the people depended.
In the first place I was anxious to
enforce the revenue laws so as to aid
the people of the South In enforcing
their prohibition laws.
With Liquor Interests.
"Mr. Akerman allied himself with
the liquor interests and insisted that
I nol prosse certain liquor cases. Ho
Insisted this was obligatory upon me
because a compromise of these cases
been effected between the col ec
tor of internal revenue and the attor
ney general.
“Mr Akerman was a very needy
man when I first appointed him re
feree In bankruptcy. I did not like
his accepting employment from the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Com
pany while he was district attorney
and' I did not feel that Mr. Akerman
was quite faithful in the naval stores
cases.”
Explains Loan.
Tulge Speer also explained the loan
made to him several years ago by
H M. King, former clerk of the
■United States court at Savannah. I
had lust come out of politics four
vears in congress,” he testified, "and
| was badly in debt. Mr. King sent
me word he had some money which
he would lend me at a low rate of
IntereM- T accepted and gave my
(Continued on Page Two.)
REVISED DEATH
LISTS OF HE
FATEOJOIffIOE
Of the 139 Aboard Vessel. 41
Souls Perished. While 98
Were Saved. Curious Crowds
Gaze at Badly Battered
Solemn Reminder of Tragedy
Question of Possible Panic As
Liner Sank, Taken Up By Au
thorities. Some of the Sur
vivors on Hospital Cots,
Others on Way Home.
Norfolk, Va.—With the writing of
the final tragic summary showing that
nineteen passengers and twenty-two
seamen perished early yesterday when
the Old Dominion Liner Monroe sank,
after collision with the steamer Nan
tucket. government officials here to
day set out to determine the tragedy's
cause.
There were aboard of the ill-fate 1
rteamer at the time of the disaster
a totaj of 139 persons, including an
unregistered child of W. C. Poole, of
Gray, Va., who, with the Infant's
mother, was swept from the arms of
the father, both mother and child per
ishing in the sea.
Total Saved.
The total number of persons saved
were ninety-eight, of which number
thirty-eight were passengers and sixty
members of the Monroe’s crew. Of the
forty-eight first class jsissenger*
aboard, including the Poole child, thir
ty-four were sieved and fourteen lost
Of the Monroe's nine steerage passen
gers four were saved and five per
ished.
Robert Tapley, inspector of hulls,
and Edward W. Brey, inspector of
boilers, here, will conduct the inquiry
whtch will be directed along these
three distinct lines:
Precautions Used?
Whether the masters of both ves
sels used every possible precaution to
prevent the tragedy, including a low
speed headway and continual use of
fog horns.
Whether the death rate among the
passengers of the Monroe was due In
any way to a lack of discipline among
the wrecked ship’s crew.
Whether the two vessels were lq
their proper positions prior to the col
lision.
Possible Panic.
The question of a possible panic on
the part of the crew Is one to which
IContlnued on page two.)
Senator’s Charge Brought
Protest From Hoke Smith
Lane Removed, in Parliamen
tary Sense, From Floor By
Vice President.
Washington—Senator Lane, of Ore
gon, was removed from the floor of
the senate, in a preliminary sense,
today, by Vice-President Marshall,
who held that Lane had violated the
rule against reflecting on members.
Senator I«ane had charged that the
interstate commerce committee’s re
port on its hearing on his resolution
for an inquiry into alleged granting
of rebates to the steel corporation,
had been "doctored.”
Lane’s assertion brought senators
Hoke Smith, Lodge and Newlands to
their feet, demanding an apology,
and later, when the Oregon senator
was allowed to proceed, he withdrew
his charge.
American Can Company
Denies Gov’t Charges
Baltimore. —f’nunsel for the Amer
ican Can Company In the United
States district court here today filed
a general denial of the government’s
allegations In Its suit for a dissolu
tion of the company on the ground
that It is a trust in unlawful restraint
of trade.
CONSIDERING BLACKBURN
AS CULLOM’S SUCCESSOR
Washlngton.-yForraer Senator Jos.
C. S. Blackburn, of Kentucky, a for
mer Confederate soldier, ws- being
considered today by President Wil
son for appointment to the Lincoln
Memorial Commission to succeed the
late Former Senator Cullorn, of Illi
nois.
