New-York tribune., 1907-05-28
SHEARN SEES STIMSON
AFTER p. O. EMPLOYEES.
Charges of Tamperng zcith Mrs.
Gould's Mail To Be Investigated.

| stimulated into action by the statement of the
postoff1ce authorities that they would investigate
any formal complaint that the mail of Mrs.
| Howard Gould had been tampered with, Clar-
| ence j. Shearn. counsel for Mrs Gould, visited
! the office of United States Attorney Stimson yes
terday afternoon and laid the matter before him.
1t is expected now that the authorities will sift
| the matter to the bottom and ascertain if any
| employees of the Postoffice Department either
| In this city or Long Island. have been guilty
| Of interfering with Mrs Gould's mail. Post
! master Wilcox said early in the afternoon that
ne would investigate the matter gladly If a for
NAL complaint were made, and interesting de-
velopments being looked for
| A woman who said she was a close friend of
| Mrs Gould's made it known yesterday that she
| could aid the postal authorities materially in
their investigation. She said she was told by
the chief clerk of the Madison Square branch
of the postofflce that he had been ordered by one
of the Postofffce inspectors to get tracings OF
Mrs Gould's letters, and that he to turn the
trac1ngs obtained over TO Lieutenant Peabody
She refused to tell her own name.
Chief Inspector Mayer. when asked about the
report that one of his INSPECTORS had ordered
tracngs to be made of Mrs. Gould's letters
secuted the idea that any of his men had been
guilty of such an act. and said that he did not
place any credenCe in the story. He said he
would not make an investigation until the mat
! ter had been brought to his notice officially.
! William Flynn, chief of the eastern district of
the United States Secret Service, asked concern
ing the rumors that his office had been mixed
up In the matter. replied: Il had nothing to do
with the matter. and know nothing about it, en-
cept what have read in the newspapers. No
one in my office has had anything to do with
the case. and are In no way concerned
with it."
1t is expected that Howard Gould's answer to
his wifes suit will be filed within the next ten
days and that II will contain a number of start
ling revelations. Up to this time all of the mem
bers of Mr.. Gould's family have maintained an
unbroken silence in regard to the case all Of
the talking having been done by Mrs. Gould and
her counsel. 1t was said yesterday that Mr..
Gould's answer to the suit would be a bomb
shell in the camp of the plaintiffs and counter
suit is not unlikely 10 be brought 1t is said
that the members OF Mr.. GOulds family. the
majority of whom abroad. are greatly dis
tressed at the turn the separation proceedings
have taken and by the notoriety. and that they
VIII spare no one In retaliatng on those respon-
sible for the state of affairs
Deputy Police Commissioner Hanson said yes
terday that he was still at work ferretng out
the bits Of mystery which are hanging over the
case as far as the police are concerned. The
Deputy Commissioner also said that he did not
tnlnk ne would ask Howard Gould 10 visit him,
as he was Of the opinion that Mr. Gould had no
Information that would be useful. He said that
he was also undecided whether he would call
Lieutenant Funston. He was however OF tho
opinion that Funston had done some detective
work in the case.
Mr.. Hanson said that in the talk which he had
with Abraham Hummel in the workhouse on
Blackwell's Island on Sunday the latter toId him
that his advice 10 Mrs. Gould was simply a
friendly act on his part. Hummel told Mr.. Han
son that he heard that detectives were following
Mrs Could but that he didn't know whether
they were private detectives Central Office
men.
II was learned yesterday that several Central
Office men with subpnnas had been camping
outside OF the home Of ex-Captain Mclaughlin
and that as soon he made his appear rance
he would be compelled to appear at Headquar-
tiers: Mclaughlin is anxious TO leave the city
Tor his health. but he feels that his first appear
ance in the street will give the detectives a
chance TO hand him the subpenas