Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-20

bal exchanges between State Senator George F. Thompson, chairman of the committee, and municipal officers, Po- lice Commissioner Arthur Woods was permitted to take the stand to at tempt to justify the wire tapping practice.
 Mayor Mitchell and Senator Thompson
 at Odds.
 Earlier in the day when the contro- versy between Mayor Mitchell and Senator Thompson had reached an acute stage, the mayor accused the senator of cumulative treachery' to the United States because the com nittee chairman insisted on going on with his inquiry after MT. Mitchell had protested that to do so might in- volve the federal government in grave international complications associated by him with the munitions contracts. Thompson insisted the United States was in no way involved. He was sur- ported in this contention by District Attorney Swann. The mystery was deepened tonight when United States H. SnoWden Marshall issued statement declaring "any publication of the facts in the case at this. time would be most regrettable from the standpoint of the administration of federal justice" T have made inquiry into the circumstances concerning the investigation now going on into the listening on the wire of Seymour & Seymour" MT. Marshall said, "and find the case the police department refer red to as having to do with the fed eral authorities is a case know about, which has been of interest for some time to the. federal authorities and involves national issues"
 No international Plot.
 MT. Woods, in his testimony, failed to make any disclosures regarding an international plot.
 The greater part of the day was spent by the committee in secret ses- sion. Late in the afternoon after the occupants of the offices of Seymour 6 Seymour had been examined by Dis- trict Attorney Swann, it was an- nounced that the committee was sat- isfied no crime had been committed who shared their offices. A few min utes later a public inquiry into the motives that impelled the police to tap the wire leading to the Seymour l & Seymour offices was begun.
 Commissioner Woods was called to the stand in the open inquiry, after witnesses had testified that William J. Burns, of the Burns Detective 1 Agency, and his son, Sherman, had | engaged a room adjoining the Sew mour ouff1ces and caused the instaIIa- tion of telephonic devices. It already l had been announced by the district attorney that the Burns detectives were engaged by the firm of J. P. Morgan 6 Co, from whose offices had been pilfered official messages from the French government relative to the munitions supplies. It was all | Ieged this information was sold to l munitions manufacturers to enable them to make satisfactory bids.
 Burns Men Worked With Police. | The noIice commissioner did moi dis- cuss the Seymour case. He admitted, however, that the Burns detectives had worked in cooperation with the police in the case and that he had given the necessary permission to l 'listen in" on the telephone
 I Wire Tapping Police Necessity.
 Mir. Woods devoted most of his time to detailing the methods used by the police in tapping wires and the neces- sity for the practice Cognizant o1 the fact that the committee has the power to propose legislation against the practice, the commissioner said: sIlegislation prohibiting wire tapping in police work Is legislation in behalf
 fcankfnaed nn Page Il,aanl