The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-19
FOraker Produces Descrip- tiOn of How the ArchbOld
 Letters Were Procured
READS STATEMENT
 STEWART PREP AIRED
w. W. Winkfield and Charles Stump Charged With Taking Letters From Files-Receive S34,000
 for the Documents

Washington, December 1S.-Former Sen ator J. B. Foraker today produced a
 statement before the Senate campaign expenditures Investigating committee,
 prepared by Gilchrist Stewart. purport-
 ing to be based on description by V. w. Winkfeld, of how Winkfeld and
 Charles Stump took the "Archbold tee- ters" from the Standard Oil offices and sold them to a representative of Willlsm R. Hearst.
 MT Hearst said yesterday that he did
 not know how the letters wero pro. cured" declared the former senator. Such a preposterous story as that you might tell to the marines but to no one else. Witness said Stewart in 1908 sent him a press article in which w. A. Ullman, attorney for C. P. Taft, was reported to have consulted with Mir. Hearst about the letters before they
 were published and suggested that Ullman, MT. Taft and John T. Cronin. the latter formerly connected political l ly with Mir Hearst, be called as wit
 nesses. MT. Foraker declared that about a week ago he had MT, Stewart go to Chicago, where Winkfield was lworking al a waiter and ascertain what he knew. Upon the interview Stewart had based his report, he added. What | that report contained, MT. Foraker pro- ceeded to detail, declaring that he did
 not voueh for its authenticity.
 Reads From Statement
 MT Foraker read to the committee from the prepared statement resume of the report Stewart had made to him of his visit to Winkfield. MT Foraker said that while he did not vouch for l it's accuracy, he suggested that Stew art be called to tell the story first l hand. The first part of the formef ! senator's statement related the alleged
 story as reported by Stewart of the preliminary negotiations for disposal of the letters taken from the Archbold l files, a visit by Winkfield and Stump to a man named Eldridge, the first parleys as to the price to be paid. The principal portion giving the details or the alleged transaction after that point, as to the purchase of number of let ters was as follows:
 They finally, after about one half
 hours barley compromised at 5000. Winkfield and Stump then promised to bring the letters up the next even ling. The next afternoon Stump and Winkfield took the letters out one by one from the files. They then wrapped up two copying books in some news papers. put the whole in large box
 such as tailors deliver suits in and came out with it when MT. Archbold had gone home. They took it immedi- ately to the Little Savoy" left it with the proprietor and returned to the of flee: later after the office closed, se- cured it, and stump carried the letters and the books to MT Eldridge. Upon Ihis entrance on this occasion every body seemed expecting him and he was ushered into a larger private office
 MT. Eldrdge took them and was gone
 about an hour and brought from an adjoining room 50 S100 bills which ne coeld leave the letters there until ths next night and to come at o'clock with his partner.
 Had Big Time
 They next had their money changed into smaller denominations and had a big
 time that evening. The next evening Stump went to see MT. Eldridge and se- cured the letters and files. Eldridge and ! another man informed him that they were of great value and asked him If he could get other correspondence. He iu- | formed them he could. They then gave him a list of prominent congressman, sen dlOrS, JuuStSt SONtfiofS anu SOlnt OtHtI men of prominence, telling him to go as l far back in the files he possibly could and look them up. Anything found con | corning them was to be brought to MT. EIdridge, photographed and returned and paid for according to its value. This list included the names of over 200 men. They | insisted on getting s500o for every batch of letters, and this was agreed upon. | The next batch carried to them they were given only 5000 and the next only A001. Finally they became suspicious of each other and put those they had still on hand | in a safety deposit box, as the derosi- | tory of ali three. and with the agreement that it required the signature of all three to open or secure the contents. They fur nished MT. Eldridge with some of the originals as he explained he would pay a
 much higher price for them if he could keep them than if they had to be returned and copies made. For the Penrose, For aker and Hanna batch they received over s7o00.
 Were Unsuspected
 | The other engagements were practically
 repetitions of the first. They would take letters out and nothing was thought of (COntiuued on Page Tcn.)