New-York tribune., 1912-02-20
Counsel for SChiff and Cans Sur
render Four on His Request,
Including Trough Draft"
Held by SCliff.
PINKERTON MAN TESTIFIE
Says He Got Letters for Cans,
and Wrote Wallets "Confes-
sion"-Schiff Servants Evi-
dence Favors Prisoner
Hand Probe Brief.

Hand Probe Brief.
John w. Rogers, the Pinkerton detec-
tive who went to the rooms Of Folke f.
Brandt on the night Of March II, 1907
in company with Woodbridge and Taylor,
the police detectives, told his story TO
the grand jury yesterday. From Rogers
the information was drawn that he had
taken the letters which belonged to
Brandt and had delivered them to How
ard s. Cans. and that he had gone for
the letters under instructions from Mr.
Cans.
The three letters and copy Of tho
fourth. which were supposed to be dil
that were preserved by Mortimer L
Schiff and his counsel out of the bundle
taken from Brandt's room, were deliv-
cred to District Attorney Whitman yes
terday by John D. Lindsay. of Nicoll
Anable Lindsay & Fuller. who are act
ing as counsel to Howard s. Cans. II
was stated earlier in the case that Cans
would make no objection to giving up
the three letters he held, but that Mr..
Schiff would go TO almost any extrem,
before he would part with the one in his
possession.
Apparently the Schiff counsel thought
better Of that matter however. for the
letters were turned over TO the District
Attorney yesterday on his mere request
Later. 1t was said, letters Of far greater
I'm l.t
friends say that among the letters taken
from him and not returned were corre-
spondence with members OF the Schiff
household. The fourth letter. over which
such a fight and which. II was admitted.
was only in rough draft" form. was
actually rough draft" Of the first let
ter, according 10 Brandt, he wrote to
member Of the Schiff household. first
letter which was followed by a continu-
Gus correspondence which lasted until
Brandt was arrested.
This first letter was written. according
to this information, in the early fall Of
1906
Rogers Amazed at Sentence.
Rogers said yesterday that he had been
amazed when he first learned that Brandt
had been sentenced TO thirty years i'm
prisonmept. HE understanding OF the
matter. when he was working on the
Gaze, was that Brandt was TO be sent out
cf the country-back to Sweden, he be-
lleved-and that he was 10 receive enough
money not only to get him out OF the
way, but TO start him I'm business I'm his
native land. and thus preclude any pos
sibillty Of his returning to New York
Rogers believed then that Brandts
confession was chiefly for use in case
Brandt should ever try to return to this
country. Rogers admitted that he went
TO Brandfs rooms, in East 42d street. on
the night of March II. 1907 for the ex-
press purpose Of getting Brandt's letters,
from Cans. The question had previously
come up IN the present investigation as
10 why counsel TO Mr.. Schiff was EN-
ploying private detectives to get these
letters OF a man who was ostensibly I'm
custody for burglary I'm the first degree.
Leopard Bourne, the only other wit
ness heard by the grand jury yesterday,
was anodAr servant in the household Of
Mortimer L. SChiff at the time when
Brandt was sent away. He appeared be-
fore the grand jury practically on the re-
quest Of Howard s. Cans. who wrote to
District Attorney Whitman that he had
found Bourne in Boston, where he was
working as chauffeur, and that Bourne
was the man who furnished the infor-
nation that Brandt had broken into the
Schiff house and was therefore charge
able with first degree burglary.
Bourne's story. however, did not seem
to bear out the advance notices with
which he was brought into the present
revival Of the case. Bourne was in the
kitchen Of the Schiff house all that even
ing of March 3. 1907. and he saw neither
Brandt nor his shoes, as per the stories
of the complaining witness against the
valet.
He heard no cries nor scuffling. and
when Mr.. Schiff came down the stairs
about If o'clock that night he said moth
ing about any burglar" but said only
that he had been hit on the head
Rourne did not know that Brandt was
arrested until some time later.
Whitman To Be at Hand Hearing.
Whether the grand jury will take up
tho case again to-day depends largely
,non the developments OF the first ses-
sion of the inquiry to be started this
morning at ii o'clock by Special Commits
s,oner Hand. District Attorney Whit
man will attend that hearing. and I've
a,d last night that II he could be spared
fror, n in time he would continue mis-
grand Jury work. II not. he will post
none the continuance Of the grand jury
Investigation until tomorrow.
Attorney General Carmody came down
from Albany last night to appear at the
Hand investigation. He was not in
c,,ned To comment upon it in advance
hut he hoped that 1t would be very
brief" Mr. Carmody expected that one
dav. or possibly two days. would suffice,
because he believed that Mr.. Hand
would need nothing more than the rec
ords now in existence In the case. He
aid not think any witnesses would be
called-at any rate, none whose appear
ance would IN any way embarrass the
grand Jury investigation, and certainly
mot either Mr.. Cans or Mr.. Schiff.
II Is the Attorney Generals firm con-
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