New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-03
Laughs as He Tells OF Threats
Made to Railroad Men and
Financiers, Declaring
1t All a Farce
and Joke.
TALKS OF U. P. FORGERY"
His Tale of Manipulation Of the Rail-
road Accounts Promptly Met by
Roads Counsel-Ledyard Re-
lates Strange Conversation
With Lauterbach.
tFrom The Tribune Bureau.1


Washington, July 2.-An amazing
story OF trickery and deceit, OF charges
and countercharges, Of conspiracy and
plotting. involving a phase of the ac-
tivities of Wall Street which had not
been disclosed by any Of the numerous
Investigations undertaken by Congress
sional committees. was told to-day to
the Senate lobby investigating COM
mittee.
David Lamar. a Wall Street opera
tor and an adventurer in the realm OF
high finance, who confessed to the COM
mittee to having two names and whose
identity is still deep in mystery, told
one version Of the story. Lewis Cass
Ledyard. the friend of the house o.
Morgan and an executor of the Will
of the late flnancier, told the other,
supported by Paul D. Cravath. counsel
for the Union Pacific in the dissolution
suit. and Maxwell Evarts. counsel for
the Southern Pacific.
To the layman unversed in the do
vious ways OF those who make the
financial centre the scene Of their ad-
ventures. the narrative as 1t was un-
folded appeared to be a modernized
version of the tales of Captain Kidd.
but with the motive not clearly dis
closed and the denouement yet TO come.
David Lamar, who. he said, rep
resented 10 the friends Of the house Of
Morgan that he could sway Congress
and bring certain leaders in Washing
ton to their feet. called the story "a
farce and huge joke" Lewis Cass
Ledyard, who entrapped. according 10
his testimony, Lamar and Lauterbach.
called it blackmailing scheme.
Last Move In "Conspiracy."
Even while the tale was unfolding
and Lamar, who was presented in the
light OF a buccaneer OF high finance
who had been ostracized by the leaders
OF the financial world, was making his
explanation, the last move in the con-
splracy alleged to have been hatched
in his ingenious brain was made. In
his testimony he charged that by a
Justification Of the accounts OF the
Union Pacific those who brought about
the merger OF the Union Pacific and
Southern Pacific enriched themselves
by what was substantially forgery
to the extent of approximately $780,
100000.
Barely had this charge been uttered
when Paul D. Cravath took the stand
and replied that for several days per-
sons connected with the Union Pacific
had been aware of the existence Of
plot TO bear Union Pacific stock by
this statement. Information had coms
to them, Cravath said, that the story
would be made public in such way
that the newspapers would have to
publish it.
1T now appears" he added, that the
medium for the publication of this
story was to be this man. David Lamar.
who has confessed himself before this
committee TO be the most unconscious
able Of liars"
Later. on objection by the commit
tee, Mr.. Cravath withdrew his charac-
terization OF Lamar.
Lamar, whose name appears 10 be
anathema among the so-called legiu-
mate interests in "the Street." met the
charge that he had impersonated Rep
resentatives and used various names,
among them that OF j. Sergeant Cram.
| of New York. in seeking TO open chan
nels Of communication with financiers
and other men Of moment. glibly and
with apparent self-confdence.
Admits Using Others Names.
The witness admitted that he had
impersonated Representative A. Mitch
ell Palmer of Pennsylvania. and Rep
resentative Daniel j. Riordan, OF New
York. in telephone communication 70
| Iedyard, Evarts and others whom ne
sought to influence in favor OF Edward
Lauterbach, who evidently sought en-
ployment as counsel by the Union Pa
clfic interests, and wished to reinstate
himself in the good graces of the mem
bers of the Morgan banking group.
Lamar admitted also that he had I'M
personated Chairman McCombs OF th'
Democratic National Committee II
talking to Chairman Hilles of the Re-
publican National COMMITTEES: that a.
Riordan he had talked to John ID. Arcn
bold. of the Standard OIL Company. ant
that in person he had advised 5. NJ
| Stroock, counsel for the United Cigu
Stores Company. that only by the EN-
ployment of Lauterbach could the rad
ical element Of the Democratic party