The Bennington Evening Banner

CHARGE TRAFFIC IN VOTES AT HOME OF CANNON

Eleven Witnesses Testify Before Grand Jury

REPORTERS ON THE STAND

Gave Story of Alleged Confession by Danville City Attorney

Danville, Ills., Jan. 24.-Speaker Joseph G. Cannon's home city and county were brought under the scrutiny of a grand jury yesterday in the hunt for illegal traffic in votes. The Vermillion county grand jury, sitting here, heard eleven witnesses. Twelve more, including Speaker Cannon's son-in-law, E. X. Leseuro, a banker, are subpoenaed to appear today.

The jury heard Danville's city attorney, accused of having admitted buying votes, and was given a list of fifty possible witnesses by the accusers. The city attorney's alleged trafficking, it was testified, was in the interest of the present sheriff, John T. Shepard, at the last general election.

One of the newspaper men told the jurors he had been approached during the day by persons offering him a vacation and several "good things," if he would not go before the grand jury with his story.

Reporter Tells Story to Jury

The two newspaper reporters who last week sent out a story purporting to contain a confession from City Attorney Frank W. Jones that he had purchased votes, which story later was denied by Jones, demanded to be allowed to go before the grand jury and tell their story. They were R. H. Frankeberger, a reporter for the Danville Commercial News, who claims to have secured Jones' alleged confession, and George A. Martin, correspondent of an Indianapolis newspaper, who was with Frankeberger when the conversation took place.

Frankeberger told the grand jury the same story which, published last Saturday, brought forth prompt denial from City Attorney Jones and Sheriff John T. Shepard. It was for Shepard, whose campaign manager he was, Frankeberger said, that Jones admitted buying the votes.

The preliminary to the conversation was said by Frankeberger to have been a statement made by the newspaper men concerning vote buying of which he had some personal knowledge. As repeated to the grand jury it was: "That Jones had rented a small room in the rear of the butcher shop of H. M. Martin at 500 West Fairchild street; that here on the last election day he met a number of voters-approximately 72-instructed them how to vote and paid them; that later Martin, who is Frankeberger's father-in-law and not related to the newspaper man from Indianapolis, asked for and was shown the list of men Jones is alleged to have paid."

It was this information which Frankeberger testified he brought to Jones' office Saturday and upon which he obtained the alleged confession. The city attorney has denied absolutely that he confessed, and has said that he would tell what he knows if asked by the grand jury. His statement was followed by a subpoena issued yesterday.