New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-19
party; William Hills. jr., and Mortimer
Suffer.
Burns Found Copies OF Orders.

party; William Hills, Jr., and Mortimer
Sultzcr.
Burns Found Copies Of Orders.
District Attorney Swami. at the close
Of the session. said that he told Sena-
tor Thompson he invited the Seymours
20 20 before the grand jury. but that
they declined. saying that they dld
not want 10 make a complaint against
a detective. hut against his employers
lie said that now that the Seymours
know who employed Burns they can
if they desire make their complaint
TO the grand jury.
Judge Swami told Of one instance
where the French Minister OF Finance
ordered q billion cartridges. not TO
exceed a certain price per million ana
that the Burns people found COPIES OF
the order in a desk in the ONCE OF
SEYMOUR & Seymour Burns, he SAID
was at work on the case nearly three
months before the Val O'Farrell de-
.tcctiv, agency informed the Seymours
that they were being spied upon. val
OFarrell received the Information
from a former Burns employe.
From the moment Senator Ihohp-
son called his committee 10 order yeS-
terday at II. n. m. one explosion ioi
lowed another. With the ARRIVAL
Commissioner Woods, who expected ne
would be called IN open session. llc
trouble started Commissioner Noop9
was anything but pleased Wheh ne
learned that he would merely ne al,
lowed 10 eXplain-for the present ~
least in secret session. why ne OF
dered certain telephone wires tappeui,
He was Modified somewhat when 'UIu
he might be heard in the open AZ inc
afternoon session.
Mayor Passes the Lie
When the afternoon session st iI tn
and Commissioner Woods was 1oIu ~
would not be called to-day; ne VIZ
10 the City Hall and told the M4soi'
Mayor Mitchell was not IN very plt"r
ont frame of mind, having charae'eI
;1od William s. Butler, lawyer, as
damned liar for saying the Mayor ndu
Iistanod in on q cut-in on Father far-
reu's telephone wire. Butler la'eI re-
ported with likening the Ma!o' "
ham vaudeville actor. Ii.
The Mayor. with the muscles OF NJ
neck working nervously, "en' W.,
Commissioner Woods to the CoroneIa .
Court where the Thompson Committee
"Tbev're going to put Woods on the
stand this afternoon or I'll Spit lhlls9
wide open." said the Mayor 10 news
papermen before he entered the room
The Mayor saw Senator thompson
and the two after a whispered con- eI
once. went into the little room Mhere /
tho executive sessions are held. mere
thev were Joined by the Corporation /
Counsel and the Police Commissioners
Mitchell Demands Publicity.
Tho conference lasted until o'clock
When the Mayor came out ne sA'u'
"Tbis is situation that has to pc
cleared up right now. II 1t ISM . ~ !
issue a statement this afternoon ~ I
insist on is that the truth ne maui
known. The interests OF the NaIiouaa'
Government are at stake ana an wv
zens must aid. No, Senator IhoihPso"
is not trying to inJure me OF my e
ministration. And ] give you my d.
cora word that that is my behel' hu1
overvone has the right, when ms mo
tives are impugned, to have the truVh
,edo known. The time has come
in view of the irresponsible statements
m Recommendations and lnslnudIlo,s
tbat have been made, to assure tne pun
lie tbat their rights of privacy IN te!e-
r.boniug have not been Jeopardlzed.
senator Thompson, however, Woulu
not mt the Commissioner on inc
st.,d One reason that actuated MN
go, 49, Tho Information that William NJ.
OGiov superintendent OF the Depart
r,cnf of Justice here, had denied know
INC ANYTHING about any wlre-tapplhS
by orders of the Federal authorities
Of Seymour & Seymour's telephone
line. n-e.4od
Tho statement that Mayor Mitchell
,,.ar,ieod in case Commissioner WOODS
Vas not called was given out last hlshs
a. the Citv Hall. II was delehce %
y,ire-tapping by the police, when ne
said. was done only where there was
,.caeor 10 believe a crime had Deeh
I've I'VE recognize" said the Mayors
e.o.oront "the inviOlable right OF IN
dividual citizens TO individual privacy
in tbeir telephone communications ns
;n otber relations Of life. II is, now
over. absolutely essential TO the pro
lection of the community against t'e
commission Of crime that the ponce
should use this powerful weapon ioI
crime detection. 1t, OF course mus
be safeguarded from abuse, and II mas
been so safeguarded in every instance
in the present city admlnlstra'Io
Mayor Mitchell then spoke IN genera
terns of the convictions obtained IN
10 criminal courts as a result of tele-
nboDic csnionace. and mentioned spe-
eifcally the Baf murder. lie said
records were kept of each wire-tap--
ming and that unless the records could
be- used by the duly authorized
accents Of government" engaged IN de-
tccting crime, it was destroyed. 49,,
The Mayors statement promised
that when Commissioner Woods took
the stand to-day the justification and
necessity of wire-tsping for detecting