The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-08-31
OUR WASHINGTON
NEWS. NOTES
LATE NEWS ITEMS FROM OUR
NATIONS CAPITOL.
MOSES HAAS SURRENDERS
Was Indicted With Peckham For
Completely in Cotton Report Scan
dial. Holmes is Indicted Under Sec
ton of Revised Statistics.

Moses Haas, indicted in connection
with the cotton leakage scandals, sur
rendered himself to a United States
marshal when officially informed Of
the warrant issued against him few
days ago. This warrant was issued by
the federal grand jury simultaneous
ly with one for Frederick Peckham
who was arrested at Saratoga. The
complaint against Haas, signed by As
sistant United States District Attor-
ney Henry A. Wise, charges that Ed
ward 5. Holmes, Jr., assistant Stats
tlcian of the bureau Of statistics, of
the department Of agriculture, con-
spired with Haas and Peckham to fur
nlsh them with cotton crop reports Ill
advance of their publication in order
that Haas, Peckham and others might
buy and sell cotton under the infor-
mation thus furnished and that
Holmes furnished to Louis c.. Van
Rlper and others procured by Haas
and Peckham information concerning
cotton reports on September 3, 1904
IN advance of the publication Of the
report. Bail was fixed for Haas at
$4,000. Edwin S. Holmes, Jr., un5il
re emily associate statitician Of the
department Of agriculture, but who
was dismissed as tie outcome
of the investigation into the leakage
IN the cotton crop reports, has been
indicted by the grand jury on charge
of conspiracy to defraud the govern
ment. This announcement was made
by District Attorney Beach just after
he had returned from New York City
where he has been instrumental in
causing the arrest Of f. A. Peckham
the New York broker at Saratoga, and
Moses Haas Of New York. There are
two indictments covering the charges
against the three men. Mr.. Beach
said that Holmes, who has been away
from Washington for some time and
whose whereabouts have not been gen.
orally known, will be here to answer
to the Indictment. Section $40 Of the
revised statutes under which Holmes
is indicted and which it is understood
forms the foundation Of the charges
against these three men, provides that
if two or more persons conspire to
commit any offense against the United
States or to defraud the United States
in any manner and one or more Of
such parties do any act to effect the
object of the conspiracy, all the par
ties to such conspiracy shall be liable
to a penalty Of not less than $1,000
and not more than $4,000 and to i'm
prisonment Of not more than two
years. The report Of The secret SER
vice agents into the charges allegingI
that advance information regarding
the cotton crop reports had been CIV
en- to cotton brokers In New York as
serted that Holmes had communicated
advance information to L. C. Van Rip
er, a New York broker, and Moses
Haas, Of New York, whom Van RiperI
said acted as a go-betWeen in convey
ing information from Holmes to other
New Yory brokers' Mr.. Van Riper
according to the report Of the secret
service agents, said he became ac-I
quainted with Holmes in New York lnE
August, 1904, through mutual friend
According to this testimony Holmes
told Van Ripper he could ge5 informa-
ton concerning the government crop
report principally through the reports
Of the general agents. Van Ripper, i
is alleged, said Holmes furnished him
with information from time to time
for several months in advance Of the
publication Of the official figures aud
that the information furnished by
correspondent exactly with the
figures later published as the official
report. After the submission Of the
secret service agents reports Holmes
was promptly dismissed nd later the
testimony taken by them was turned
over to the department Of justice with
a view to the criminal prosecution of
the persons alleged to be involved N
the "leakage.
The State Department. received al
cable dispatch from Yokohama, say-|
ing that the ship Australia, owned by|
Spreckles had been seized. The
dispatch gives no details Of why the|
ship was seized or anything concern
ing the business in which it was en-
gagged.
Congressman Gaines, of Tennessee
is in Washington, seeking information
about the tobacco crop report scandal.
He wants to know how and why the
a I l.. ,41>,o f. >fl