The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-05-02

fe1fect Photographic necatiyes of ,ha
tour United States Treasury warrants tor
$S'VV0vV0 each We're made Immediately ag,-
ct tneir transfer by Secretary Ea, IN
ambassador CambOn YESTERDAY bv Niss
FRANCES Il. Johnston. an artist nbf,tog.
raFher OF thIs city. Half An hour later
MSS Johnston was met al her home la{a
street northw est. by Secret service
agent. who requested that the negatives
De turned over TO him He EXPLAINED that
they were representations OF government
opllgations and posse ssion Of them Was a.
iesaL Miss Johnston developed the plates
In the presence Of the officer and found
ieuf excellent negatives. They were turn
ed over to the Secret Service man. and
taken 10 the Treasury Department.
Miss Johnston called on Chief Wilkie
later, under the impression that pernis-
sion to use the pictures Of the war
rants might be secured. She learn
ed that the law specifically forbids
the reproduction of such instruments. and
that permission to photograph these par
ticular warrants had been refused many
newspapers in the United States
Secretary Hay and Ambassador Cambon
were. with Miss Johnston. innocent par
ties to the affair. The photographs of the
warrants were taken Immediately after
Miss Johnston had posed and photograph
ed Secretary Hay and NJ. CambOn in the
diplomatic room OF the Department of
State. No objection 10 a similar proceed
ing in the case of the warrants was
thought of by Secretary Hay. VI. Cambon.
or Miss Johnston until the Secret Service
agent called on the artist and requested
the return of the plates.
Photographed the Protocol.
When Spain sued for peace last Au-
gust and protocol was signed at Wash
ington for the suspension of hostilities
and arrangements for a treaty of peace.
Miss Johnston was given the privilege
of photographing Secretary of State Day.
Ambassador CambOn. who represented
Spain, and the other officials who took
part In the preparation of that document
and signed their names to it. The origi-
nal of this protocol was also photo
graphed by Miss Johnston. When the
original draft of the treaty of peace was
signed, Miss Johnston was given d SINH
lar privilege. When Publications were
entered into between the powers. again
Miss IohnstOn's camera reproduced the
pictures of the parties to that instrument
and was permitted TO photograph the
original document. Miss J0hnstons rspu-
tation as an artist photographer, to-
gether with her acquaintance in OiIiCiel
circles. was largely instrumental In Sc
curing these successive privileges for her
The fact that she had enjoyed them paved
the way for the Secretary of state the
Ambassador of France and the young
American woman to calmly but innocent
ly confederate yesterday in the perpe-
tratiOn OF a statutory Onense
In preparation for the transfer of the
so 10000 indemnity to NJ. Cambon for the
country he has represented i'm the peace
negotiati lions. Miss Johnston has been an
ucipating the issue of the Treasury war
rants for the money for some time. and
made casual inquiries about them two
months ago; Nothing seemed TO have
been done about preparing the warrants,
and, III fact. they were made out and
signed at very short notice
Permission to Pilot graph Warrants
Saturday Miss Johnston learned that
they had been issued. and, being unable
to go to the Treasury Department at
that time to secure permission TO photo
graph them. she went yesterday morn
ing to the Department of State Her
arrival was simultaneous with that %
NJ. CambOn, who Is well acquainted with
the artist. To him she explained the OBJ
ject OF her visit, and the camera in her
hand displayed her preparations for the
work she intended Miss Johnston Is
We'll known to Secretary Hay and when
the four warrants for the indemnity,
each of them for 100000 were handed
to Ambassador CambOn. Miss Johnston
was one Of the group that witnessed the
transfer At the conclusion Cf the CeTe-
mony, she requested that Col. Hay and
N. Cambo pose for her IN the positions
they had occupied when the transfer
was made and to this they readily agreed.
A photograph of the two was taken, aEd
then Miss Johnston requested permission
10 photograph the four warrants Bofh
the gentlemen VINO had just been photo
graph "a for their own pictures had ng
ured In similar photographs for the same
artist The warrants were exposed ~ a
proper light and photographs made OF
each OF them.
ofhcer Met Her at The Door.
Miss Johnston returned 10 he- home and
was met at the door BY a Secret Service
officer He explained that II was illegal
to make any reproduction Of govern
ment obligation. such as the warrants
By Miss Johnston, and IN
formed the artist that the plates should
be handed over 70 the government Miss
Johnston acquiesced. but suggested that
IL would b. well 20 develop the negatives
first. This Was done. and 1t was found
that four very fine negatives had been se-
cured. These were carefully wrapped ~
and taken to the department b. the OH
Ger.
The Secret Service officials report that
an entire edition Of a New YORK paper
was seized recently for printing what DJr-
ported 10 be a fac-simile of the Treasury
warrants for the indemnity to spain. Ihe
plates from which this was made ~nd
every copy Of the edition which could D.
reachea were taken up.