The daily news., 1900-03-29
OPENING OF MACRUM'S
MAIL AT CAPE TOWN
Ex-Consul Before Foreign Re-
lations Committee.
RELETEs HIS EXPERIENCE

states That British Officials Have state
department Cipher-Mr Howard Re
CARDS Ii a. AN Effort to Make Sensa-
tion Out of Nothing.
WASHINGTON, March 2S-CharleS E.
MacruII of East Liverpool. q. the Amer
lcan eX-cunSul AT Pretoria. appeared b.
fore the house foreign affairs COMMITTEES,
and told of the alleged indiglities h.
suffered at the hands of the British dur
ing his incumbency. Whcn he gave out
his statement some weeks ago, declaring
that his official mail had been opened bv
British officials, Representative Wheeler
of Kentucky introduced resolution
calling for an investigation.
1t was subsequently arranged that the
foreign affairs committee should take
the matter up Oh its own volition with
out any direction from the house and
Mr. Macrum was summoned to Wash
ingtOn to testify. In opening Mr. Ma
crum recalled the statement he made
some time ago to the Associated Press.
That statement, he said, practically en-
bodied all he had 10 say. He explained
that when he asked for leave Of absence
he desired to come home for private
reasons and also because be desired ID
place before the United States govern.
ment certain facts which he deemed it
fIol fG ~. i,
stood, he said, that rh6 British had pos
session of our cable cipher He was nOt
certain of this, but he had since had in
formation which convinced him that his
suspicious We're correct.
He also desired information as 10 his
course when the settlement came at the
end of the war. Further he had peti-
ton from some American residents III
the Transvaal asking that the United
States maintain absolute neutrality
which be wanted 10 present 10 the state
department.
Asked as To when he was first satisfied
that his mail was being tampered with.
he said that war was declared Oct. ~.
He did not receive any mail between
that date aud the second week in No.
vember. Ordinarily he had box Of
mail every week
Pressed for specific information as 20
how he got the intimatiun that the Brit
i>h were opening and delaying his mail.
Ec replied that when his mail did not ar
rive he t1lcgTaphed our consul at Lorenzo
Marquee requesting him % Inquire VI
Cape Town why it was being delayed.
The consul replied that he also had To-
ccivcd no mail
Mr.. Macrum seid the delay Of his mail
created a conviction in his mind that the
British authorities were responsible. The
first actual evidence he had was the re-
,eipt Of two opened letters. He pro-
1uced the envelopes which he said con-
.ained those letters. One was from a
private citizen, addressed to the Uuited
States consul at Pretoria, and the other
vas to him by name from Colonel Stowe.
It Cape Town.
Mr.. William Alden Smith of Chicago.
Questioned the witness sharply On rea-
Ons for stating his belief that the Brit
sh authorities had possession of the state
cipher.
Mr.. Macrum said he could not affirm
hat fact from actual knowledge, but
here were certain facts which convinced
lim that such was the case He ac-
that on Nov. q he had ca
lied the state department in cipher Ask.
ng for leave Of absence. The meseage
lad gone through Durham. The next
lay, Nov. !, he said, he had been in
Ormed that newspaper at Durham
,rintcd the fact that he had asked for
cave Of absence.
Mr.. Smith proceeded 20 interrogate
dr. Macrum as to the character Of ths
ode used by him in this dispatch.
The message" said Mr.. Mscrum.
was sent in the state department cipher
f the Slater code
At this point Mr.. Howard Of GeOrgia
TO question the utility Of the
Of Mr.. Macrum ut looks
D me-" said he, like an effort 10 CON
oct a sensation out of nothing"