Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-06-19
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
WASHINGTON, June 10, 1894.

tA liz lac
the rumor that the North Carolina Sen
ator was dabbliug in sugar stock. Cor
respondent Rowland told Senator Ran
som that ne had Photographic copies Of
q stock sheet in his possession contain
ing the name of Ransom" and yester-
day Mr.. Rowland testified before the
committee that the sheet bore the
name OF Silsby & Co. The first witness
before the committee this morning was
Mr.. Silsby, and he fully confirmed the
testimony of Senator Ransom that he
had not ~speculated in sugar stock
through the firm, and also stated that
George Ransom had small speculations.
Mr.. Silsby was asked il any Senators
had speculated in sugar stock through
his Office, but he said he was unwilling
to answer on that point until he could
consult his attorney. Mr.. Silsby told the
committee that there was another
matter involved in the oase which also
deferred him from answering at this
time. He said he meant a criminal
prosecution. He explained that the
stock sheet of which there were photo
graphs had been stolen from one of his
branch offices, together with orders for
stock signed by some Of his customers.
This was a criminal o%fiense, he said, in
volving as it did the theft of private
papers, and he had secured the ser
vices of James A. McDevitt, the chief
CT q private detective agency, to assist
him in following up a clue which he
had discovered. Mr.. Silsby said the
stock sheet contained the names Of
buyers, and each purchase was backed
by an order signed by the purchaser di-
recting the firm as to what stocks it
should buy. The criminal feature was
so interesting to the committee that
most of Mr.. Silsby's examination was
taken up in answering questions about
it. j. w. Mccartney, of the firm OF
Corson & Mccartney, the Washington
correspondent of Moore &Schley, stock
brokers, followed Mr.. Silsby, and re-
fused TO give any information in an
swer to Inquiries whether any Senators
had bought sugar stock through Moore
& Schley and to produce his stock
books and sheets. He said that Moore
& Schley were not in possession of the
400 amendments to the tariff bill before
they were reported and that the infor-
| nation in the possession Of the firm
about the tariff bill was no more than
any observing man could secure. Mr..
McCartney's refusal TO answer ques-
lions will be reported to Vice President
Stevenson for ccrtiiication to the grand
jury as was done in the cases OF Messrs.
lIavemeyer, Searles, Chapman, Shriver
aud Edwards. Lester f. Fisher, tele-
graph operator for Corson aud Me
CARNEY, refused to tell the committee
whether he had sent any orders for
sugar stock from Senators or their
agents, servants, relatives, etc, on the
ground hat he would .ieopardize his
position by divulging confidential infor-
nation.
The Senate to-day passed a bill which
will be of benefit TO the Virginia farm
ers who send their produce to this city.
1t provides that any person who shall
by fraud, deception, OF false pretenccs
practiced through the use Of the United
States mails, or in any other manner,
procure to be sent into the District OF
Columbia any produce, goods, wares,
or merchandise, with intent to cheat or
defraud, may be prosecuted therefor in
the courts OF the District Of Columbia,
and upon conviction shall be punished
by fine not to exceed one thousand dol
lars and by Imprisonment not to exceed
five years.
The House pension committee to day
nrranI IN ,n,Nnrt 90 X,nrnb1y thn XIII ,,n
pared by the subcommittee increasing
the pensions Of Mexican and Indian
var survivors to SD a month.
In the Senate to-day a resolution was
offered by Mr.. PETER, and went over
till tomorrow, directing the Senate
p~ostolfice committee to prepare and re-
port, as soon as practicable, a bill for
the establishment Of a system of public
savings banks in connection with the
Postoflice Department.
1t is now said that the House com
merce committee will not only provide
for building the Nicaragua Canal, but
for paying the American projectors OF
that scheme millions of dollars for their
charter, and that the money, both for
the charter and for the work to be done,
will be supplied by the coinage of cheap
silver dollars.
The superintendent of police of this
city, the captain of the Capitol police,
and every body else best qualified to
talk on the subject, say the story pub
lished in a sensational newspaper here
about an attempt to blow up the public
buildings here was a transparent fake,
evincing not even the mediocre witand
wisdom of average modern Washington
journalism.
Jillson d. Entwisle was appointed
deputy collector of Customs at the port
Of Georgetown, d. c., to-day.
The engagement of 81 SOC, 900 of gold
in New York yesterday from the United
States Treasury for export reduces the
Treasury gold to SGG, 9S4 ,44G, the lowest
point it has reached since the gold re.
serve was strengthened February LIST
last by the $4,000, 900 bond issue.
The people interested in the sale of
real estate in this city. north of the Po-
tomac, having exercised a pull on
the Assistant Secretary Of War, the
bill allowing the Mt. Vernon Railroad
q right of way through Arlington, re-
ported favorably by the House COM
mittee on military affairs, has been
held up by that committee on his rec
ommendation, but Mr.. +. A. Reed, a
member of the railroad company, who
was at the Capitol to-day and talked
to some of tho members of the commit
tee on the subject, says the Secretary's
assigned objections will be removed,