Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-30
MYSTERY MITKIEWICZ
Says he Is Willing to Meet the New
Charges Brought Against Him.
HE CALLS IT ALL A CONSPIRACY,
A Part of a Plan to Get Some Valuable
Chinese Concessions.
BLAIR AND SHEPARD IN THE MATTER

| WASHINGTON, Sept 29.-"Count" Nit
| kiewicz processes to be entirely willing to
answer Lawyer Burke's charges at any
time, and says that extradition papers are
entirely unnecessary, as he will go to New
York to answer a summons, if necessary.
Lawyer Charles R. Burke has not yet ar
rived here with warrant for the arrest of
"Count" Eugene de Mitkiewicz on a charge
of fraudently obtaining the sum of 81, 750
| from A. L. Tones, of Brooklyn, but he is
expected to arrive tomorrow. The Count
has retained Lawyer Robert Christy as his
| counsel, and any further steps in the con-
troversy will be taken upon the lawyers
advice.
Count Mitkiewicz said to-day that Mr..
Burke was merely carrying out threat
| which he had made against the Chinese
Minister to obtain money. He said the
whole thing was conspiracy and was part
of an international fight for control of valu-
able concessions in China. He said he was
ready at any time to meet any charges
made by Mr. Burke, and that he would go
to New York if sent for
The Explanation of the Count
The money Burke charges him with hav-
ing obtained from Tones to send to Miltard
Jones, an agent in China, the Count says
was sent by Tones to Jones direct, and was
never in his (the Count's) hands. He said
that Burke wanted to get him over to New
York under arrest, in hopes of getting from
him information concerning persons inter-
ested in the concessions He denied that
he had made the reference to Elliot F.
Shepard, which Tones is quoted as saying
he did, and also denied that he even showed
Tones letter from Shepard offering 81, 000,-
900 for Chinese concessions.
Among public men in Washington the
opinion is quite general that Colonel Shep-
ard has been the Counts financial hacker
for some time, and that it was for the pur-
pose of securing powerful official indorse-
ment for the Chinese concessions scheme
that Shepard urged the appointment of
Blair as Minister, and also urged that he be
forced upon the Chinese Government after
its protests.
To the people of Washington, where
"Count'' Mitkiewicz has lived for sew
eral years, he is a complete mystery. He
is poor one day and rich the next, and GER
tainly has some kind OF standing with the
Chinese Minister He is frequently seen
at the legation, and is always received
there in public and private, apparently on
the most friendly terms.
Mitkiewicz at Colonel Shepard's House.
Last spring, during the progress of the
schemes to torce Blair upon the Chinese
Government as Minister, Mitkiewicz was
one of the guests at dinner given by
Colonel Shepard at his New YORK residence
in honor of ex-senator Blair and the Chinese
Minister at Washington.
Secretary of State Foster evidently does
not think that quarrel between the United
States and China will follow the receipt of
the letter of Mitkiewicz charging Lawyer
Burke with an attempt to blackmail the
Minister. The Secretary has not yet officially
considered the letter, but intimates that
unless some complaint comes in an official
way no action will be taken. In making
these statements, however, our Secretary is
not speaking lightly of the proofs of the
Minister'S wrongdolng against American
citizens, as they have not yet been filed
with the Department, being still locked up
in the safe of the Hotel Normandie.-
1t is evident, however, from the tone of
the Secretary's remarks upon the case that
he doesn't anticipate that the proof of
Lawyer Burke will be very convincing as to
the Minister'S guilt.
Shepard the Counts Trump Gard.
A special from New York says: From one
way of looking at it, Elliot F. Shepard may
thrill with pride because of the remarkable
untiring efforts to obtain other peoples
money. In every instance which has thus
far come to light in his latest series of oper-
ations, Mitkiewicz has played Shepard as
his trump card, and it has been
that card which has taken the
tricks Mitkiewicz was always
literally supplied with letters purporting
to come from Shepard's house, and letters
from his Office. 1t was Mitkiewicz, who
brought the Chinese Minister from WASH
ington on the occasion of the famous
promoting" dinner given by Elliot F.
Shepard at his residence, and exclusively
reported as the time in the Mau and E1DresS.
1t was with Mitkiewicz that Shepard went
to Washington to call on the Chinese Min
lister.
With his letters, his dinner invitations,
clippings from the Mail and Erpress report
ing Shepard's and Mitkiewicz's goings and
comings, the "Count" was able to impress
stranger with his intimacy with Shepard.
The dinner given by Shepard to Tsui Kwo
Yin and the "Count" was worked for much |
more than the dinner cost, almost before
the Shepard butler could have finished |
counting the spoons and forks
used at the dinner.
The CoIoners Secretary for Night.
On the same night, in fact, after seeing |
the Minister and suite to their hotel, |
met two men at Delmonico's |
from who he obtained money, and to Shom |
he introduced a fourth person as Mr. |
Shepard's Secretary. They afterward |
learned that the man was not Secretary, |
but typewriter in Shepard's Office. At |
the time, however, the intimacy of the |
Secretary and the fact that the |
Count had Just left the Shepard mahogany |
had its intended effect in supporting the |
assertions of Mitkiewicz that he was backed |
by the Colonel"
Another heavy sufferer through the Count !
is William P. Burr, lawyer of 2O6 Broad
way. 81 was introduced to Mitkewicz,"
Mr.. Burr said, to-day, "by Mr.. Payne,
who was connected with the Wharton Bar
ker deal in connection with Chinese con-
cessions The Count showed me papers
which convinced me that Elliot F. Shep-
ard had agreed to back him. That was a
favorable fact, and the one which probably
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