The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-23
GRAND JURY
INQUIRY
AUTHORS OF PANAMA :.
NAL STORY TO BE CIV y
EN- HEARING.
Grand Juries in Washington A,
New York to Question the M.
Who Wrote Charges, but A.
tack Aims at Publishers.-.wo,,
and Sun Chief Targets.

' oe'AA' Ao.7OlX WaShinc
ton correspondents Of out of town
pers and a local news bureau woro q
urday subpoenaed to appear during II.
present week before the federal o,.~,
jury and testify, presumably in co sn",la
ton with statements appearing in tho:
publications bearing on the panas 0u
canal purchase. "D'a
So far as it has been possible to
certain, these were the only ones cite 10
Otto Carmichael, Charles S Amh eu.
and E. Jesse Conway, of the New Yo-t
World; James Hornaday, Indiananol;ss
News; Jeremiah Matthews, New Yo ,'
Sun; Harris M. Crist, BROOKLYN Easla A
and William Smith, a newsbov y.
Washington, engaged in selling Now
York papers.
With the exception of Crist. who !.
commanded to go to New York and
present himself before the fedar.l
grand jury. the parties are directed to
appear before the federal grand iurv of
the District of Columbia on Tuesday
The World men were also directed to
bring with them files of the paper for
September, October, November and
December, 1908, lin the case of tho
United States versus the Press pnh
fishing Company" publishers of the
New York World.
No Doubt It Is Libel Suit
There is no doubt that the subpoenas
have all to do with suit for libel
which it is believed has been brought
by the government, in New York
against the World.
The publishers of the New York Sun
and the Indianapolis News, Mr.. Latin
and Delavan Smith, were denounced BY
the president in letter dated Decem.
Der l last, to William Dudley Foulke
In his special message to congress Of
December Is, regarding the charge Of
corruption, the president ANNOUNCED
that the attorney general had under his
consideration the form in which pro.
ceedings for libel against Joseph Pu.
liter, publisher of the New York
World, should be brought.
Nowhere in government annals has
such an action been taken as the gov.
eminent suing for criminal libel. The
president in his message was most en-
phatic in saying that it should not be
left to private citizen to enter the
suit, and was particular to state that
he did not believe 1--WE should concern
ourselves with the particular individ
uals who wrote the lying and libelous
editorials. articles from correspondents
or articles in the news columns The
real offender is Joseph Pulitzer, editor
and proprietor Of the World" It,
therefore, is inferred that the CORES.
pondents were summoned as witnesses
and not with the ultimate idea of max.
ing them co-defendants.
Precautions Against Leak
All efforts to get any information re-
garding the statute under which the
suit has been brought failed. That ev.
cry effort was made to prevent
leak" in New York before the sub
poenas were served is evidenced by
the fact that Mr.. Crisis subpoena was
directed to "John" Crist, the indorse-
ment later being written upon it that
John" was a fictitious name. Inc
fact that Mr.. Crist has been ordered to
appear in New York is regarded as eV'
idence that, if any purpose had been
entertained to bring such action in new
York state courts, it had been absn'
doned. Grand jury proceedings IN 'ne
district of Columbia are always COLI
Quoted with greatest secrecy.
Additional interest is lent to tne
case by the presenwce here OF WILLIAM
Nelson Cromwell, who represented tne
canal company in the negotiations WIN
the government. Several ATTEMPTS
were made to reach him at his ho'si,
but all callers were informed that n0