The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-24
new AGENTS WORK
ON REBATE Al CASES.
Investigation Has Been Resumed,
but Among Shippers
This Time.
COMMISSIONER MAY RETURN
Effort Now Is to Find Out More
About Papers That Were
Destroyed.

! 3 y n, l.
Working with that same degree o
secrecy which enabled other represen
tatives of the government to uncoye
illegal rebate practices here, specin
agents of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, apparently under direc
zion of Commissioner Lane, have start.
ed another investigation with a view
to securing more definite information
RS to the destruction OF important and
valuable records OF the Chesapeake anc
Ohio Railway Company.
Dcgnn Work on Saturday.
The special agents arrived here on
Saturday, a few hours after Mr.. L. b.
johnson and MIR. s. II. Smith. the two
first in the city, returned TO Washing
ton. For obvious reasons Mr. Johnson
was not kept on the task. He had be-
come too Well known in Richmond.
and thorough as any ever brought to
the attention of the commission. 1t was
considered the part of wisdom to send
Naturally. there is more excitement
In railroad and shipping circles, es,
Eecially In the latter, as It Is ,. SAID "a
the agsnts ON CARY street ase
ANXIOUS to Inspect the books. believing
that further inquiry will reveal other
astounding facts. One or two clues
le 4 Ret john up y Msabe special 1a
torney, which they concluded should
be followed and no surprise will be
ielt II they return to Richmond with.
in the next few weeks. Mr.. Lane left
Washington last night for Des A1oines.
Iowa. He expects to be in the West
ten days.
After Burning Record Facts.
Instead Of having reached its end.
therefore, the investigation seems to be
'yrs- Nv, In, tYe f,,, 1rt-r,- 1tnh IN.
sources 1t is learned that the United
States government is determined to
ind out more about the destruction OF
Tsilroad papers. When Mr.. 2. n.
bursements Enslow. testified on Thurs
day that the papers desired BY the
commission had been destroyed. he adj
Initssd that he did not make a very
of Mr.. Enslow as final. He was in
structed to make more diligent eN-
animation and report on Friday, but
he was not recalled to the stand. This
OF itself was significant, the fact being
called to mind Immediately when it
became known that the special agents
Were sent here primarily to wade
through the storage room. Accompany
ing his subpoena was an order to Mr..
Thomas to produce certain papers and
documents. Had the files and records
them with little ditiiculty. His ad;
mission that they had been burned
was apparently the only fact which
surprised Mr.. Lane to whom the whole
story of false billing and rebatinE Wa:
known before he began the public hear
Ing.
shippers May be Implicated.
Some of the papers asked for were
of as recent date as 1906 and 1907
Vouchers on file show that Auditor
pers upon the authority of Mr.. A. p
Gilbert, assistant general freight agent
The government knows, for instance
that John Smith received $500. In the
1t is unable to determine whether the
claim was legitimate or plain re-
bate. Naturally. the government con
tends that the records would either ex.
burning of them being regarded by the
commission as circumstantial evidence
pointing to the latter. The connecting
link may be found In the offices along
Cary Street and for that reason the
special agents are having look at the
books.
After Southern Pacific.
Prosecutions are to be instituted b.
the government against the Southern
Pacific Company and against certal,
on allegations that they paid rebate
& to shippers.
Information which is to be a basi
for thee prosecutions was obtaine
49, ~. LAM, VI VIC
Commerce Commission, last autumn i
the course of an extensive inquiry mad
by him into the affairs of the Souther
Pacific. BY direction of the commits
sion Mr.. Lane visited the Pacific const
and for several weeks conducted hi
inquiries into the alleged charges O
Tebating which had reached the com
mission. Commissioner Lanes rcpor
u of his Investigation, including a tran
script Of the testimony taken by hir
In a formal hearing as an Tnterstat
Commerce Commissioner, has been mao
public
The report has been approved by tn
commission, and a transcript of the re
port and OF the evidence adduced a
the hearing has been transmitted I
the Department of Justice for sue
prosecutions under the law as may b
warranted."
One of the particularly interestin
features of the transcript of evidenc
was developed at the conclusion of TN
formal hearing, when COMMISSIONS
Lane refused to place on the witness
stand G. w. Luce, general freight ager
OF the Southern Pacific, as a witnes
under oath. The request that Mr.. Luc
give sworn testimony in the case wa
made by p. +. Dunno counsel for tn
Southern Pacific. Commissioner Lar
declined to administer the oath to NJ
Luce because. he frankly stated, /
X did not wish to accord to -,Ir. Lu,
by administering oath to him an
taking his testimony, immunity fro
prosecution for violations of the law.
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