New-York tribune., 1910-01-24
TAFTS SUBPENAED
PANAMA CASE TO-DAY.
"WorId" Counsel Again to
Fight for Postponement.

tragedy and will culminate in nlirth." was
the mixed description given by one Of the
counsel interested in the government prose-
cution of The Press Publishing Company,
publishers of THE World" for libel.s which
IS to be called for trial this morning before
Judge Holt, in the Criminal Branch Of the
United States Circuit Court. Counsel for
the publishing company, Delaney Nicoll
and John D. Lindsay, will try hard 10 have /
the case postponed
United States Attorney Wise, who has
been working in his Office and at the Bar
Association rooms for weeks in preparation
for the trial, will object strenuously TO a
further delay. So will Stuart Mcnamara
special Assistant United States Attorney
General who will, with James r. Knapp,
one of Mr.. Wise's aids. assist for the gov
ernment. Mr.. Wise declared at the last
hearing that he would be ready to-day and
that the case should then be begun.
The case has been long time in the max
ing. Two continents have been ransacked
for evidence. Agents Of the government and
for the defence have q mass of dispositions
gathered as result of hard work in Pana-
ma. Cuba and Paris. Mr.. Knapp. tall.
young. sturdy, was in the Canal Zone late
last spring TO sit at hearings with an equal
ly sturdy young man from Mr.. Nlcoils s
Office.
HEARINGS AT PANAMA.
It was no light task in the Canal Zone at
that time. The full flush of the hottest
time of the year was beginning to make
those used TO it gasp. There were long
sessions. at which distinguished Panamans
were present, as also not a few Colombians
who were not yet reconciled to the loss of
o,-- .aFT heir
One OF the men who was at these sittings
and in Paris said last week:
If all the depositions taken down there
are made public the true history of the
Panama revolution will be told as graph
ically as II meant for a stage setting.
The first rumblings its first inception, the
plots and counterplots and the climax may
be gathered from the recitals put down in
black and white TO be used in this case.
In Paris there was some comedy at the
hearings, but not much. for in the main
there IL was a tale Of disappointed hopes.
Did they get the money over there? All,
that would be telling the story in ad-
vance"
Each side to the battle in the court be-
lieves that it will win. 1t is a way that
opposing lawyers have. Even the, counsel
for Morse believed that he would win, and
the last TO take the case for the convicted
banker still believes that he will win. The
government counsel in the Panama case
do not intend to call a witness unless in
rebuttal. Counsel for the Press Publish
ing Company have not ceased sending out
subpHnas. They will have their witnesses
all ready If they lose the fight for post
ponement
Mr.. Nicoll will have all the men inter
ested in the case on the stand. It was
he hS ed
William Nelson Cromwell who the gov
ernment charges Lbelled in the arti-
cles published in The World" a year ago
last October; also that sDbpenas have
been issued for Senator Root, Charles P.
Taft and Henry W. Taft, brothers Of the
President. A perfect deluge of subpnnas
has emanated from the Offices of Mr..
Nicoll for newspaper men from far and
near. One man came all the way from
Georgia on Saturday to be a witness.
The government has been at work in
the grand jury room the case. Wit
nesses were examined there up to within
few weeks ago in the effort 10 clinch the
case against the accused publishing COM
pany. The Attorney General has had con-
ferences when in this city with Mr.. Wise
about the prosecution. 1t is going TO be a
thoroughgoing prosecution, with no devia-
tion whatever from the plan outlined a
year ago. when the first indictments were
found in Washington on February II last
BIG ARRAY OF COUNSEL.
Nicon besides Mr.. Lindsay. John NJ Bow
ers has been called in consultation. There
will be some in addition 10 Mr.. Bowers, hut
their names have been withheld, but they
VIII be advising as the case progresses In
u cldentally, IL was not q lawyer in the actual
y trial Of the case who said that the culrni-
nation would be a nlirthful one There is
bound 10 be jubilation one way or the
other, but il will be one of the hardest
fought cases ever put on trial in the federal
courts in recent years.
The beginning Of the case may be said to
have been when the articles were published
in The World" and The INDIANAPOLIS
News" just before the Presidential cleo
tion, casting reflections upon many prouaf
nent men in connection with the purchase
OF the Panama Canal by this government
his was supplemented in the following De-
cember by an editorial, and then the De-
partment OF Justice al Washington began
10 move Indictments were found against
The Indianapolis News and its owners.
Delavan Smith and Charles r. Williams.
and against The Press Publishing Com
pany, its owner. Joseph Pulitzer, and two
laleb
NJ. Van Eamm.
The action at Washington was followed
by action in this city in the early spring.
Henry l. Stimson was then United States
Attorney. and before. the federal grand Jury
here indicted The Press Publishing Com
pany and Caleb NJ Van Hamm there was a
spirited correspondence between Mr. Slim
son and Nj Jerome respecting which
should take up the prosecution.
There was much talk about action IN
compel the men indicted here TO go 10
Washington 70 be tried under the indict-
ment there Nothing came of it so far as
they were concerned. but an attempt was
made 10 take the owners of The Indian
apolis News" to the national capital and
the court decided against the government.
The trial TODAY. if Judge Holt decides
that it shall 20 on, will be the first in the
case