Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-03-17
WHAT DOES It ALL MEAN?!
B. & o. INVESTIGATION A VERY
PUZZLING MATTER.
Secret Sessions Bewilder All Con-
cerned Except The B. & o.
Itself, Which Is
Informed.

At the Baltimore and Ohio investi.
cation yesterday afternoon. the sub
committee, appointed tn look into the
Washington end of the b. d o. mat
ter turned in its report In e&ecu-
tive session, it is understood that the
Poe report was submitted that spe-
cial committee was appointed 10 confer
with the Board Of Public Works, that
il was Informally decided 10 ask for
au extension of time and that lastly ii
was agreed to meet in Baltimore To.
day.
There is nothing which has taken
place in Annapolis during recent
years about which So much unceI tain
ty has existed as exists in the minds
of most people with regard to the
present investigation of the Washing
ton Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad by a joint special committee
of the Senate and House of Delegates
of this State. Not even these who
are supposed to be running the affair
apparently have a veIy clear idea of
what is trying to be done
Almost everyone has a theory or the
firm belief that he absolutely knows.
but the average individual, and the
general public has but the haziest
idea Of what is going forward. The
day S news is absolutely worthless for
the proposes of analysis. and to hear
tie proceedings personally is even
worse. 1t is perhaps possible to draw
conclusions from the printed conclu.
sions of trained men, but it is hard
indeed for these newspaper men them
selves to draw any inference at all
from such of the questioning and ties.
timOnV as thew hear
And for once, a period of executive
sessions seems to be effective, in this
particular-in that befogs pretty
thoroughly the men who are here on
hand to keep the general public in.
formed. 1t is doubtful if the Balti-
more aud Ohio railway experiences
the same difficulty. 1t has been stated
freely that the officials of this corpo-
ration knows within twenty-four
hours every thing which occurs in no
matter how secret the sessions, which
is to say that there are traitors in the
camp Of the State of Mary land, and
which is not by any means improb-
able.
Every day the committee holds
meeting, and almost every day it
winds up with an executive session
In the open meetings lawyers, first one
and then another, ask questions, and
after time the questioner says: 81
have no further questions TO ask the
witness. " Frequently the official then
is dismissed, but sometimes member s
Of the committee ask questions. The
questions are often mere verifieation
of figures and dates, which the corpo-
ration would hardly send in falsified
in the first place, and which the wit
nesses would hardly be able to detect
in the second place, even if such were
the case.
But day after day, Mr.. Hugh Bond
sits behind his witnesses, his arms
folded and his face always bearing on
the sneaker, whoever he may be, but
day after day, he himself is not called
to the witness stand to testify He
knows the b. & o. from a to i and
from to 2, but still he is not called
on to testify. In the meantime it is
rumored that he is anxious to be given
an opportunity to make q statement,
that he has opinions on the investiga.
tors and their investigations, and that
he has Rssveritable kankering desire to
tell them what it is. 1t is stated
furthermore that when he does testify
the people of this State will be given
the railroads side of the case as no
other man in Maryland has the ability
to present it, and in a light probably
now to a majority of the people.
They will then learn, it is said, just
what the B. & o. is to this State, and
how much this State owes to the B.
& o.
But still day after day, Mr.. Bond
sits there and watches and listens.
He is good listener, too, and still,
day after day he is not called