Evening star., 1901-11-18
Senatorial Investigation of E. L
Hawks Charges.
JUDGE BOYD AGAIN ON TIE STAND
Major Duncan B. Harrison's Rela-
tions With the Hemp Company.
REASONS FOR WITHDRAWAL

| Tee on military a11alrS, consisting OF Serd-
tors Hawley, chairman; Burrows, Proctor,
Harris and Cockrell. appointed TO investi-
gate the charges preferred by Erastus L.
| Hawks against Col II. o. J.. Heistand Of
the army. in connection with the alleged
| formation of a hemp company TO manu-
| facture the product in the Philippines. re-
sumed its sessions this morning. The COM
mittee held Its last session October and
adjournment was then taken in order TO
| await the attendance OF witnesses who
were unable to be present then. These were
Maj. Duncan B. Harrison and Louis B.
| Jackson. Major Harrison was present be-
fore the committee met today and renewed
| acquaintance with many old friends. He is
| stiil badly famed up with rheumatism, but
is improving. Judge James Z. Boyd Of
North Carolina, former assistant attorney
general, was also In attendance.
Mr. Hawks was accompanied by his coul-
| sci, former Judge thomas j. Mackey Of
South Carolina, while Colonel Heistand sat
next TO his counsel, Mr.. Charles w. Need
| ham.
Judge Boyd Questioned.
Judge Boyd was the first witness called,
but it took a considerable amount of con-
sutation between Mr.. Hawks and Judge
Mackey to ascertain what interrogatories
should be propounded.
| In order to facilitate matters, Senator
| Cockrell called attention to several errors
| In the testimony already printed and they
| were corrected Finally Judge Boyd was
questioned by Judge Mackey. He reiter-
| ated his former denial that he had any
financial interest In the hemp company. Re-
garding the letter of recommendation given
to Hawks, known as the Ito whom IL may
concern letter, Judge Boyd said he had
signed It, The only business relation wit
ness ever had with Hawks was before the
latter left for Cuba when the war broke
out, when they had a talk about land in
Cf fr1an In IN nha no AA1 hpin IA aft
the war over and Hawks remained In
the island there might be opportunities for
such investment.
Judge Mackey showed Judge Boyd a let
ter dated August 81, 1895. addressed to
Major Hawks at a camp in Georgia, and
asked him IL he had written Il.
The reply was affirmative.
An Irrelevant Question
Judge Mackey wanted to know II the
| land speculation before testified to ana
which witness said the letter referred TO.
although on its face 1t did not convey any
direct information of that character. would
not have made Major Hawks subject to
being cashiered under the army regulations.
This caused all the committeeman TO
smile broadly, and counsers attention was
called to the fact that his question had no
bearing on the subject under investigation.
Judge Mackey having stated that Judge
Boyd had testified that when he first knew
Hawks the latter was "a broken-down
light tning-rod man." Senator Cockrell called
upon counsel sharply to confine himself to
facts reading from the printed testimony
to show that Boyd had said nothing of the
kind. This had the effect of stopping this
course of examination, and Judge Mackey
said he had no further questions to ask.
Replying to questions by Senator Bur-
roys, Judge Boyd said he never had con-
templated taking any stock in the hemp
company or getting any a promoter,
''and Major Hawks knows it,
Major HarrIsOn's Narrative.
Major Duncan b. Harrison. the next wit
ness, after being sworn. described his
quaintance with Major Hawks, which be-
gan in December 1898 In May or June.
1899, witness was in Maj Heistand's office
in the War Department and Hawks was
there. He continued: Hawks asked me
to go outside, as he wanted to talk with
me. We went out into the corridor and
Hawks told me l was the man he wanted
to help promote company to be formed
to manufacture cordage from manila
hemp in Manila. Hawks said that Assist
ant Secretary Meiklejohn: Allen, assistant
secretary of the navy, Boyd. assistant at .
torney general; Hawks himself and others
were interested In the project Hawks said
he was to retain about 33 1-3 per cent OF
the stock of the company. and said il I
could do the promotion he wanted, and he
thought 1 could he would divide his share
with me. told him / thought the project
was good one and agreed to do what L
could"
Did this conversation occur in Mai Heis-
tand's room?"
"Oh, no; in the corridor where Hawks
had asked me to CO..
Continuing, witness said he went over to
New York, where he met Hawks several
times. and also saw Hopkins & Hopkins
and Flint, Eddy & Co. Hawks had shown
witness the ito whom II may concern let
ter and the signatures thereto were not
accompanied by the official designations
Witness was led to drop his interest in the
a y rad na
Buy, who represented Flint, Eddy & Co.,
when the witness first became aware tnat
alleged advance information about the
opening and closing of hemp ports in the
Philippines was being advanced by Hawks
as part of the hemp company project
Witness said he went to Hawks with Mai
Hopkins at the Fifth Avenue Hotel and
asked him why he had not told witness he
QHawks) had been to Flint, Eddy & Co.
about the hemp port business. Maj. Harri-
son continued:
Hawks said he had forgotten TO mem
tfon 1t.
Il told him thought It remarkable that
in matter in which We were so closely
Joined he had made a proposition unknown
the hemp project. Upon this he said
" The connection of Corbin. Meiklejohn,
Heistand, Allen and Otis with us means
that we can control the opening and clos
ing of the hemp ports, and thereby the price
of hemp"
Witness said he had no further hemp
1901. he met Hawks again and the latter
tcid him that although he had surrendered
the letters of Maj. Heistand to the latter.
he had preserved Photographic copies OF
them, and IL he didn't. get s1.500 more he
would bat Heistand out of the box" be-
cause Senator Cockrell had interested HIM
self in the matter and would bring about
senatorial Investigation. These letters,
witness said, Hawks tried to sell later to
the correspondent Of New York news
paper. to whom witness introduced him, for
$500.
Mai. Harrison further testified thar
Hawks told him In the May talks that
he fHawks) was out for the revenue.
Hawks said he had several libel suits In
View. and had already Instituted one
against a Washington paper. and II his
charges against Maj. Heistand before the
Senate committee were subefantiated that
would help his libel suit against the paper.
Proposed CordaGe Works.
Replying to Mr.. Needham. witness said
nothing had ever been said by Hawks to
witness in their numerous conversations
about anything else than the establishment
OF factory to Manufacture hemp into