The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-03-30
OPENING OF MACRuN'S
MAIL AT Cape T0NN
Ex-COnsul Before Foreign Re-
lations Committee.
RELATES HIS EXPERIENCE

States That British Officials Have state
Department Cipher-Mr. Howard r.
CARDS 1t as an Effort to Make Sens,-
ton Out of Nothing.
WASHINGTON, March 20.-Charfes f..
Macrum of East Liverpool, o., the Amer
lean cX-consui at Pretoria, Appeared be-
fore the house foreign affairs committee
and told Of the alleged indignitiss he
suffered at the hands of the British dur
ing his incunbeucy. When he gave out
his statement some weeks ago, declaring
that his official mail had been opened by
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 on its own volition with
out any direction from the huasc and
Mr.. Macrum was summoned to Wash
mgton to testify. III opening Mr.. Ma
crum recalled the statement he made
some time ago to the Associated Press.
That statement, he said, practically en-
bodied an he had to say. He explained
that when he asked for leave of abseiicc
he desired to come home for private
reasons and also because lie desired to
place before the United States govern
ment certain facts which he deemed it
essential to he known here. He under
stood, he said, that the British had pos
session of our cable cipher. He was not
certain of this, but hc had since had i'll
formation which convinced him that his
suspicious were correct.
He also desired information as to his
course when the settlement came at the
end of the war. Further he bad pcti-
ton from some American residents in
the IrallSVaal asking that the United
States maintain absolute neutrality
which he wanted to present to the state
department.
Asked aS To when he was first satisfied
that his mail was being tampcryd with
he said that war was declared Oct. ~.
ii" did not receive any mail between
that date aud the second week in No
Vemb2r. Ordinarily he had II box of
mail every week.
Pressed for specific information as TO
how he got tn" iEtimation that the Brit
iSh were opening and delaying his mail
he replied thnt when his mail did not ar
rive he tClcgrIphod our consul at Lorenzo
Marquee requesting him to iuuuirc of
Cape Town why ii was being delayed
The consul replied that he glso - ''c-
c'iSfia ii I4adFam 4ads said the delay of his mail
created Il conviction il his mind that tho
British authorities were responsible. Tho
first actual evidence he had was the re-
crlpt OF two opened letters. He pro-
duccd the envelopes which he said CON
tanned tho$" letters. One was from 4
pr1vat" citizen, addressed to the Uuitcd
States consul ut Pretoria, and the other
was TO hlm bE name from Colonel Stowe,
az Cape iowa.
Mr.. William Alden Smith Of Cbicopo
questioned the witness sharply on rca-
SONS for stating his belief that the Brit
iSh authorities had possession of the state
department. cipher.
Mr.. Macrm said he could not affirm
that fact from actual knOwlcdp2. but
therc were certain facts which convinced
nm that such was the case He ac-
knowlcdged that on Nov. 6 he had ca
blcd the stat, department. III cipher ask
ing for leave of absence. The message
had gone through Durham. The next
day, Nov. !, he said, he had been in-
formed that newspaper at Durham
printed the fact that he had asked for
leave OF absence.
MIR. Smith proceeded to intcrrogate
Mr.. Macrum as TO the character of the
code used by him i'll this dispatch.
"Thc message" said Mr.. Macrum.
was sent i'll the state department. cipher
of the Slater code"
At this point NJ. Howard of Georgia
intcrp"scd To question the utility of the
examination of Mr.. Macrum. 'It looks
to me, ;" said he, like an effort to con
coct sensation ont of nothing"