The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-07-14
A RASCAL TREED.
Leakage in the Cotton Report
Is Officially Confirmed.
HOW TT WAS WORKED

Brokers Were In Collision.
Holmes, the RascalIy En-.
Dl0yee, Dismissed.
A dispatch from Washington says
as the result OF the investigation by
secret service agents into the charges
made by Richard Cheatham, secretary
Of the Southern Cotton association,
that information had been given to
cotton brokers in New York by some
person or peIsors in the bureau OF
statistics OF the department OF sgricul
ture, Secretary Wilson Saturday made
public an official report in which he
states that Ed"ins, Holmes, the asso
ciate statistician. has been guilty OF
Juggling" the Official report. The re-
port says 1t has been found that Mr..
Holmes communicated advance intor.
nation to l. @. Van R'per, a New
York broker, and M. Haas Of New
York, who Mr.. Van Ripper said, acted
as q go.bctween In conveying informa.
tiOn FROM Holmes to other New York
brokers, including Theodore Price.
oSNPo w III lthSh Wy S6Cl0UdIH
Wilson to prevent any further leakage
Of the department. figures and an entire
reorganization Of the bureau Of Stats
tics and manner Of preparing monthly
crop reports has been ut-lined by
him.
The papers in connection with the
Investigation were leterfed to the
United States attorney for the Dis
trict Of Columbia and he has reported
that in his opinion a criminal prosecu
tion will not lie against Holmes.
Holmes has bcen dismissed from the
service OF the department..
According to the report, Wilson
Judd OF New York, formerly in the
employ Of l.. Q. Van Ripper, induced
the latter to tell of his connections
with Holmes and then communicated
the information to Mr.. Cheatham.
Van Ripper became the principal wit
ness IN The investigation conducted by
the secret service and said he was in
duced to communicate the fact that
advance information was being given
out by Holmes because he had heard
that Holmes and his associates had
intended to try to manipulate the June
cotton report. Using this information
as q foundation the secret service
agents interviewed numerous persons
who had been mentioned by Judd and
Van Ripper, as well as gathering a mas,
OF correspondence including many let.
tiers witten by Holmes TO Van Ripel
and others.
The report made to Secretary vii.
son ard the SeCrctary's comments to-
gether With the details OF the new plar
Of conducting the bureau OF statistics
makes more than 4 900 words. 1t re.
views the entire investigation begin.
ming with tie cha)g S tn t we're laiC
before Secretary Wilson by Mr.. Cheat
ham several weeks ago.
CHARGES BY CuEATILAM
Tie charges Of Mr.. Cheatham were
backed up with evidence that G 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 cJttcn crop OF the
United States prior to the on ,ial pub
llcat1on OF the information, and tina,
the crop figures had been tempered
with In the dcpari ment, In the inter.
ehlS Vi certain cotton spectators. SC
rotary Wilson determined at once upon
q thorough investigation and furnished
the cheers Of the United States Sc
cret service all Of the evidence whicl
had been given to the department..
The agents then were put in touch
with Mr.. Cheatham and directed to
use every possible effort 10 ascertain,
whether there had been a leak in the
department. and If SO to furnish the
secretary with the name f the per.
son or persons responsible. UOlmcsiS
the only employc OF the government
who has been found to have had an,
connection With supplying Information
10 fokcf prior TO the publication OF
the Official report.
After reviewing the charges See.
tary Wilson gives a summary OF the
testimony adduCed before secret ser
Vice agents. Mr.. Van Ripper, the New
YORK broker, under examination, said
ne became acquainted with Holmes in
New York in August, 1904, through a
mutual friond." According to This
testimony Holmes told Van R!per he
could get information concerning the
government crop report, principally
through the report or the general
agent and the reports OF the State
agents. Van Rlper said Holmes fur
nlshed him with information from
Time to time, for several months, in
advance Of the publication OF the or
cial figures, and that the information
furnished by Holmes correspondent cx.
actly With the figures afterwards pub
lished as tho Official crop reports Van
Rlper stated that a Mr.. Haas OF New
YORK acted az u go between for
Holmes and himself and he was pi V
to understand that Haas was securing
information for Theodore Price, a cot
ton broker Of New York. The Wit.
ness said he met Haas at the Hotel
Waldorf and was told by him that the
report for June 1905 would be rs per
cent. on condition, and ~ or Is per
cent. on acreage, which was as bear.
ish as they could make ii; and that he
was going to see Price, with whom he
would have an interview and wanted
to see Van Ripper after he saw Price;
JnaJ in about an hour Haas called on
MIN and said that at the request OF
Price he was going to Washington to
see If they cOu q not get the perccnt.
age q little higher and the acreage a
little smaller to make the report more
bCariSh, Van Riper tcstiGe1 that