The Washington herald., 1908-05-30

Additional indictments were returned by
the grand jury yesterday growing out of
tho so-called cotton leak" in the De-
partment OF Agriculture in December. 1904
and June. 1906. for which Edwin s.
Holmes. jr.. OF this city, former stats
tician Of the Bureau OF Statistics OF the
Department Of Agriculture. and Frederick
A. Peckham and Moses Haas. of New
York. were jointly indicted. Holmes was
tried here a year ago, and the trial re-
suited in hung jury. Peckham and Haas
successfully fought extradition on the in
dictments. and have not been tried.
-Four sets OF indictments were returned
yesterday. They are the result OF an in
vestigation into the testimony given at
the Holmes trial. which was made by
Special United States District Attorney
Jesse Adkins.
In three indictments the New York
men, Theodore II. Price. the cotton
broker: Moses Haas. and Frederick A.
Peckham, are charged with conspiring
TO bribe Holmes. an official of the United
States government, 10 shape reports in
reference 10 cotton 10 suit their purpose.
The indictment charges that on advance
information furnished by Holmes 10 Price
through Haas. Price made $4,000 out
Of the information received in December,
1904. out OF which Haas received SIPS 600,
the Indictment charges. but does not state
how much Holmes received. but it
charges that for information on the June
report Of 1905 he was paid 5000 by Haas
Van Ripper Chief witness.
The principal witness before the grand
jury in securing the indictments was
Louis c. Van Ripper. Of New York, a cot
ton broker. He was also a star witness
in the trial OF Holmes a year ago. when
Holmes was tried on the indictment
which charges him Jointly with Haas and
Peckham with conspring TO defraud the
United States by manipulating the cotton
reports to suit the two last named.
The disclosures which led 10 the dis
covery Of the leak in the Bureau OF Sta
tlstlcs We're made by Van Riper 10 the
| Secretary Of Agriculture IN June. 1875,
following the publication OF the cotton re-
port of that month.
The evidence in the trial OF Holmes
given uy du iNlpeE SllU"fu bAidb 4e
thought he had been double crossed"
by Holmes. Haas. and Peckham. While
on the stand he admitted that in Decem-
Der, 1894, he had opened negotiations with
Holmes. through Haas, 10 secure advance
| information. and that as the result OF this
Holmes furnished the information and
S250.0O0 was cleaned up.
In May, 1905 he testified, ne again
opened up negotiations with Holmes, and
was furnished. through Haas certain
| figures as 10 what the June report would
| be. According To Van Riper. between
| the time he last saw Haas and Holmes,
Haas found that Price was willing TO pay
more money for a certain kind Of in
formation. and Holmes and Haas en-
tered into negotiations with Price,
through which Holmes agreed 10 make
the report 20 show what Price wanted.
DOctOred Figures Alleged.
The information furnished Van Ripper
placed him on the opposite side Of the
market from Price. and as result. the
figures were doctored, he said, to suit
Price. and Van Ripper was a heavy loser.
He informed the Secretary of Agricul-
| ture Of the relations he had with Holmes.
and this led to an investigation which
resulted - in the Indictment against
Holmes, Haas. and Peckham being re-
turned.
Indictments similar 10 those returned
here were also returned in New York.
Price appeared in court and was released
on bond Of 5000 Holmes is now at lib-
erty on bond.