AUGUSTA. GEORGIA. SATURDAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 31. 1914.
World's Most Powerful Derrick Required to Place Gigantic
tunnels on New Liner
r r~ -——XEGRSSL ■
MONSTER LINER VATERLAND.
The work of placing the three gigantic funnels on the new Hamburg-American liner Vaterlnnd, building at
Hamburg, is shown above. This ship when completed will surpass in every dimension tier sister ship, the Ini
perator. Each of the stacks is sixty-two feet in height and oval in shape. Each funnel consists of two parts,
and inner and an outer tube, the latter serving tq cool the inner tube. The reproduction shows the most powerful
derrick in the world in action, placing the outer tube over tho inner tijhs of Urn middle funnel.
RADII BILL IS
BEFOREJOUSE
Measure Would Provide For
Exclusive Sale to U. S. For
Next Fiscal Year.
Washington.—An appropriation of
$150,000 for erecting and equipping
one or more buildings for concentrat
ing and treating radium bearing ores
and for other work of the bureau of
mines, and $300,000 additional for
purchase and treatment of the ores
and extraction during the next fiscal
year are proposed in the revised ad-
Biinistration bill introduced today by
Chairman Foster, of the house mines
committee.
The bill provides that all deposits
of curnotlte, pitch blende and other
radium ores and the public lands con
taining them shall be subject to ex
ploration, occupation and purchase
under the mining laws, conditional
upon the ores being exclusively sold
to the United States. All the ores so
mined from tho public lands not lo
cated under the federal or state
mining laws prior to January 15th,
1914, would he sold and delivered
under fedreal reservation of the ex
clusive right to purchase the ores and
to annual any patents for the lanJs
because of allure to develop and mine
the ores with "reasonable diligence."
MAKE THINGS LIVELY, Mr. Small
Merchant! Augusta Herald “Want
Ads M hold out an Inexpensive Adver
tising Opportunity for you, and are sure
to stir Trade into a Brisk Quick Step !
Even though you begin in a small way,
if you’ll Just keep it up, “the world will
make a beaten path to your door.” Re
member that the “Want Ads” of The
Augusta Herald are closely and regu
larly perused by the class and the best
of the mass in Augusta.
It’s Time to Begin !
THE AUGUSTAHERALD
Augusta’s “Want Ad” Directory.
President Names Two for
Inter-State Commission
Washington. —President Wilson to
day nomtnatod Wlnthrop More DanlelH
of Princeton, N. J„ and Henry Clay
Hall of Colorado Springs, Colo., for
members of the interstate commerce
commission.
Indictments Charging
Rebating For Big Guns
Chicago.—lndictments charging re
bating wer returned by the federal
grand Jury her today against Hwift
and Company, tho Pennsylvania Rail
road, tho Pan Handle Lines and the
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.
Two bills wore found against the Pan
Ilnndle,
AMARILLO, TEXAB, FIRE.
Amarillo, Texas.— Fire which for a
time threatened to destroy one of the
most im|Kirtant blocks in the busi
ness district of Amarillo early to
day did damage estimated at $150,000.
Buildings of tho Amarillo Bank and
Trust Company, ('. O. Thompson
Drug Company and the Roach Drug
Company were burned.
GLASS CASE MONDAY,
Washington.—The senate will be
asked next Monday to pass on the
right of Frank P. Olasn, of Alabama,
to a seat in that body. Chairman
Kern of the committee on elections
announced this today in a reply to a
question by Senator Bankhead, of Al
abama. The report is adverse to Mr.
Glass.
WIRELESS HERO
OF THE MONROE
Only 20 Years Old, Kuebn
Went Down After Strapping
His Life Preserver on Woman
New York—FordinunJ Kuehn, chief
wireless operator of the liner Monroe,
who took off Ills own life preserver
and strapped it around a woman Just
before tho steamer .went down early
yesterday, lived with his parents in
the Bronx, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham
Kuehn. and his 12-year-old sister,
Victoria. The father Is a furrier. Alt
day yesterday friends of the family
called to ask for news and offer en
couragement to the grief stricken
parents.
