New-York tribune., 1910-01-09
HELD IN WISE CASE
RILEY CHARGED WITH
LETTER THEFT.
Interstate Commerce InUesti-
gator Indicted-NezU Docu-
ment Public.
mcnt Public.

One day about three weeks ago Thomas
P. Riley, special investigator Tor the
Interstate Commerce Commission, showed
copy of The Cosmopolitan Magazine"
to IN assistant of Henry A. Wise, United
States Attorney, in the Federal Building.
He pointed to the article Tragedies Of
the Sugar Trust" and went from page
TO page until his finger halted on the
letter written by George w. Wickersham.
United States Attorney General. to Mr..
Wise. and said:
Did YOU see that? Where did that
ONE FROM"
Mr.. Riley was arrested yesterday on
al indictment charging him with having
st len the letter and American Sugar
Refining Company letters and docu
ments from Mr.. Wise's office and having
had the letter published without author
ity and in violation of the penal laws
As told exclusively in The Tribune, the
appearance of the Wickersham letter in
the magazine was the first knowledge
that the United States Attorney had that
his correspondence had been tampered
with Mr.. Riley himself gave the CleW
which led to his Indictment
1t is not believed now that the letter
was actually stolen. Mr. Riley had desk
room until November in an office of one
of the assistant United States attorneys,
on the fifth floor of the Federal Building.
1t was said that he made copies and sold
them AS a former traffic manager for
the American Sugar Refining Company
he had for two years given valuable SER
vice to the government in the rebate
cases, which resulted in the collection of
large sums from the New York Central
Railroad. Rock Island. Chicago, Milwau-
kee & St. Paul, Western Transit Com
pany and the Central Vermont
Riley, tall and powerfully built, took
his arrest calmly. special agent for
the government tried to get him on Fri
day, and Marshal Henkel remained in
his office until after midnight waiting
for the prisoner. The accused man lives
in Nutley, N. J., and an open apprehen-
sion was avoided to prevent arraignment
in that state and removal proceedings.
Early yesterday the special agents went
to Nutley and waited.
TRAILED FROM JERSEY.
Late in the afternoon Riley left his
home and took a trolley car for New
ark. The agents boarded the same car,
and when they left it, at Broad and
Market streets. they acCosted Riley and
told him that Mr.. Henkel would like to
see him. He expressed willingness TO
come to this city. and the party en-
tered Vesey street from the Lackawanna
ferry Marshal Henkel stepped up and
arrested Riley. At the Federal Build
ing he read and reread the indictment,
then was permitted to telephone to his
wife and was taken to the Tombs, where
he will remain until tomorrow, when he
will be arraigned There was no Judge
at the Federal Building yesterday when
he was taken into the marshars room.
The Wickersham letter has been pub
lished The letters of the American
Sugar Refining Company and a copy of
the minutes of a meeting held in De-
cember, 1900 had been in the custody
of the government as evidence There
were two letters from Charles r. Heike,
secretary of the company, to John E.
Parsons, at the time general counsel
and, as at present, a director. The first,
of April -, 1908, follows:
received the letter from Mr. Lindabury
inclosing one from Norman Grey in refer
ence 10 expense Of printing book and plead
ings in the Segal case. l nclose check for
s244 to the order of Richard V. Lindabury
and | return Mr.. Greys letter.
The other, which follows, was dated
April 10, 1909:
The inclosed advertisement is from The
New York Evening Post" and is a notice
TO tire holders Of the Pennsylvania Sugar
Refining COmpany's bonds. Mr. Thomas
asked me to send it 20 you that you may
decide whether we shall do anything in
regard to it.