Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-09-22
A SEALED INDICTMENT
Said TO Have Been Re-
tur9d Against Peck.
HE HAS DISAPPEARED.
His Counsel Characterizes the Move
as a Game Of Bulldozing.

ALBANY, sept % When the Albany
county grand jury came into court yester'
day 1t handed in scaled Indictment
among the others and retired II Is g'venl
out on the best Of authority that this in1
dictmcnt is found against Charles f.
Peck, the commissioner Of labor, and,
charges him with wilfully and maliciously
destroying documents under the seal of
the office OF the commissioner of labor for
public information The Indictment Il
found upon the evidence given the jury by
the jnnitor of the building whore Mr.. Peck
resides, and who testified that he was
hired 10 burn up a lot Of blanks. charred
portions of which were put in evidence.
Mr.. Peek is not 20 be found, and II sup
posed 20 be absent from the city with the
| advice of his council The Indictment will
not be opened until he IL brought into
! court under arrest by the officers Of the
district attorneys Office.
Edward j. Mregan, who is counsel for
Mr.. Peck. said that he expected the
Indictment, ~ the prosecuting at
torney was n hot-headed Cleveland
man. Mr. Peck was expected I'm the
city last night, and had telgraphed his
office that he would DO here. but at the
last moment
Was Warned Not TO Como
until measures could be taken 10 meet the
Indictment Mr. Meegan alleges that the
idea is to get Mr., Peck In Jail so that the
governor will have chance 60 remove
him before the coming election.
In an interview, he said: ut is n game
Of bulldoling that they are playing and
an exceedingly bold move. What they
intend 20 make by 10 l cannot conceive.
They must certainly DO defeated in the
end All we can do now Is 10 appear IN
court and then await trial"
"What do you think, Mr.. Hecgan, IA 10
the point made by some that In case an In
dictment IL found against Mr.. Peck, it
will disqualify him from officer"
"There IL nothing In the act creating
the officer Of commissioner OF labor sta.
tistirs, which became n law I'm 1883, which
could disquaify Mr.. Peck in case an in
dictmcut were found against him. There
must be "A conviction in order TO bring that
about. FAll sorts Of schemes will, no
doubt. .bc rcsortcd 20 by the committee, now
that the lght IL on, and I would not be
surprised 60 hear anything with regard TO
the proposed proceedings"
Governor Flower had not heard Of the
Indictment, and declined 20 discuss IL, In
timatng that he had nothing 20 do in the
matter unless charges were presented.
Defended by Maine's Commissioners.
AUGUSTA. Me, Sept. % 22--Commissioner
oCIabor Statistics Matthew's takes strong
stand IN support ofthe position Of Commis.
sioncr Peck Of New York. Mr.. Peck
wrote 90 Mr. Matthews 60 ascertain what
his practice was, and In reply he wrote
that he found ~ necessary 10 maintain
secrecy I'm many cnses, and 10 would be
impossible 10 obtain statistics without f..
He cites one Of his blanks sent out TO the
woTkiugwomcn Of the state, In which
appears the followingi
In case there should be any apprehension on
the part Of those receiving thts form that an
swering any Of the questions In the blank may
be preiudicial to their personal or business
intoro3ts, the commissioner desires 10 TO DO
distinctly understood that tho bureau will
preserve the strictest confidence with all sup
plying information. and no names of persons.
except by express permission, will appear In
the report. or b. otherwise given 20 the pub
lie.
Mr. Matthews says. I'VE cannot sue
ccssfully obtain information without the
pledge of secrecy. Any other course would
defeat the work Of the bureau. All the
bureaus in the country conduct their OPP
erptions on this plan, and we claim that
any other course would be n breach OF
confidence which would destroy not onl y
the usefulness. but the entire work OF the
bureaus. Therefore the bureaus stand by
Mr pa,k ~