The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-15
DETECTIVES IN
MEXICO MIX-UP
Department Of Justice Said to BE
Involved in Coming
Inquiry,
DIAz's ENEMIES AIDED
Alleged Violation Of Criminal
Code IS Charged in
Warrant.

| Washington. March IA congress
! sional investigation OF the detective
/ establishment OF the Department of
{ Justice. grown into immense proper
tions In recent years. and frequently
| charged with using It's money and
! power In all sorts OF Investigations
| is said TO be almost certain when
! Congress reasscmbles in extra session,
| duo partly TO n warrant that has been
! sworn out for Harvey Phillips, a pri-
! vate detective OF this city.
| The story is one OF the indirect SEN
| sations Of the Mexican revolution, and
| Will doubtless be brought out fully in
| tho Investigations that are threatened
| by Democrats into the sending Of 10000
/ troops to the Mexican border Along
| with this investigation Will come, 1t
| is said q thorough inquiry into the
methods employed by the bureau Of
! investigation.
| The warrant against Harvey Philips
! charges him with shipping explosives
/ in violation OF section 235 OF Che crimi
| nal code. which is alleged to prohibit
/ such shipments through the States un-
less they are plainly marked as Tex
/ plosives." Washington has been thor
/ oughly searched for Phillips, but he
( has not been found.
/ The Charge in Detail.
/ The warrant is understood to charge
| him with shipping explosives from
4
| along the Mexican border. from which
! places they have been obtained by the
] insurgents and put into effective use
; against tho Mexican government
| Phillips Is not charged with violating
| the neutrality laws. for to maintain
/ such charge he would have to be
| guilty Of shipping explosives across
| the border into Mexico. Not being pre-
F! pared to press this charge. the De-
| partment OF Justice, now said to be
! actively attempting TO stop shipments
! of arms and ammunition Into Mexico.
| discovered the somewhat out of date
| statute relating to interstate ship
! ments OF explosives and swore out the
\ warrant.
According to information to-day,
! Phillips got into the investigate
| bureau of the department. before 1t
| got onto him, and disappeared from
4 the city One story is that an agent
/, OF the Department of Justice went to
! Phillips Office In the Corcoran build
| ing.
He has maintained a private detec-
| tive bureau there for some time and
| was in his office when the agent OF the
| department appeared and began asking
| questions which Phillips. it is said,
| surmsed would lead to his identitica
| ton. Phillips completely baffled the
| government detective and promptly
! got out of town. HIS whereabouts are
not now known, although tho Depart
ment Of Justice claimed to day that It
could put Its hands on him If 1t wanted
him very badly.
Phillps's relatives in the city said
they had not idea where he is and did
not seem much concerned about the
charge against him. Three agents OF
| the Department OF Justice went to the
home OF Phillps's mother. Mrs. f. r..
| Jack. several days and and inquired
| for her son. They were told that he
! was not there and II in the city was
! at his own home or in the office in the
| Corcoran building. They insisted on
| looking through the house. and Mrs.
Jack. not knowing what to do. had to
! permit this Phillpss friends In the
city say that the detectives made a
serious mistake in doing this.
| Phillips served over two years under
Chief Wilkie Of the secret service
being on duty III Philadelphia, Chi
cago and other cities. He had a nerv
Gus breakdown In 1906, and was COM
PEELED to retire from the secret SER
vice bureau. Later he went to Phila-
| delphia. where he obtained employ
nent on the secret police force OF the
| Pennsylvania Railroad He remained
with that road for some time. and
then came to Washington to open n
! private detective bureau. lie wah rec
commended highly to District govern
ment officials when he made applica-
ton for n permit to open such bu-
| reau.
The Mexican insurrecto junta in
| Washington refuses to talk about the
case. and Phillips's friends say they
do not know whether or not he has
been helping the revolutionists
| l Junfa to Ask investigation.
! The junta people however. do charge
/ indirectly that the Investigation bureau
OF the Department OF Justice has a big
force Of detectives at work along the
border seeking to prevent arms and
ammunition going into Mexico 1t Is
through sympathizers or the juntn that
! Congress will be asked 10 Investigate
| the entire scope OF the detective bu-
renu OF the department
! 1t IS declared that this investig ton bureau
| now has nm army OF agents or detectives NJ
work. Tho appropriation for the expenses If
| the bureau the present fiscal year is sos5 600
and for the next fiscal year Congress put up
! S32:'EO. Besides this appropriation tho de-
| partmcnt is able TO draw upon other OK
| pense accounts TO increase the expenses
There is said to be absolutely no limitation
upon the inres:i CATION that may DC conduct
| ed The bureau was organized to investi ga te
viola tons of the Sherman Interstate COM
merce laws and to keep track or the tr,lsts
II has lately been used for many other
purposes. and hints made that 1t has
kept espionage upon person who will bring
whole thing and lint; the work OF the con-
Germ. the same as was done BY Congress in
the case of the Secret Service Bureau, pre-
sided over by Chief W!lkie. si
I Roosevelt Row Recalled
Tho big row between Congress and Presi-
dent Roosevelt over tile use OF the Secret
Service Bureau Of tho Trca sury In running
down land grabs and steals and I'm looking
into eomo OF tho doings OF men high up in
official lie Is recalled Congress limited the
| work OF tho bureau to coming with counter
! fe!tcrs. It Ia still confined 20 that work
! The appropriation for tina. bureau for this
| fiscal year is only si25.o0O whia Congress
| gave more than twice that much TO the In
/ yestEating bureau OF the Department OF
iJusticc.
| The head or the Department OF Justice Sc.
| crct service establishment Is Stanley Finch
! He was a law clerk In the department when
! the crusnde against the trusts became sn
| active a few years ago. His nrst assistan I
! IS Bruce Biclaski, n Washington young man
| who a Few years ago won fanis as bnsc
| bail player in the Sunday School League AZ
this city. lie Is a law graduate or Ceorre
| Washington University. =