Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-21
TAKE ANOTHER TACK
Detectives Search for Holmes
and Hyde's Funds.
ARMED WITH A PAPER
BANKS AND TRUST COMPANIES
BEING QUESTIONED.
Few Witnesses Before Federal Grand
Jury-Distr1ct Attorney Beach
Goes to New York.

| Although District Attorney Beach will be
| out of the city tomorrow and the grand
| jury will have but few witnesses before it,
an inquiry of much Importance in connec-
| ton with the cotton crop report scandal
| will be continued.
AT the request of Mr.. Beach. several de-
| tectives from the local force have been as
| signed to the case, and armed with letter
| from the district attorney, will visit each
| of the various banks, safe deposit vaults
| and trust companies in Washington to learn
| whether former Statstician Edwin S.
| Holmes, jr., who was dismissed from the
| bureau of statistics in disgrace, and John
| Hyde former statistician of the Agricultu-
| raj Department, who resigned under fire,
| had at any time accounts, joint or other
| wise or safe deposit boxes in one or more
| of the various institutions.
| The letter referred to Informed the officers
| of the institutions in question that unless
| they acceded to the request contained in
| the communication-that the detectives be
| fully informed concerning the relations, II
| any. existing or that had existed between
| Holmes Hyde and the bank, trust COM
pany safe deposit concern in question
| subpoeuas would be issued and the grand
| jury itself would exact the information
part of this work was completed last week.
| The officers of most of the Institutions al
ready visited assured the detectives that
| neither Holmes nor Hyde had ever been
among their customers At several instt-
tutions, however, dmiSsiOns-important In
themselves, but bare of detail-Were Sc
cured. Subpoenas will be issued for the offi-
GERS of these institutions in order to secure
full information, transcripts of the records,
deposit slips and the like.
On Hyde's Trail.
1t has not been known heretofore that
the authorities, in addition to the effort
to indict Holmes, were on the trail of
Hyde as well. No information could be
secured today either at the City Hall or
the Department of Agriculture concern
ing the discovery of facts which would
indicate that the irregularities in the bu-
reau of statistics of the Agricultural De-
partment occurred with full knowledge
on the part of former Statistician Hyde.
But the fact that Mr.. HydeS financial
record is being examined into, 1t is said,
has not occasioned any surprise on the
part of those familiar with the situation.
Mr.. Hydes sudden departure for England
just at the time the grand jury needed
him as a witness, together with his pres
ent presumably indefinite sojourn across
the water, would have given pretext for
the inquiry 1t is understood, even II the
authorities had not previously determined
to go to the bottom of the cotton crop re-
port leak and make the investigation as
thorough as 1t was possible to do.
The investigation by detectives of the 10
cal force will be continued this week until
all of the financial institutions in the city
have been covered. Such subpoenas as are
in the discretion of the district attorney
then considered necessary, will be lmme-
diately issued. The only occasion for sur
prise in connection with this inquiry into
the financial standing OF Holmes and HYDE
in the opinion of those who are familiar
with the facts in the cotton crop report
scandal is that this particular phase of the
investigation was delayed so long.
New Lines of Inquiry.
Several new lines of inquiry in connec-
tion with the present investigation in the
bureau of animal industry Of the Agricul-
tural Department have delayed the report,
which was TO have been made to Secretary
Wilson today by Solicitor McCabe of the
department. The additional quest will oc-
cupy Mr. McCabe's time until Wednesday
or Thursday and perhaps longer Secretary
Wilson expects to have the report before
him for action however, by the latter part
of this week.
1t is not at all improbable that DR.. George
T Moore of the bureau of plant industry
of the Agricultural Department, who re-
Gently resigned as a result of the discovery
of his indirect connection with a nitro
culture concern, will be given a special
mission by the Department of Agriculture
TO complete some important work which
he had under way at the time his official
connection was severed. This Is the direct
outcome of the report made TO secretary
Wilson last week by Acting Attorney Cen
eral McReynods and which practically
gave DR. Moore a clean bill of health
AS a matter of fact none of those per-
sons familiar with the facts in the nitro
culture controversy has ever held that DIR.
Moore should have been dismissed or even
permitted to resign because of his indirect
connection with a concern manufacturing
a product invented by himself and in which
the depa rtment was interested.
II has been proved to the satisfaction
OF DR. Moore's superiors that he did not
make a cent, properly or improperly, out
was merely dickering with the company for
| a better paying position in the event that
| he LEFT the government service. DR.. Moore,
| Il may be briefly stated, scared OUT
| of the department and Secretary Wilson's
| principal grievance against him was on
| the ground of his entire lack of frankness
when questioned concerning the nitro-cul-
| ture proposition. If he had told the Secre-
| tary the whole truth at the time there is
no reason 10 believe that the matter would
| ever have gone any further than repri-
! mand for '.indiscretion." AS ii is, the de-
| partment is exceedingly anxious to have
| the work on which DR. Moore was engaged
| finished as soon as possible, and 1t is very
| possible that DIR. Moore will be called upon
| to do it, This will not be done, however,
until after the pending inquiries in the va
| rious bureaus Of the department have been
| closed Secretary Wilson would not discuss
| the Moore case today.