The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-09
HOLMES REVEALED
OFFICIAL REPORT
TO COT TON BEARS
Juggled Figures. Alter
ing Them to Suit Pur-
poses of Brokers.
BIG SENSATION IN
GOVT BUREAU.
Scandal Revealed Through Inves-
tlgation Of Secret
Service Agents.
STATISTICIAN HAS BEEN
SUMMARILY KICKED OUT
STATIsTICIAN HAS BEEN
SUMMARILY KICKED OUT
Reorganization OF Office Ordered
And Every Precaution Being
Taken to Prevent Repetition
Of Trouble: Price
Denies Having Any Con-
ncction with Affair.
,By Associated Press

WASHINGTON, Juy s.-As the result
OF the investigation by secret service
agents into the charges made By Richard
Cheatham. secretary OF the Cotton Plant
ers Association that information had
been given To- cotton brokers in New
York By some person or persons In the
Bureau Of Statistics OF the Dcpnrtmen
Of Agriculture. Secretary Wilson to-day
made publ!& an official report. In which
he states that Edwin S. Holmes, the
associate statistician. has been guilty
Of Juggling" the official report. The
report says it has been found that Mr..
Holmes communicated advance informa-
tion 10 l.. G.. Van Ripper, New York
broker, and NJ. Haas. OF New York. whom
Mr.. Van Ripper said acted as a gc-between
in conveying Information from Holmes to
Other New York brokers, including The
0dore Price.
Steps have been taken by Secretary
Wilson to prevent any further Leakage
" the department. figures. and an entire
reorganization OF the Bureau OF Statistics
Hnd manner Of preparing monthly crop
reports has been outlined by him. The
papers in connection with the inrestiga-
tion were referred to the United states
attorney for the District Of Columbia, and
he has reported that III his opinion a
criminal prosecution Will not lie against
Holmes. Holmes has been dismissed
from the service Of the department..
According TO t nc report Wilson Judd,
of New York. formerly In the employ
Of l.. c. Van Ripper. induced the latter TO
tell OF his connections with Holmes and
then communicated the informa Ion to Mr..
Cheathan,. Van Ripper became the prn-.
eipal witness in the invcstig alton con-
ducted by the secret service, and said he
was induced 10 communicate the fact that
advance information was. beng given out
by Holmes because lie had heard that
Holmes and his associates had intended
TO try to manipulate the June cotton
report. Using this Information as a
9ounda ton, the secret service agents In
tervlewcd numerous persons who had
been mentioned by Judd and Van Ripper,
rs we'll as gathering mass of CORE
spondence, including many letters writ
others.
Bulky Document.
The report made to Secretary Wison
and the secre,ary's' comments. together
with the details of the new plan of con-
Quoting the Bureau OF Statistics, makes
more than four thousand words. 1t re-
views the entire investigation. beginning
With the charges that were laid before
Secretary Wilson by Mr.. Chatham sew
Hral weeks ago.
The charges by Mr. Chatham were
backed up, with evidence that certain
information had been given to cotton
brokers in New York by some person
or persons employed in the Bureau OF
Statistics, relative to the acreage and
condition of the COTTON crop of the United
States. prior to the official publication
of the information. and that the crop
figures had been tempered with in the
department. In the Interests of certain
cotton spectators. Secretary Wilson de-
termincd at once upon u thorough in
yestiGation and furnished to officers of the
United States secret service all OF the
evidence which had been given to the
department. The agents then were put In
touch with Mr.. Cheatham and directed to
use every possible effort to ascertain
whether there had been leak in the de-
partment and II so to furnish the secre-
tary with the name OF the person or per-
sons responsible. Holmes Is the only
employe Of the government who has been
found to have had any connection with
supplying information to brokers prior
to tho publication of the official report
After reviewing the charges Secretary
Wilson gives a summary of the Testimony
adduced before secret service agents.
Mr.. Van Ripper, the New York bro ger,
under examination, said he became ac-
qualnted with Holmes In New York in
August, 1901, through mutual friend"
According to this Testimony, Holmes told
Van Ripper he could get information con-
corning the government crop report. prln-
cipally through the report Of the general
agent and the report of the State agents.
Van Ripper said Holmes furnished him
with information from time to time, for
several months, in advance of the pub
llcation Of the official figures, and that
the Information furnished by Holmes cor
responded exactly with the figures after
wards published as the official crop re-
ports. Van Ripper stated that n Mr.. Haas.
or New York, acted as a gO-between for
Holmes and himself and he was given
to understand that Haas was securing in
formation for Theodore Price cotton
broker. OF New York. The witness said
he met Haas at the Hotel Waldorf, and
was told by him that the report for
June, 1905, would be seyonty-fye poI
cent. on condition, and twelve and one.
half or thirteen per cent on acreage
which was bearish as they could make
It; and that he was going to see Price
with whom he would have an interview