Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-26
MORE GOULD SCANDAL
District Attorney Jerome May
Take a Hand in 1t.
MRS. GOULD. FEARED Drugs
Declares There Was an Effort Made
to Compromise Her.
POST OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE
Former Inspector Byrnes De- ales the
Statement Made as to His Goa &c
ton With the Case.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, May 25-The statement
which Mrs. Howard Gould made to Deputy
Police Commissioner Hanson Friday night
has created situation which will not be
cleared by the mere retirement of Inspector
William Mclaughlin OF a pension of $3.50
year.
1t developed tcday that Mrs. Gould told
the commissioner, among other things, that
while central office detectives and others
were making her life almost unbearable by
shadowing her everywhere she had received
anonymous notes cautioning her against
drinking coffee or liquors or eating any,
thing in strange places. The writer feared
that an effort would be made to drug Mrs.
Gould. Mrs. Gould told the commissioner
she believed that it was the purpose OF
persons conspiring against her to get her
under the influence of some drug and place
her when in this condition in compromis-
ing situation. She had no idea who the
anonymous writer is. She described the
handwriting as that of an uneducated per-
son. Mrs. Gould, 1t was said needed the
warning and took extra precautions to
safeguard herself whenever she went out.
Commissioner Hanson Interested.
Commissioner Hanson is interested in
these anonymous warnings, but not SO
much so as in the letter which Mrs. Gould
says she got from Abe Hummel. The
Hummel letter came to her some time after
the detectives began last June to dog her
steps. The letter said in effect that Hum
mel had information that city detectives
were trailing her, and suggested that Hum
mel himself would be a good man to re-
tain to put an end to this constant espion-
age.
The letter which Mrs. Gould received from
Huminel was not the first intimation she
had got from outside sources that In
spector McLaughfins men were on her
track. Several anonymous letters, SO she
told Commissioner Hanson, had come, to,
her warning her that the city police were
after her. One of these notes, which was
dropped in her automobile when It was
standing In front of the Waldorf-Astoria,
ended with these words: Keep faith with
me by destroying this note and by leaving
the fragments of 1t in the automobile the
next time you go out" Mrs. Gould COM
piled with this request, but she was salts
fed by the context, she said, that the per-
son who sent her the note was one who had
constant access to her car.
Mrs. Gould5s Statement.
Mrs. Gould's definite statement before the
deputy police commissioner that her mail
hal been tempered with will have the effect
of extending the scope of the Gould scandal
beyond the police department The post Of
fee inspectors said that they are prepared
to go ahead and make a thorough investi-
cation as soon as any formal complaint is
fled. They wont have to wait long. Either
Mrs Gould or her counsel will file at the
post Office on Monday formal complaint
giving specific instances where her letters
have been tempered with. To the deputy
police commissioner Mrs. Gould said that
her letters not only had been opened but
that there was evidence that impressions
OF addresses and signatures had been taken.
Mrs. Gould Gid not attempt to say what she
thought the purpose Of this tampering with
her mail was, but her friends declared
today that they believed a search was being
made by some persons for evidence which
they hoped might substantiate a charge
that she had been married before she be-
came Howard Gould's wife. The postal in
spectors declared todey that they would be
been tempered with, If Mrs. Gould would
only produce the envelopes.
There were indications today that the in
vestigation of the Gould scandal would
force. Nothing definite has developed in
that direction yet, but 1t is known that per-
sons in charge Of the New York office have
begun to look into circumstances which
may result IN the dropping Of one or two
men there.
Mrs. Gould's testimony before the police
commissioner that Pennsylvania railroad
detective was employed to shadow her in
California may result in a little hcuseclean-
Ing among the railroad detectives.
KoL>c n>-s>l
There was at least one man in New York
who was mighty sore over the statements
made by Mrs. Gould to the commissioner
and that was former Inspector Byrnes, un-
der whose wing Mclaughlin was reared in
the police department. Mrs. Gould charged
that the detective bureau, when Byrnes
was active in the police department, was
used by the Goulds to search out her rec
ord. That was before her marriage to
Howard Gould, when the match was be-
Ing opposed by George j. Gould and other
members of the family.
Inspector Byrnes denied today most en-
phatically that he had ever been RESPONSE
BILE for any action by members of the de-
tective bureau in regard to the present
Mrs. Gould. He declared that he had never
been asked to inquire into her record, and
that he knew nothing whatever about her
except as he had read of her at the time
OF the marriage In the newspapers. In
Mrs. Gould for the statements which she
made before the commissioners. He had
consulted with his lawyers and instructed
them, after ascertaining from Deputy Com
missioner Hanson jast what RS. Gould had
said about him, to bring action against her
He could not say whether it would be a
criminal or civil action He declined ia
give the name of his counsel.
Jerome May Take Part.
1t Is likely that the district attorneys Of
| fee will be called into any investigation
! that may be made this week. Another thing
| which the deputy commissioner may do be-
fore he drops the case Is to ask one of Mr.
Gould's friends to explain why he was so
| anxious to have Mrs. Gould attend a din
ner at which Inspector Mclaughlin was to
| be a guest. MRS. Gould told.the commits
| sioner that this friend of her husband
pressed her to attend this dinner. arguing
that II was. always well to have ian infiu-