The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-18
PULITZER TO
 BE ARRESTED Bench Warrant Also Out
 For Smith. FOLLOW FEDERAL INDICTMENT Grand Jury Acts in Panama Libel
 Suit. s New York World and Indianapolis News Guilty of viiifyfng Roose- welt, Taft, Cromwell aud Morgan.


 Washington. Feb. 17.-Bench war rants were issued late today for the arrest of Joseph Pulitzer. proprietor. and Caleb N. Van Eiamm and Robert H. Lyman, editors of The New York World; and for Deievan Smith and Charles R. Williams. owners of The Indianapolis News, for criminal libel. in connection with republication. In those newspapers, of charges of irreg- ularity in the purchase by the United States Government of the Panama Ca- nal property from the French owners.
 The indictments, on which the war rants were based. were returned today by the United states grand jury. sitting in this city, and the warrants were is- sued later by the clerk of Criminal Court No. |. The warrants are direct ed against all five of the natural de- fendants of the two newspapers. The summons requires the corporate de- fendant (The Press Publishing Com- pany of New York; to appear in court forthwith. to answer the indictment.
 District Attorney Baker probably will not send the copies of the bench warrants and the certified copies of the indictments to New York. or to Indian apolis for day or two. They were placed late today in the hands of the United States marshal here, and he will proceed with them in accordance with the directions of Mir. Baker.
 Theodore Roosevelt. William H. Taft. Elihu Root, ]. Pierpont Morgan, Charles P. Taft, Douglas Robinson and William Nelson Cromwell are named in the indictments as the persons alleged to have been villified by the stories ap- bearing in the two newspapers. Copies of the summons and of the indictment were served this evening on the Press Publishing Company. by service on otto Carmichael. its agent In this jurisdtc- ton. The certified copies will be filed with United States Commissioner John R. Shields in New York. who will is- sue warrants for the arrest of inc na- ttiral defendants of The New York world. who will be brought before him to show cause why they should not be sxtrnditetf to this Jnrisdiction for
 Astempt te Blackmaal.
 Faiiure of an attempt to bIAekmall him, according to a statement by Wil- liam Nelson Cromwell. was the cause of the publication of the stories which: he declared today, were exceptional ana premeditated, and made with free knowledge of their infamous source. and after specific warning by me of their falsity."
 :. aThe stories" he added, were oon- eocted more than two and e half years ago, by unscruploug parties in New York. some of whom have criminal rec ords, in an attempt to blackmail me. :" :. He said that he was asked to pay s2b,OO0 to have the stories suppressed. q do not believe The World was party to these attempts, but 1t was dealing with the same gang. Fhe in' dictment Of The World and The In- dianapolis News Is not an indictment of the press of the United States. as they would like to make it appear, to obtain the support of the general press of the country. I am in favor Of free and unmuzzled press"
 The indictment against the publish ers of The Indianapolis News charges Delayan Smith and Charles R. Wn- Hams with the crime of libel on seven counts and that directed against The World charges Joseph Pulitzer. Caleb NJ. Van Hamm, Robert H. Lyman and the Press Publishing Co.,, with libel in five counts.
 The indictments against all the par ties are substantially Identical and are very elaborate, setting out a complete history of the transactions by which the United States acquired title to the Panama canal property from the French company Extensive quota tions from news articles and editorials. published both by The New York World and by The Indianapolis News, are given in the Indictments. In ad- dition they contain the unusual feature of photographic likenesses of the men who have figured in the stories and the reproduction of a cartoon which appeared in The Indianapolis News representing Norman E. Mack digging up evidence in the canal zone against Cromwell. Charles F. Taft and J. P. Morgan. who are represented as over looking the operations.
 The World pictures of Charles F. Taft. Douglas Robinson and William Nelson Cromwell. published in con nection with the story about great Panama canal deal" are reproduced in the indictment against that paper.
 Tn answer to allegations that libel is an obsolete offense. or one over which the district of Columbia courts have o purisdiction the Department of Justice tonight issued statement relating to proceedings in the District which says.
 The courts of the District exer- else without dispute, the common law jurisdication possessed by the courts of Maryland prior to It's cession" and that '1ibel has always been a crime in Maryland and prosecutions for 1t have occurred from 1t earliest history as a colony down to the past year"