The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-10
PRICE DID NOT
FIGURE IN DEAL
New York Broker Has Asked Secre-
tary Wilson to Retract.
LATTER THINKING ABOUT 1T
LATEST PHASE OF COTTON CROP
REPORT SCANDAL.

Ikf ASHINGTON, July 9.-Theodore
Wv H. Price Of New York. arrived in
Washington~- today and through
his attorney requested Secretary VIII
son TO withdraw what MI Price char
acterizes as the unjust. offensive and
unsustaiued charges and implications
contained in the report made pubic
yesterday in connection with the re-
mOval of Edwin =. Holmes, jr., the as
sistant statistician ri the department
of agriculture. The secretary has Mr.
Prices request under consideration.
Cheatham's Statement.
Meantime AR Price secured from
Richard Cheatham the following signed
statement:
Mr.. Cheatham states that after evil
dencc which he had furnished to Secre-
tary Wilson was turned over TO the
secret service department his services
were enlisted by the department to as
sSt the men in whose charge the mat
ter was placed. to secure any additional
evidence regarding the case. II was
decided that more evidence might ne
secured in New York. and. in the hopes
of doing so. the secret service agent. &C
cOmpanied by Mr.. Cheatham went there
for that purpose. After working to-
Rether in close touch for three or four
days during which time number OF
persons who were supposed to know
examined by the secret service agent
alone, and after having fully gone over
the ground and examined each one who
in the opinion of the secret service
agent and Mr. Cheatham, could posi-
bly, have any connection with the af-
fairs, Mr.. Cheatham left New York.
Was to See Price.
Before leaving he had a long con-
ference with the secret service agent,
who expected to leave a few hours
later. During this conference full
discussion of the matter was had and
Mr.. Cheatham insisted that the
secret service agent call to see Mi.
Theodore Price before leaving the city,
for the purpose of finding out what
connection he had with the case il any,
as his name had been mentioned in one
OF the letters submitted as evidence.
Mr.. Cheatham vas informed by the
secret service agent that he had not
been able TO secure any evidence from
any one that would in the least connect
Mr. Price with the affair, and that he
had been told by Mr.. Haas that he
Haas did not know Mr.. Price and had
not any connection with him in any
way. Up to the time that Mr Cheatham
left New York he was Informed by the
secret service men that he had not seen
Mr.. Price for the reasons above stated
and would not do so, as it was his
opinion that il would be useless as he
dence that would implicate Mr.. Price.
Cheatham Was Surprised.
up to the time the secret service
closed its report Mr.. Cheatham re-
manned in close touch with him for the
purpose of furnishing it with any facts
connected with the case that were OBJ
tainable- Mr.. Cheatham stated that
he failed TO learn Of any new facts or
even suggestions from any one who
might know that Mr.. Price was con-
pected with the matter. Consequently
Mr. Cheatham was very much sur
prised when he first noticed in the re-
port given out by Secretary Wilson to
the press the name of Theodore Price
mentioned so prominently in connection
with the case. as ne did not know OF
any evidence having been presented or
secured by any one that would warrant
the use Of Mr.. Prices name i'm con-
neetion with the affair.
SeCretsry's Explanation.
Secretary Wilson told Mr.. Price. as
be had told William M Wins. his at
torney earlier in the day that he had
no statement to make along the lines
requested. The secretary explained in
detail how the matter had been brought
50 his attention by Mr.. Van Ripper
through Mr. Cheatham, and he had in
turn referred il to the secret service
division of the treasury department. by
the officials of which the investigation
had been conducted. Their report had
been made to him and he in turn had
made il public What had been made
public therefore. the secretary eX-
planned. was entirely the work Of the
secret service, except that portion of
his statement which related to the re-
organization Of the StatisticianS Of
fee. Under these circumstances, he
added. he did not feel called on to make
an explanation or withdraw anything
that had been given out. IT Mr..
Cheatham saw fit to make a statement
regarding the matter as Mr.. Price told
the secretary Mr.. Cheatham had, that
was very well and good
District Attorneys Statement.
District Attorney Morgan II. Beach