The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-07
Circulation Statement
The Mysterious Nicely Case.

me long LtlaN IN Allt iAlti4 GA -NtSAS
and RathboHe for their embezzlements
in the Cuban postal service continues TO
attract public attention and TO provoke
unfavorable comment More than
year mas elapsed since the crimes were
brought 10 light. and more than half
that time has gone by since Nicely was
eNtradited. Tn, public was led 10 be
Iieve. by the report of the Fourth As
sistant Postmaster General VINO inyes-
tigated the matter. that the cases
against the cmbezzlers were perfectly
clear Whether they were OF not. the
cases should either have been tried
promptly or dismissed.
The law officers of the Administra-
ton went into court with great flour
ish of trumpets and demanded the eN-
tradition Of Nicely. who had escaped 20
the United States. The Supreme Court
held that he could be validity extra
dited. and accordingly he was returned
10 Cuba. ostensibly for trial But he
has not been tried. and a very large
portion Of the American public has be-
come strongly impressed with the idea
taat there have been reasons Of state
for not pressing the prosecution. This
belief has been greatly intensified by
the knowledge Of the close relations eX-
listing between Rathbone and Mr..
Hanna and the reported declaration of
Nicely that if NJ were made to suffer
he uouIG pull others down with him
For some time past there have been
rumlIs abroad that certain witnesses
a.. TTrrfF rod
States, could not be induced TO go 70
Cuba To testify. and now it transpires
that some Of them actually refuse to
give their dispositions in this country
According 10 the press dispatches, Ar
thur Jordan, President Of the Keyless
Lock Company, and Arthur T. Baxter.
treasurer Of the same company. have
positively refused 70 answer the inter
rogatories prepared by the commission
CT appointed TO take testimony in the
case What these men, living in In
dianapolis. can know Of Neely's wrong
doings in Cuba we are not advised, but
it Is 10 be assumed that they know
something that has material bearing
upon tue case. Otherwise there would
have been no sense in attempting to
secure their testimony.
But the circumstance IS a strikingly
significant one. With nearly the whole
country earnestly demanding that
Nicely shall be brought TO justice, and
with the national honor at stake, here
are two men. standing high I'm business
circles, refusing TO give testimony
against him Naturally il would be
10.
anxious to contribute a mite toward
the virdicajion Of Americas good name.
but instead Of doing so they take refuge
behind quibbling technicalities. chal-
lenge the Jurisdiction Of the Cuban
court and declare that the proceeding
Is "abhorrent 20 their ideas Of Judicial
procedure" In short. they make just
such a plea as Neely himself would
have dictated. They intimate in their
reply that the iuteTrogatories are eX
paTte- II so. II is contrary 10 the es-
tabIshed American practice; but that
Is not the concern Of those whose tes-
timony is sought II is for Nicely and
his counsel 90 object TO the use Of any
such dispositions III court II the rules
In Cuba allow the use Of such deposi-
lions. then there Is nothing to prevent
Nicely from doing the same thing
This refusal has a bad look. and It
will strengthen the popular belief that
there Is 4 concerted effort by interested
parties to screen Nicely and Rathboue
from the consequences Of their acts.
No word has come from cuba indicar-
ing a purpose 10 bring these men TO
speedy trial. These reports Of the un-
willingness Of American Witnesses to
testify are the first intimat tons We
have had that even preliminary Steps
were being taken, and the reports have
only been made public since the recent
revival q interest in the matter. ac-
companied. as il has been. by an earn
est demand that something be done
These cases are full Of mystery and
the American public would much like
70 have the mystery cleared up.