The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-09
low. Mr.. Wise would not say tonight but

low, Mr.. Wise would not say tonight but
they are expected.
The specific charge against Reilly in
the indictment is the taking and pub
fishing of letters and private papers with
out authority in violation of the United
States revised statutes and OF the New
York law The acts complained of are
said to have been committed on July
/, 1909, when Mr.. Wise was abroad.
In addition to the wickersham letter
there were also distracted from the files
of the district attorneys office two let
ters from c. R. Heike, secretary of the
American Sugar Refining company. to
John E. Parsons, counsel for the COM
pany, and the minutes of the board OF
directors of the company for the meet
Ing held at the house of the late Theo-
dore Havemeyer. December, 1900.
Abel I. Smith. the assistant United
States attorney. worked up the case
against Reilly.
News of the arrest caused a sensa-
ton in the federal building where Reilly
was known as a protege of Henry l..
Stimson, now special counsel for the
government in its prosecution of the
sugar cases and formerly United States
district attorney. 1t was on information
government prosecuted with success the
New York Central, Rock Island, Chicago.
Milwaukee and st. Paul Central Yer
mont, Western Transit company and
other railroad and transit companies for
giving rebates on sugar shipments in
violation of the Hepburn law. The rail-
roads in pleas of guilty were all heavily
fined
George Won Utassey, business manager
of the Cosmopolitan magazine. and Per-
rigon Maxwell, managing editor, have
both testified before the grand jury as to
the price they paid for the letter but this
information has not yet been made pub
lie. The text of the Wickersham letter
follows:
washington, Sunday, June q, 1909.
MY Dear Mr.. WISE Senator Root has
sent me the proof of a petition signed
by Bowers Milburn & Guthrie In support
of their contention that the statute of
limitations has run in favor of Messrs.
Parsons, Kissel and Harmed. If the only
overt acts done to carry out the objects
of the unlawful conspiracy were those
referred to in the briefs, 1 should think
they were insufficient to save the bar
of the statute
"a strong effort will be made tomorrow
to persuade the President to interfere In
some way to prevent the indictments,
but aside from that no Indictments should
be returned against anyone II there is
no reasonable ground to believe they
can be sustained-if. for instance, the
offenses charged are clearly barred by
the statute, I need hardly say this to
you.
what want to impress upon you Is
that If you have any reasonable doubt
in the matter, you either have the grand
Jury ask the court for Instructions or,
IL that is not feasible, that you advise
the department of the specific charges
on which you rely to save the statute
before actually having the indictments
brought in. You may telephone either
to me or to Mr.. Ellis, II should be out
of the department when you call on this
point. GEORGE wICKERSHAM."
Reilly Had Good Record.
Washington, January S-As a special
agent Thomas p. Reilly has been an
employe of the Interstate commerce COM
mission for about two years. He was
regarded as a diligent and efficient in
vestigator. Through his efforts hundreds
of the thousands Of dollars In fines and
penalties have been turned into the
United States treasury
Reilly, for many years, was traffic
expert for the sugar trust" and Is
declared to be better informed on the
relations between the sugar trust and
the railroads than any other living man.
Several years ago he relinquished his
position with the sugar trust and be-
came special agent Of the United States
district attorney in New York city.
1t has been known to the commission
that Reilly was suspected of knowing
something about the disappearance of GER
tain letters and documents and their
consequent publication and the news of
his arrest created no surprise.