New Britain herald., 1917-01-31
TRYING TO TRACE
LEAK TO RELATIVE
OF THE PRESIDENT
But E. F. Dutton Is Unable to
Offer Any Glue to
Probe Committee
CUSTOMERS OF. CONNOLLY
FIRM LOST DURING CRASH

New York Broker Insists Statement
BY Secretary Lansing Regarding
United States Being on Verge OF
in Stock Market and Not VISIONS
Peace Note. IA
New York. Jan. 31.-More light on
the kilograms which went over the
wires of Wall street brokerage houses
of e. Hutton and company on Dec.
"a was sought by the congressional
inquiry committees counsel. Sherman
L, Whipple, from E. f, Hutton, when
the hearing Of an alleged leak on
President Wilson'S recent peace note
was resumed today.
Every circumstance suggesting the
sending of a telegram containing
briefly an accurate forecast Of the
contents Of the note on information
sworn to have come from a Wash
ington brokerage house OF which r.
Boiling, a brother-in-law Of the presi-
dent, Is partner, was to be sounded
to the bottom, 1t was indicated. The
Hutton & company to its score of cor
respondents throughout the country
more than, ten hours before the note
was released for publication. Bollings
firm Of A. Connolly company is one
of these correspondents.
Whipple tried to find out Just when
the Connolly telegram was received in
the Hutton office He called atten-
ton to the time the confidential tele-
gram from Clement Curtis & company
was received at 12:4s p. m. with its
animation that a peace statement
was forthcoming from Washington
and produced from the brokers' files
news telegram which was sent out
by the firm ct 1887 p. m. which read.
Stock flash: All reports have 1t that
state department will issue statement
today intended to promote peace pros
poets.
III. G."
H. G." Hutton explained, was a
telegraph operator named Toomey
employed by the Arm, seldom sent
out messages on his own initiative
Had you received at that time the
Connolly message?" asked whipple
II couldn't say" replied Hutton
Had you received any oral intelli-
gence?"
Not to my knowledge" replied the
witness, adding that he does not know
why Toomey had sent the message.
Another Member OF Firm Called.
At this point the committee or
dereG that George A. Ellis, Jr., Of the
Hutton firm, whose name was signed
to the 1854 telegram giving a resume
OF the peace note, be Immediately
summoned.
z Ellis is i'll near Savannah, Ga. He
Is expected to reach here Thursday
night.
Hutton finally fixed the time OF the
receipt of the Connolly message as be-
tween 1917 and 1915 o'clock.
Whipple developed that the word
reliably" had been stricken out in
the Hutton message to all correspond
ents at 1: "a o'clock and confidential
ly" substituted. This made the mes
sage read "confdentially informed
that the note had been issued. 1t also
developed the message originally read
note "will be Issued"
Hutton insisted that he and Mr.. Ell
lis attached no great Importance to
the presidents message as regarding
It's effects on the market. Otherwise,
" he said, they certainly would have
sent out emphatic messages warning
customers to liquidate.
None of the nine partners of the
Hutton firm. said the witness, dealt
In the market on the information re-
ceived in the kilograms Hutton said
that he, himself. had been short L.
900 shares of Utah copper and a few
shares of other securities before Dec.
20, but that he had covered prior to
that date at loss of $4,000 He
did not himself sell Oh the strength
of the Washington information.
Blames Lansing's Statement.
Just what the volume of selling for
his customers accour was on Dec.
20 after the Ellis message had gone
! out, he said. 1T would take time to
ascertain, but on that night his books
showed so long interest of his clients
aggregated 339,70O shares and the
shorts in about $4,000 shares Con-
molly g. company, he said, We're on
Dec. 20, short Of no stocks. What
broke the market, said Hutton, was
not the peace note but Secretary
Lansing's verge of war; statement
But that was on Dec. 81" re-
marked Whipple.
Yes, but that's what has killed the
market" was the reply.
From Dec. 8 to Dec. 23 Hutton said
the clients of the Connolly firm lost
$4,000 in transactions, $4,000 be-
ing sent to Hutton & company and
only $1,000 being returned
mo pools of persons We're operating
through our firm between December
, 10 and December %" Hutton said.
: Hutton volunteered the emphatic
(Continued on Eleventh Page.