Colonel Puts Odell In The Ananias Club.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 15, 1912:
Roosevelt Denies His Testimony That He Solicited $240,000 from Harriman in 1904.
BRANDS HIM AS DISHONEST
Odell, in Contradicting Sheldon, Says 'Politicians Sometimes Tell White Lies' — Spent $500,000 in New York.
Special to The New York Times.
    OYSTER BAY, L. I., Aug. 14.— Ex-Gov. Benjamin B. Odell was made a member in high standing of the Ananias Club by Col. Roosevelt to-night after he was told of Mr. Odell's testimony in Washington, before the Senate committee investigating campaign contributions, about the $240,000 raised by the late E. H. Harriman in the 1904 campaign. The Colonel listened intently while the newspaper men told him what Mr. Odell had said concerning the use of $40,000 of the fund by the National Campaign Committee, and how it came about that the fund was raised. He then said:
    "I am not interested in Mr. Odell's hearsay evidence about what happened. No honest man can question what I said, at the time the letters were published." Then the Colonel  declared that he had never, directly or indirectly, asked Mr. Harriman for a dollar, and that, on the contrary, Mr. Harriman had asked that the National Campaign Committee give money to help Odell. The Colonel added that no man could refute what he (Roosevelt) had said six years ago, as Odell did to-day, without "branding himself as dishonest and untrue."
    The testimony of Gov. Odell angered Mr. Roosevelt not a little, and throughout the interview he pounded on his knee with his clenched fist to emphasize what he was saying.
    Finally he dictated this statement:
    "I have not a thing to add to what was contained in my statement containing the letters published at that time. These letters speak for themselves, and Mr. Sheldon's testimony bears them out absolutely. I never directly or indirectly asked Mr. Harriman for a dollar, and he never spoke to me about giving a dollar to the National campaign fund. On the contrary, he asked me to help him get for Odell and the State campaign fund some large sums of money from the National Campaign Committee, on the ground that my election was safe any how, and that it was essential to help Odell carry the State ticket.
    "Let me repeat that every fact was set forth in full and in detail by me six years ago while Mr. Harriman was alive. This statement contained my letters written at the time to Mr. Harriman, and neither Mr. Harriman nor Mr. Odell ever attempted to answer this communication of mine. And no human being can so much as attempt to refute any statement therein made without branding himself as dishonest and untruthful. Mr. Sheldon's statement, entirely unsolicited, and which he of his own accord volunteered to make corroborates everything that I said. I was glad to have it published, but the letters that I gave needed no corroboration.,
    "That is all, gentlemen," said Mr. Roosevelt with a wave of his hand as he brought the statement to a close.