The Van Buren press., 1900-03-31
FORMER CONSUL NACRUh.
Our Late Representative at Pretoria
Before the Foreign Affairs
Committee.
HIS NEWSPAPER STORY REITERATED.
Said He Asked for Leave to Come
Home for Private Business Rca-
sons, and Also Because He want
ed to Lay Certain Information Re-
fore the Government.


Macrum, Of East Liverpool, o., the
American ex-consul at Pretoria, ap-
peared before the house foreign affairs
committee. and told of the alleged in
dignities he suffered at the hands of
the British during his incumbency.
When he gave out his statement here,
some weeks ago, declaring that his Of
fetal mail had been opened by British
officials, Representative Wheeler, of
Kentucky, introduced a resolution for
an investigation. II was subsequently
arranged that the foreign affairs COM
mittee should take the matter up of
its own motion, without any direction
from the house, and Mr.. Macrum was
summoned to Washington to testify.
There were many visitors in the
committee room when Chairman Hit
called the committee 10 order Mr..
Macrum was asked by Chairman Hit
TO make such statement as he saw fit
regarding the opening Of his mail by
the British censor In opening, Mr..
Macrum recalled the statement he had
mode some time ago through the press.
That statement, he said practically
embodied all he had to cay. He cx-
planned that when he asked for leave
of absence he desired to come home
for private business reasons, and also
because he desired to place before the
United States government certain facts
which he deemed il essential should
be known here. lie understood, he
said, that the British had possession Of
our cable cipher He was not certain
of this, but he had since had inior-
nation 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, Le had
petition from some American resi-
dents in the Trnnsvaal asking that the
United States maintain absolute neu-
trality, which he wanted to present
to the state department The petition
he read to the committee. II was
signed by Godron, the consular agent
at Johannesburg.
Asked rs to when he was first satis-
fed that his mail was being tam.
pcrcd with, he said thai war was de.
clared October 12. He all not receive
any mail between that date and the
second week In November. Ordinarily,
h he had a box of neil every week,
"Did other people receive mail dur
\ ing that perlod?' asked Mr.. Williams,
of Mississippi.
Not tiat know Of" reulicd Mr..
Macrum.
Pressed for specific information as
! TO how he got the intmation that the
British were opening ana delaying his
mail, he replied that when his mail
did not arrive he teegrrphcd our con-
sui at Lourcuzo Marquee, requesting
him TO inquire Of Cape Town why 1t
was being delayed
The consul at Lourenho Marquee re-
piled that he also had received no
mail Mr.. Macrlm said the delay OF
his mail created II convection IN his
mind that the British authorities were
responsible, The first actual evidence
he had was the receipt Of two opened
letters, He produced the envelopes
which, he said contained those letters.
One was from private citizen, adj
dressed to the United States consul at
Pretoria, and the other was TO him by
name from Consul Stowe, Of Cape
Town.
Mr.. VIM. Allen Smith, Of Michigan,
interrogated the witness sharply on
the reasons for stating his belief tnat
the British authorities had possession
of the state departments cipher
Mr. Macrum said he could not affirm
that fact from actual knowledge but
there were certain facts which con.
4 vlnccd him that su h WIS the cnsc. lie
explained that on November 0 he hnd
cabled the state department in cipher
asking for u leave OF absence. That
message had gone through Durham.
4 The next day, November Z, he snid, he
had been informed newspaper at
Durham printed the fact that he had
nsked for leave Dt absence,
"'rhc message" soid Mr.. Macrrm,
"was sent In the state department
4 cipher of thr Slater code"
"And you claim the substance OF
\ that dispatch was made pull,c?"
asked Mr.. Smith,
"I do"
Where"
"In Natal"
n "Wns IL an accurate publications.
81 do not know"
Mr., Macrum said he had never seen
\ the publication, He had only lcen IN
formed that the fact that he had asked
n leave Of absence had been printed. lie
\ affirmed that no one knew of this fact
save himself,
"Did you report TO the state depart.
ment that your mail had been
openedP" asked Mr., Berry OF Ken
tucky,
"a Il did not"
II "Dld you mention II upon your mr.
N rival in Washington2'
y 81 did not"
d "Why?"
N II would prefer not TO answer that
y question"
K This reply raised q general laugh In
the committee room.
Mr.. Adams, Of Pennsylvania, then