Mrs. Kuehn's fears were Increased
because she said she always had had
a premonition that something would
happen to her son If he remained at
sea.
Kuehn was only 20 years old. Ilfl
became Interested in electro-mecnan-
Ics when a pupil in high sehool In
tile Bronx and he had learned the
principles of wireless telegraphy suf
flcenly to rig up an apparatus of his
own.
It was with this home-made appa
ratus that ho learned telegraphy. The
Marconi Company employed him
about three years ago. Soon ho’ was
assigned to the steamship Jefferson
of the Old Dominion line. When
that vessel was laid up for repairs,
Young Kuehn was transferred to the
Monroe. He made only one voyage
on her before she was struck down
yesterday by the steamer Nantucket.
Chicago St. R’ways Bring
Out Their Snow Sweepers
Chicago —A snow storm over north
ern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio today
caused much delay to railroad traffic
and telegraph and telephone service
was madly hampered. In this city
all street railways brought out snow
sweepers early, but much difficulty
was experienced In keeping lines open
In the outlying districts.
CLEAR UP PHILADELPHIA’S
“TENDERLOIN” QUARTER
Philadelphia.—Aiming to elear this
elty of yeggmen, highway robbers, sec
ond-story men and other criminals, a
special squad of police early today
swept through the "tenderloin” and
arrested about 150 men. Alleged deal
ers In cocaine, white slavers and others
who the police say, have varied records
were among those captured.
DAILY AND SUNDAY. $6.00 PER YEAR.
GOV'T MONOPOLY FOR
NATION'S WIRT LINES
IS URGED ON SENATE
ANOTHER CHARGE
AGAINST DIGGS
Warrant Sworn Out For Al
leged Offense on Young 17-
Ycar-Old Oirl.
San Francisco.—Local authorities
awaited today the surrender of Maury
I. Diggs, former state architect, for
whom a warrant was sworn out last
night charging an offense against u
young girl.
Although Diggs left hla father’s
home in Berkeley enrly in the night
and had not reported to the pollen
early today no anxiety was felt as to
his whereabouts, lie Is under brfhd
pending a hearing of u bill of ex
ceptions before tile United Htnles cir
cuit court of appeals in connection
with b/s recent conviction under the
Mann act.
Wide Attention.
The case attracted wide attention
because it wad charged that Anthony
Caminotti, commissioner general of
Immigration, whose son was also tried
and convicted with Diggs, bad at
tempted to delay the course of Justice.
The local federal district attorney, af
ter making the charge, resigned.
The present warrant against Diggs
was sworn to by Mrs. Elisabeth Dear
rlng, on I ehulf of her daughter Ida,
17 years old. and New Year’s Eve is
the time named.
"My son ha# not been away from
home in the evening for months,” said
Diggs’ (other when told of the new
trouble. “The charge is impossible."
27 Hours of Continuous
Train for M’Adoo, Houston
Ban Francisco —Twenty-seven houm
continuous train, riding gave Secre
taries McAdoo and Houston, organisa
tion commiaeion of the federal reserve
hoard, plenty of time today to reflect
on what they have heard In connec
tion with the establishment of reg
ional reserve hunks. They are en
route from Portland and will arrive
here Sunday.
Georgia Cane Syrup is
Given to the President
Washington —Congressman Adamson,
says it special to the Atlanta Journal,
presented President Wilson with a
supply of Georgia ribbon cano syrup
for table consumption at the White
House.
The president expressed keen appre
ciation of tho syrup and declared ho
was very fond of tile Georgia product,
little? of which ho has seen in recent
years.
LEAVE SLEEPING CARS
IN THEIR NIGHT CLOTHES
Joliet, lll.—Fifteen persons were
Injured, some of them so seriously
that they may die when Chicago anJ
Alton passenger train No. 7 bound
from Chicago to St. Louis was wreck
ed between here and early
today. Nine cars left the track and
three were overturned, one car being
badly shattered.
Most of those Injured were forced
to leave the sleeping cars lit their
night clothes un.l seek shelter in
neighborhood farm houses.
