The Washington herald., 1907-06-21

terday in the case OF tuNlh .. iiolHieS'
jr.. on trial on an indictment charging
conspiracy in connection with the use Of
government cotton reports.
Holmes attorney, A. S. Worthington,
sought 10 show by the Secretay that the
latter himself had given out information
relative to crop statistics, but Mr. Wilson
denied that he had.
Did you not tell newspaper men, June
| 6. 1865, that the reports Of the cotton-state
statistics and government agents came
directly to Mr.. Hyde in sealed enyel-
opes?" asked Mr.. WoTthington
To this and similar questions, the Sec
retarv would answer: Il have no recOllec-
tlon," and he emphatically denied that
he told a reporter in Chicago that the
/ spring seeding of 1906 was backward
Mr.. Wilson reiterated his denials made
when he was on the stand last week OF
certain interviews imputed to him during
June. 1866. when the cotton leak rumors
were given much space in the press.
Van Ripper Explains signals.
The cross-examination * Lewis c. Van
! Riper, OF New York. was finished yes
terday by Mr. worthington, and on re-
direct examination by Special Prosecutor
Beach he explained the signals which
we're given TO Peckham by Holmes with
window curtain from the Bureau Of
! Statistics.
IF the curtain was exactly halfway
down on the window" Van Ripper testi-
fed. 1T would indicate that everything
was all right and as we had anticipated.
/ If Il was halfway down over the upper
sash only, it would mean that something
/ had gone wrong. and II Il was halfway
down on the lower sash il would be the
signal that things were even better than
We had anticipated
Assistant Secretary Of Agriculture Hays
! testified that he was present in the Bu-
reau of Statistics when the cotton report
for Juns g. 1906 was prepared. He said
/ that he recalled that Holmes made a
strong argument with St8tisticiau Hyde
90 secure reduction in the percentages
Of the abandoned acreage column, and
finally won his point. This showed q
prospective increase i'm the cotton crop
which Van Ripper testified Wednesday and
/ Tuesday was what Theodore H. Price, OF
New York. wanted. and was secured from
Holmes for him 10y Moses Haas, Of New
| York. thus placing Van Riper on the
other side Of the market on figures which
had been furnished by Haas also. double
crossing" him and making him lose. ap-
proXimately, $500.
II was after this loss that Van Ripper
gave Secretary Cheatham. OF the south
I ern Cotton Growers Association, the am
dayit read in court, which brought about
the investigation and the Indictment oi
Holmes, Haas, and Peckham.
Bank Teller Testifes.
The government also placed on the
stand yesterday Samuel r. Baulsr re-
ceiving teller of the Central National
Bank Of this city. who testified that on
April Is. 1895, Holmes deposited $1,000
in ten bills. with the bank William D
. King. superintendent of the New Horf
Cotton Exchange, produced Yesterday OF
the stand records showing that mem
bership on the exchange was bought bl
Lewis Il Mercer for r. A Peckham.
Lewis H. Mercer. who was member
Of the firm OF Peckham & Mercer, which
was organized in December by Peckham
Haas. Holmes, and Van Ripper tesu
fed that at the time the firm was organ
lied he did not know that any one own
cd an interest IN the firm except Peck
ham. While Mercer was on the stan'
MI worthington for the third time sine
the trial began indicated what the De
fense would be.
Have you ever actually sold cotton?
asked Mr.. WorthingJon.
NO. sir; I never have anything to d.
with spot cotton
This line Of examination was objected
10 by Mr.. Beach, whereUpon 3Ir. Worth
ington stated that il was competent, a
he would prove that the parties involved
in this case never bought and sold III
actual commodity itself, as charged in IN
3 Indictment, but merely specuIated or gam
bled as to what certain figures would be
IL want 20 show Mr.. Worthlngto-
e. said, that the dealings here have moth
b. ing to do with persons who run mills ant
buy cotton legitimately. l propose u
show that in these deals these partie
% never bought or sold a single pound O
o. cotton Il is charged in the indiCtmen
] that they conspired in the buying ant
7 selling Of cotton. If they did anything
l they were engaged in speculatins.
, The trial was adjourned until Monday.