Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-09
TELLS OF CONTRAST
E. ]. Williams Questioned
About Archbald's Deals. -.
EXPLAINS OPTION ON CULM
Alleged Effect of Refusing to Dis
count Judges Note: s :.
PROPOSED PURCHASE OF LAND
Testimony on Pending. Charges
Taken by the House Committee
on the Judiciary.
PROPOSED PURCHASE OF LAND

Business dealings between Judge Robert
W. Archibald of the United States Com
merce Court, against whom serious
charges have been made rejecting on his
character as federal judge, and Edward
j. Williams, a coal operator of Scranton
Pa, were laid bare by inquiries from
Chairman Clayton and other members of
the House committee on. the judiciary
yesterday afternoon. After The Stars
report of yesterday closed, the inquiry
indicated that Judge Archibald had sew
eral deals in which, railroads figure. In
one of the deals, the proposed purchase
of the katyd;d culm bank at Moosick,
Pa, a contract was produced in which
one of the features was "a silent party"
Williams said the silent party was Judge
Archibald. The testimony of Williams
showed that he ands the judge wanted to
purchase the culm hank and offered the
Erie road s., 5OO for Its share. The agent
of the Erie refused to deal with Will
Hams. the Witness said, and Judge Arch
bald saw Vice President Brownell of the
road to close the deal.
Much of the testimony merely threw
light on ordinary business transactions,
and when the members of the committee
endeavored to get something from Will
lianls to connect the dealings with the
Erie road and the lighterase cases then
on trial before the Commerce Court
cases in which the Erie was Interested
the witness was absolutely at sea He
said he did not know what '.hghterage'
was. -
A Note That,sWas Not Discounted.
The question of, a. promissory note for
$500 was the firstssubject of the inquiry
opened by Representative Clayton, chair
man of the cofRf1ittee According to the
testimony of Mr.. Williams. this note was
made by Judge a Archibald, payable to
John Henry Jones. The occasion for the
note appeared in Williams testimony. He
said that he and one. or two others were
interested in an option on million acres
of land in Venezuela and that Judge
Archibald wanted to put money into the
venture.
Who owned the interest in this Ven
ezuela option?" asked Represeptatiyye:
Williams sad that he, IT Poland, a
Buffalo banker, aud Archibald were inter-
ested, each to the extent Of a third.
Representative Clayton asked Mr.. Will
liams if he knew that w. p. Boland, G.
j. Boland-either or both of them-were
parties defendant in case pending be-
fore Judge Archibald. Williams answer;
was not clearly decisive. He went on rG
was presented to w. P. Boand Tor dis
count, and Boland said he could not
handle the transaction. Williams denied
that Boland had said he was defendant
in the suit mentioned He said that after
w. p. Boland had refused to discount
the note he took it to a bank and later
in the day said the bank had refused to
discount il.
Did YOU tell Mr.. Boland after the
case had been decided against him that
it might have been a different story. if
he had discounted the note?' asked Rep
resentative Clayton.
1T came out of my own mind. / didn't
get fit from the Judge" said Williams,
hurriedly. This answer was charac-
feristic of Williams testimony, and the
members of the committee had great diff
ficulty in many instances - pinning him
down to direct answer.