Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-24
The District Attorneys Statement.

District Attorney Beach last night is
sued the following statement in connection
with the calling of the special session of
the grand jury:
THE grand jury of the District of Co
lumbia in pursuance of call issued by the
district attorney on the Goth instant, will
meet tomorrow, Monday, the oath instant
at II o'clock a m, to consider, among other
things certain criminal practices alleged
to exist and to have existed in one of the
executive departments.
Pending action by that body it is earn
estly hoped, as it is confidently believed,
that no inquiries will be made of the dis
trict attorneys office upon the subject. To
inquire of a member of the grand jury or
of witness, either under subpoena or
after discharge, as to anything transpiring
before that body constitutes contempt
This general statement is made TO ex-
cuSe the district attorney from personal
interviews with gentlemen of the press.
They have always shown his Office the
greatest consideration and preserved his
confidence inviolate; but the very limited
time and force al present at his disposal
render this course imperative.
mo further statement will be made until
the grand jury announce in open court the
result OF the investigation. There may be
much, or little, or nothing to report but
while the examination is pending 1t must,
as the law commands, be entirely secret"
The Grand Jury.
Samuel C. Smoot a well-known ma
chinist of this city. is foreman Of the
grand jury. which will deal with the
scandal in the Agricultural Department
and the members of the body were sum-
moned to Washington from their homes In
the mountains and at the seaside 1t is
not known just how long the grand Jury
will be in session. but it is certain that
the inquiry by the federal body will be most
exhaustive.
The decision to call the grand jury in spe-
cial session was reached after Mr. Beach
had made preliminary investigation of
several weeks duration, supplementing the
first inquiry by the secret service officials
and after he had conferred on the subject
with Attorney General Moody whom he
visited in Boston. Ii is considered likely
by those in Washington familiar with the
case that District Attorney Burnett of New
York will be requested to convene the fed
eral grand jury for the southern district of
New York to investigate the New York
end of the cotton crop report scandal.
New Evidence Obtained.
Although the question of the Indictment
or conviction of any of the persons con-
cerned in the cotton scandal is an open
one, it is certain that additional evidence
has been unearthed by Mr. Beach. This is
apparent on the very face of the case for
when the original report of the secret serv-
| ice officials submitted to the district
attorney that oflcial could not see that a
criminal prosecution could lie. He based
this assertion solely on the contents of the
secret service report, but his personal opin-
ion at that time was that a good case
could be made against Holmes and one or
more of his assistants under those sections
of the federal statutes dealing with bribery
and conspiracy.
Former Associate Statistician Holmes of
| the Agricultural Department is again alb
sent from Washington, having left the city
| last Friday for Chicago. Statistician John
Hyde who resigned. is understood, to be on
his way to England for two months trip.
Comforting With the Secretary.
Six representatives of the American Cot
! ton Manufacturers Association are in con-
| ference this afternoon with Secretary Will
son over the recent cotton crop report They
are j. w. Cannon. president Cannon Manu-
| featuring Company Concord, N. c.; George
| b. Hiss. president Rhodhiss Manufacturing
| Company. Rhodhiss. N. c.: 8. 3. Tanner,
president Henrietta Mills, Henrietta, N. c.;
| T. A Blythe. president Lincoln Manufac-
turing Company, Philadelphia, Pa; r. NJ.
| Miller. ir., president American Cotton Man.
ufacturcrs Association, Charlotte, N. CT;