The Washington herald., 1908-05-05

New York. May A remark or two
/ dropped by District Attorney Jerome "a
the King committee proceedings before
| Commissioner c Land to-day brought TO
/ light a deal in Ice stock Ia which Chair
man William J. Conners. of the Demo
cratic State committee, and an unidenti-
| fed friend. named Tb,.:....e were con-
/ cerned.
William A. De Ford, deputy attorney
general under Attorney General Jackson,
was on the witness stand.
Were you aware, asked Jerome. ''of
certain letter that one w. J. Conners,
of Buffalo. wrote to the attorney general
on the subject Of ice in regard to a
shortage Of 2.100 shares Of stock in the ice
market here?"
Only KeaTsRy Evidence.
Witness said he had heard it from
hearsay. and that if the district attorney
would produce the letter ne would tell
him about it. The district attorney said
the letter was signed John ". Gates,
and was shown. not written. by Corners
to the attorney. general
4 wasn't present" said the witness.
"and he did not show me any letter"
so you were not aware OF it?" Jerome
asked again,
NO. he didn't show me any marked
money said the witness sarcastically.
Not yet2" inquired Jerome.
Perhaps. said De Ford. with some
warmth. you will show something on
me little later,
Not I" replied the district attorney.
As I have known you too well and too
long TO put in anything about your per-
sonal character. but not as a lawyer"
f have not much respect for my legal
opinion. inasmuch as you have refused to
act on it Mr.. De Ford had urged
Jerome to prosecute the American Ice
officials.
What Morse SvOre To.
This was all that came out in the King
proceedings in regard to the deal Of Con-
ners and his friend Charlie" From
other quarters, however, & was learned
that Charles W. Morse is now on record
under oath in regard TO this deal.
Morse in the latter part OF 1905 was
practically in control Of the American
lee stock market. Along in December
of that year Julius Mayer, then attorney
general. decided to bring his action
against the American Ice Company, al
leging it conducted its business in viola
ton of the antitrust act The Republi-
can attorney general. it is said. took
Jackson into his confidence because he
was going TO succeed him on January l,
and would inherit the responsibility of
pushing the suit
In the early part of December American
Ice sales were moving along in a dull
way-a few hundred shares a day-but on
December y Morse sat up and took notice
when the tape recorded the sale of 5000
shares at about S6l2.
On the day LOO shares were dealt in,
and the price was knocked down TO S31s.
The short sales continued until the price
was down to % on December q. the day
after the Mayer suit was fled. Then.
when the shorts began TO cover. the price
scared and Morse sat back and chuckled.
He forced the price up TO nearly the 100
mark.
According TO Morse's sworn statements
John ". Gates came 10 him along about
like this ensued
Charlie, have you got any Ice stock?'
Yes, I have got some to sci"
well. I've got 20 have 2,100 shares.
What can I get il for7''
Par" replied Morse. with never a
smile.
But, Charlie. that's pretty steep"
well, it'n be 125 tomorrow was the
reply.
Talk Over Phone.
Thereupon. Gates, according TO Morse's
story. said he would call up his client.
Gates called up the Waldorf, and Morse
heard him ask for Corners. Morse went
into the telephone booth with Gates and
ne has testified that he heard, in effect,
this conversation:
Gates: I'm down here at Charlie
Morse's bank, and he says you can have
2,10O shares at par.
Voice at the other end: "oh, h: wait
till I see Charlie.
Morse testified that the next day he re-
ceived a check for $4,000 from the brok-
erage firm of Bartlett, Frazier & Caring
ton. and delivered the stock to them.
Later, according to Morse, an intima-
ton was conveyed to him BY an outsider
that this stock loss ought to be wiped
out. 1t has been said that Conners and
his unidentified Charlie" lost just Ss4, 900
on the plunge. AS the record of short
sales show, there must have been others.
It is understood the Gates letter, 10
which the district attorney referred at
the King committee hearing, told Corners
that there would be ructions raised by
the American lee Company people If the
attorney general wasn't called off In the
proceedings which he had begun.
II is said Jackson himself told of this
letter before one OF the recent grand
juries. and cited his continued campaign
against the Ice company as Indicating
how much influence it had with them.
Ocean Steamships.
New York, May ARRIVED out-Etrria at Liver
pool