The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-23
SEYMOUR TO APPEAR
BEFORE GRAND JURY
District Attorney Calls on Him
TO Complain Against the
Burns Agency.
POLICE ARE TO TESTIFY

YESTERDAY afternoon TO settle his concern
b the tappins Of the telephone wires of
Seymour q Seymour In tho Equitable
DuiidinG and the placing Of a detecta-
ohoas In their once by the Burns agency.
On receipt OF Q letter from Frederick
Seymour TO the effect that Mr.. Seymour
Veuld b Guided BY the District Attorney
n the matter Of pressing a criminal COM
plaint against the Burns agency. Judge
swami sent him Q nots dxins II o'clock
Tomorrow morning for Mr.. seymour ITO
90 before tho Grand Jury n make COM
olaint against William J. Burns and n
cher persons against whom you have
Guihcisns evidence
FL will be there" was Mr.. Seymour's
Uomment to THE Sun reporter yesterday
a~gtsruoon.
John 9. Seymour said last night In
South Norwalk. Conn.,. that he expected
- 90 before tho Thompson committee
tAis morning and tell everything there
= 70 be told about the placing of a
~dstectAphone In the office OF Seymour
q Seymour. II will be. he esid, the
arms summing w Of their side OF the
casa Mr.. Seymour asssiied tho Burns
agency bitterly and said that in due
time every one who the Seymours be-
iieve has injured them will be arrested
- sued for damages. Ho maintained
that he and hle brother would not be
forced to hasty action by the District
pnAu lie alec aa,l 10 .,n,,td ka
antirely willing to have every word OF
the conversations reported over the
tapped telephone line In his office pub
tAhed.
Other Developments In the Thompson
legislative committees wire tapping III
v~estisation yesterday, however. Indicated
4 state OF suspended action. Thc uues-
fion OF the Mayors appearance before
h committee to reveal the facts ut the
wire tapping Ia connection with the re-
cent Charities investigation was doubtful
laet night. Senator Thompson has set
II o'clock this morning rs ths time when
Mayor Mitchell may have the witness
stand before the committee. but lie will
make II plain on the committees rscord
that the Mayor wac not called or even
invited to testify in the Charities case.
The situation is about this: Mayor
Mitchell does not intend 10 walk into ans
trap set by tho Thompson committee.
The Thompson committee does not deeir,
70 take the blame for whatever the
Mayor may reveal on the stand. The
Mayor has not told the Senator the
reasons which prompted the Polite he
partment to tap the wires Of the Rev.
William r. Farrell. DR.. n. c. Potter and
his son. Dean Potter. Mr.. Mitchell has
made IL pain. however, that II the COM
nittee does not bring out the facts the
HA~N. I'LL H. A.- --N =. I'll l. IL
own time. Whether that will come to-
day remains 10 lie seen.
Police T-stify To-day.
The Thompson committee expected 70
= Comm!ssioner-W oody 10 ovvr the
list Of $50 telephones tApped sincs jan
nary. 1915, but Mr.. Woods was not
availao Die yesterday morning. Senator
Thompson and Frank Moss. the commit
tees counsel. also expected to- call Deputy
Commissioners Lord and SOUL, George
Yunge, VINO signs the police requests for
3 telephone tap Capt. W. J. Deevy ~
the first branch detective bureau, In
spectors Murphy and McElroy and De-
tectives Wing. DAILY. Brown, Medium
and kieffer to tell about police wire tap
ting in general and in. recent specific
cases.
The committee spent most Of the morn
ing trying TO get them. but In the after
noon Corporation Counsel Hardy. in
conference with Senator Thompson and
Mr.. Moss. said he had understood that
tLo committee would not resume bust
ness until to-day and so requested that
the appearance of the poi.ce be put OF
until to-day. This request was granted.
SO the committee plans for to-day as
they stood last night included an open
ing for the Mayor TO tell his story and
the appearance Of the police officers and
me1 This afternoon. Whether this
scheme will be followed It was d%ifhcult
10 determine definitely. The Mayors
only statement during the day was:
The scenes have shifted SO In the
last few lays that ] do not know what
I shall do tomorrow"
Judge Swami said last night that he
would not drag Mr.. Seymour into the
Grand Jury room with a team of oxen
or any other compelling force. He re-
called the fac hat three times pre-
v1ously he had led Mr.. Seymour to the
Graz Jury room and each tint Mr..
Seymour demurred. When Mr.. Sey-
mour calls on him tomorrow, before
he goes before the Grand Jury--if he
goes-he will be asked to sign a waiver
Of immunity. The only charge that
could be made against Burns In tn.
Ease. assuming. of course, that Mr.. Sey-
mour has sufficient evidence to warrant
it. would be unlawful entry into the
Seymour offices.
Mr.. seymour wrote to Judge Swami
yesterday as follows:
Dear Sir: / have this morning re-
oeived your letter of May 20, request
ing that ! appear before the Grand
Jury and make "A complaint against
Mr.. Burns, and stating that II wish
to lodge a complaint against m other
person, ] should come with the evil
dence against him. aud that 10 such
case you would have II presented with
my testimony to the Grand Jury.
hasten to reply that ! shall re-
spond with subpoena to any request
from you or the Grand Jury, as ] nave
heretofore done. \ mere telephone
request will be sufficient.
shall leave with you and with the
Grand Jury. the legally constituted
authorities, the commencement aud
prosecution Of criminal proceedings,
and also the decision whether one or
more persons shall bee accused aud
prosecuted.
do this for several reasons; among
others. the facts are fully known. and
II the public interest requires a Grim.
inaI prosecution you are in Il position
equally as good as mine To fairly
determine this point, as well as TO
select the persons 10 b- charged with
the crime. aud your power, aud tho
powers of the Grand Jury are Ia NO
way limited by my attitude. There
IL already AT our command al the
information and evidence which !
have ana some besides.
The suggestion that by not Grim
nAlly prosecuting Mr.. Burns ap-