Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-27
REFUSED TO TESTIFY
Recalcitrant Witness Before
the Grand Jury.
BE PUNISHED

The grand jury OF the District of Column
bia, which is now Investigating the cotton
scandal in the bureau Of statistics of the
Agricultural Department, ran UP against a
sEag today in the refusal of one of the New
York witnesses. said to be Mr.. F. A. Peck
ham. TO answer the questions put to him.
1t is understood that unless the witness
changes his mind and decides by II o'clock
tomorrow morning, when the grand jury
again meets. to answer to the questions at
issue he will be indicted for his refusal I'M
der revision of the United States stat
utes, and hailed into court for contempt.
The punishment Is imprisonment.
Although the usual reticence was OBJ
served at the city hall today by all having
anything to do with the cotton scandal In
vestiga ton. II is understood that the New
York witness proved recalcitrant from the
start. The questions which. 1t is believed.
he refused to answer bear on the relations
that existed between former Associate
Statistician Holmes of the bureau of sta
tistics and l.. G. Van Ripper. f. A. Peck
ham, William NJ. Judd and one Haas. all
cotton brokers of New York.
Accompanied by Counsel
Messrs. Peckham and Haas. who were
before the grand jury witnesses today.
were accompanied to the city hall by their
counsel. New York lawyer, who refused
to give his name. After the incident in
the grand jury room Mr.. Peckham was
met in the corridor by former District At
torney Birney and left the city hall with
MIN for a consultation.
1t Is thought that the witness will de-
eide TO answer the questions in dispute.
as. under the instructions received by the
grand jury several Gays ago to the au-
thorfty of that body to compel recalcitrant
witnesses to answer it is believed that in
the event of continued refusal steps
would be Immediately taken to punish the
witness severely for contempt.
Several other witnesses were before the
grand jury today. but a considerable part
of the session was taken up by the body In
discussing the probable course Of action to
be taken in the event of the New York
witness continuing to remain recalcitrant.
In his examination by the secret service
men who made the preliminary iryestiga-
ton of the cotton scandal which resulted in
the dismissal of Holmes, Mr.. Peckham was
a reluctant witness The statement given
out by Secretary Wilson at the close of the
| secret service investigation had the follow
ing TO say about Mr. Peckham:
Peckham and Holmes.
Mr. Peckham was interviewed al the Ho-
tel Breslin, in New York city. He was
shown the above series of letters and asked
for an explana tion of their contents. Mr.
Peckham stated that the only explanation
| he had to give was that at the time the
letters were written he was trying to make
| some money In the cotton market. Further
than this Mr. Peckham refused to give any
informa ton about his relations with Mr..
Holmes, Mr.. Haas or Mr.. Van Ripper that
| could throw any light on the matter under
COnsidera ton.
Shortly after Mr.. Peckham was inter-
viewed he left New York for Washington
and Immediately his arrival in the city
he held a conversation with Holmes over
| the telephone, in which he inquired whether
| Mr. Holmes intended to resign his position
or whether he expected to be dismissed from
| the government service
Mr.. Peckham interviewed again at
| the Hotel Breslin, in New York. after his
| trip. but declined to give any further infor-
nation concerning his relat with Mr..
Holmes
When Mr.. Holmes was questioned about
his relations with Mr.. Peckham and Mr.
Ven Ripper he said that they had all been
on very timate terms socially. and that
| when he had occasion to visit New York
he frequently gound that his hotel bills
| had been paid by Mr. Van Ripper or by
Mr.. Peckham. Mr.. Holmes admits that
| he and Mr. Peckham and Mr.. Haas were
at one time associated in IA business VEN
ture, in which Mr.. Holmes was to haVee an
interest equal to the sum of 5000. which
he was to receive as a gift from the other
members OF the firm.
Subsequently Mr.. Haas transferred his
| interest in this concern to Mr.. L. c. Van
Ripper, and Mr. an Ripper states that the
| company was organized for the purpose
| of handling cotton. Mr.. Holmes says that
| the nature of the organization at the time
| he was given an interest in it. and that
when he learned the object of the company
| was to handle cotton he withdrew from it.
The Peckham letters We're shown MIR.
Holmes and he recognized the handwriting
| as that of Mr.. Peckham. and admitted that
| the person referred to as colonel IN the
| said letters probably meant himself as Mr..
Peckham and Mr.. Van Ripper had been III
| the habit of calling him colonel" Mr..
| Holmes also said that the person designated
| as man and party in the Peckham let
tiers probably Mr.. Haas
The Case of Mrs. Burch.
1t is understood that the woman who call
| ed on District Attorney Beach yesterday
afternoon and remained in consultation
| with him for some time, was Mrs. Bertha
| Rurch until recently stenographer to Sta
tistician Hyde. Mrs. Burch Is considered
| to be prominent figure in the investiga
| ton. 1t is understood that she will be a
| leading witness before the grand jury next
week
AS throwing some light upon the condi-
| lions that existed in the bureau of stalls
| tics as long ago as 1901, the report of the
| civil service commission for that year con-
tains paragraph which is of more than
| ordinary interest. The paragraph is as fol-
| lows:
AN investigation was made into the in
tegrity of an examination Leld June Is and
! 10. 1901, for the position of special statis-
teal compiler in the Department of Agri
! culture. The scope and character of the
| investigation We're suggested by the de-
partment and special examination re-
quested. The questions and tests were
| prepared for the commission by Mr.. John
| Hyde, statistican, and other experts of the
department.
Sixteen competitors were examined, ten
| of whom were at that time employed in the
department as unclassitied laborers. six be-
| ing assigned to the division of statistics
| A.,er a most careful inquiry into the facts
| the following conclusions were reached by
| the commission, largely deduced from the
| testimony of the statistician himself:
| First, that the examination for special
| statistical compiler was designed to afford
opportunity for the examination of unclasS-