Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-14
EXPLOSIVES SHIPPED
TO ENEMIES OF DIAZ
Alleged Violation of Criminal Code
Section Is Charged
WARRANT FOR H. PHILLIPS
Search for Accused Man May Be Fol
lowed by a Congressional In
vestigation of the Depart
ment Secret System.

A congressional investigation of the de-
| tective establishment Of the Department
OF Justice, grown into immense proper
tions in recent years, and frequently
| in all sorts of investigations. is said to
be almost certain when Congress re-
assemblies in extra session, due partly
to a warrant that has been sworn out
| for Harvey Phillips, a private detective
of this city.
The story is one of the indirect sensa-
tons Of the Mexican revolution, and will
doubtless be brought out fully in the in
ocrats into the sending of 10000 troops to
the. Mexican border. Along with this in
vestigation will come. it is said, a thor
ough inquiry into the methods employed
by the bureau Of investigation.
The warrant against Harvey Phillips
charges him with shipping explosives in
violation of section 235 of the criminal
code, which is alleged to prohibit such
shipments THROUGH the states unless they
are plainly marked explosives"
Washington has been thoroughly searched
for Phillips. but he has not been found.
The Charge in Detail.
The warrant is understood to charge
him with shipping explosives from New
York and elsewhere to points along the
Mexican border, from which places they
have been obtained by the insurgents and
put int effective use against the Mexican
government. Phillips is not charged with
violating the neutrality laws for to main
tain such a charge he would have to be
guilty of shipping explosives across tie
border into Mexico. Not being prepared
to press this charge. the Department of
Justice, now said to be actively attempt
ing to stop shipments of arms and am
munition into Mexico, discovered the
somewhat out-of-date statute relating to
interstate shipments of explosives and
swore out the warrant.
According to Information today, Phil
lips got into the investigation bureau OF
the department before it got onto him.
and disappeared from the city. One story
is that an agent Of the Department OF
Justice went to Phillips ONCE in the
Corcoran building. He has maintained
q private detective bureau there for
some time and was in his ofice when
the agent Of the department appeared
and began asking questions which Phil
lips. it is said. surmised would lead to
his identification Phillips completely
baffled the government detective anu
promptly got out of town. His where
abouts are not now known, although the
Department of Justice claimed today
that it could put its hands on him if it
wanted hi mvery badly.
His Relatives Unconcerned.
Phillips relatives in the city said they
had no idea where he is and did not
seem much concerned about the charge
against him. Three agents Of the De-
partrnent of Justice went to the home of
Phillips mother, Mrs. E. F. Jack. several
days ago and inquired for her son. They
were told that he was not these and If
in the city was at his own home or in
his office in the Corcoran building. They
insisted on looking through the house,
and Mrs. Jack. not knowing what to do,
had to permit this. Phillips friends in
the CITY say that the detectives made
serious mistake in doing this.
Phillips served over two years under
Chief Wilde of the secret service. being
other cities. He had nervous break
down in 1906 and was compelled to retire
from the secret service bureau. Later he
went to Philadelphia, where he obtained
employment on the secret police force of
the Pennsylvania railroad. He remained
with that road for some time, and then
came to Washington to open q private
detective bureau. He was recommended
highly to District government officials
when he made application for a permit
TO omen such bureau.
The Mexican insurrectO junta in Wash
inzton refuses to talk about the case. and
Phillips friends say they do not know
whether or not he has been helping the
revolutionists.
Junta to Ask Investigation.
The junta people. however. do charge
| indirectly that the investigation bureau
| OF the Department of Justice has big
force of detectives at work along the
border seeking to prevent arms and am
munition going into Mexico. 1t is through
sympathizers Of the junta that Congress
will be asked to investigate the entire
| scope Of the detective bureau Of the de-
| partment.
| bureau now has an army of agents or
detectives at work. The appropriation
| for the expenses Of the bureau the pres
| ent fiscal year is $2S5,OOO and for the next
| fiscal year Congress put UP 1925 900 Be
sides this appropriation the department
| is able to draw upon other expense ac-
| counts to increase the expenses. There
| is said to be absolutely no Limitation
| upon the investigation that may be con-
| Quoted The bureau was organized to
| investigate violations Of the Sherman
| interstate commerce laws and to keep
track of the trusts. 1t has lately been
| used for many other purposes, and hints
| are made that it has kept espionage upon
| persons who will bring influence in Con-
| rress to investigate the whole thing and
| limit the work of the concern, the same
| as was done by Congress In the case
| of the secret service bureau, presided
| over by Chief Wflkie.