The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-29
THOSE OPENED LETTERS
Macrum Produces Two Envelopes
Which Contained Them.
TELLS OF THE LONG DELAY OF HIS MAIL
A Letter From Secretary Hay Shows That the
Two Letters Were Opened by the Censor {
at Durham and That He After
wards apologized.
(By the Associated Press }

Washington. March 2S.--Charles E. Ma
crum, of East Liverpool, Ohio, the Amer
lean ex-Consul at Pretorias appeared be-
fore the House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee today and told of the alleged indigni-
ties he suffered at the hands of the Brit
ish during his incumbency. When he gave
out his statement here some weeks ago
declaring his official mail had been opened
by British officials, Representative
Wheeler, OF Kentucky, introduced reso-
luticn for an investigation. 1t was sub
sequently arranged that the Foreign At
fairs Committee should take the matter
up of it's own motion without any direc-
tion from the House and Mr. Macrum was
summoned to Washington to testify. MT.
Macrum is a slight man, about thirty
years of age. He was asked by Chairman
Hit to make such statement as he saw
fit regarding the opening of his mail by
the British censor. He eXplained that
when he asked for leave of absence he
desired to come home for private bust
ness reasons and also because hesdesired
to place before the United States Govern
ment certain facts which he deemed it
essential should be known here. He UNI
derstood he said, that the British had
possession of our cable cipher. He was not
certain of this, but he had since had in
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 had petit
ton from some American residents in the
Transvaal asking that the United States
maintain absolute neutrality which he
wanted to present to the State Depart
ment. The petition he read to the COM
mittee. 1t was signed by Gordon, the
Consular Agent at Johannesburg.
Asked as to when he was first salts
fed that his mail was being tempered
with he said that war was declared De-
tober 18th. He did not receive any mail
between that date and the second week
in November. Ordinarily he had a box OF
mail every week.
Did other people receive mail during
that period?" asked Mr.. Williams, of
Mississippi.
mot that know Of" replied Mr.. Ma
crum.
Pressed for specific information as to
how he got the intimation that the Brit
ish were opening and delaying his mail,
he replied tndL Wnen MS mali dlu not
arrive he telegraphed our Consul at Lo-
reno Marques requesting him to inquire
of Cape Town why it was being delayed.
THE NAIL OPENED.
The consul at Lorenzo Marques replied
that he also had had no mail Mr.. Ma
crum said 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 receipt of
two opened letters. He produced the en-
ENVELOPES which he said contained those
letters. One was from private citizen
addressed to the United States Consul
at Pretoria and the other was to him by
name from Consul Stowe, at Cape Town.
Mr. William Alden Smith, of Michigan,
Intercepted the witness sharply on the
reasons for stating his belief that the
British authorities had possession of tho
State Departments cipher. Mr. Macrum
said he could not affirm that fact from
actual knowledge but that there were
certain facts which convinced him that