FIREMEN HURT AS VAT
OF VARNISH EXPLODES
New York—Three firemen were hurt,
one seriously, In a fire which destroy
ed the Walters Plano Factory, at 231
East (13rd stre.-t early today. The
firemen were on the second floor when
a varnish vat beside them exploded.
The flames reached a public school
building adjoining the factory but
were checked before much damage oc
curred. The property loss is estimat
ed at $300,000.
found not guilty of
MURDER OF HUSBAND
Bartlesville, Okla. —Mrs. Laura M.
Reuter, charged with conspiring to
murder her husband, Charles Router,
a Tulsa lnwycr, was found not guilty
today. The Jury was out 16 hours.
At a previous trial Mrs. Reuter was
found guilty but was granted a new
trial. Reuter was killed In May, 1912.
GOVERNOR TAKES THE OATH.
Richmond, Va.—Henry C. Htnart, of
Russell County, Democratic governor
elect, took the oath of office this
morning before James Keith, presi
dent of the supreme court. He will
he Inaugurated Monday with unusual
civil and military ceremony.
Postmaster Gen’l Burleson
Submits Plans For Federal
Ownership of Telephone, Tel
eqraph and Radio Means of
Communication and Trans
mission of Intelligence to
Public of Nation
“ONLY WAY TO AFFORD
THE PEOPLE FACILITIES*
IS DUTY OF THE GOV’T”
Desired That Congress Pur
chase at An Appraised Value,
Commercial Net Work. U. S.
Alone Among the Nations.
Capitalization is Approxi
mately $900,000,000.
Washington. Postmaster General
Burleson today submitted to the sen
ate the recommendations of the de.
pari mental committee appointed by
him to investigate the practicability
of government ownership of telephone
and telegraph lines.
The report declared that "the only
way to afford to the people the com
plete and modern postal facilities that
the constitution tnHkea it the duty
of the government to provide," is by
carrying out these suggestions:
For Government Monopoly.
“1. That congress declare a gov
ernment monopoly over all telegraph,
telephone and raj to communication
and such other means for the trans
mission of Intelligence, as may here
after develop;
"2. That congress acquire by pur
chase at appraised value the commer
clal telephone net work, except the
farmer lines;
”3 That congress authorize the
postmaster general to Issue, in bis
discretion and under such regulation
as he niay"prescrlbe levocable li
censes for the operation, by private
Individuals, iiasociatlons, companies
and corporations, of the telegraph
service and of such parts of the tele
phone service as may not be acquired
by the government.”
Recommendations Signed.
The recommendations are signed
by Daniel C. Roper, first assistant
(Continued on page two.)
'Deaf and Dumb' Lookout
When P. 0. Was Robbed
Ostensible Mendicant Sold
Shoe Laces and Matches
While Pals Worked.
Hazleton, Pa.—ln the double role
of deaf and dumb mendicant and
"look out” for a gnng of postoffice
robbers, Michael Scanlon stationed
himself in front of the postoffice at
Conyngham neur here yesterday and
sold sltoe laces and matches while his
companions blew open the safe and
Escaped wltti several hundred tV>l«
lars. Scanlon who later was arrest
ed when he lost his way coming from
Conyngham to this city, confessed his
purt In the robbery and Implicated
two other men known as “Philadel
phia 811 m” and "Philadelphia Whl
toy.” Both the latter are wanted In
other parts of the country for similar
offenses, according to local authori
ties. He Hald he became separated
from the other men nfter an ex
change of shots with the postmaster
wno was awakened by the noise of
the explosion.
Peril For 48 of Crew of
Vanderbilt's Big Yacht
Refused to Leave Wrecked
Craft Being Driven Further
on Coral Reef.
New Orleene.—Tho wireless was si
lent here in the early hours today re
garding the condition of Frederick W.
Vanderbilt's yacht Warrior, which
wont aground off the Colombian coast
Monday.
Information was received here last
night that tho crew of 4H men who re
fused to leave the yacht when Mr.
Vanderbilt and his party were taken
off by the steamer Almlrante, were in
peril.
The Almlrante returned to the scene
of the grounding yesterday and a
wrecking tug was reported standing
by.
Wireless reports said wind and
waves were driving the Warrior fur
ther on the reef and that all efforts to
throw a line aboard the stranded ves
sel had failed.