The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-01-18
CALL FINANC|ERS
IN LEAK Probe
Morgan, VanderIip and Others
Are Summoned.
WOMAN WITNESS IS GONE
Mrs. Ruth T. Viseonti Missing and
Sergeant at Arms Is Unable to
Find Her-Lawson on Stand
Again. .....r

Again. ..,
Washington, Jan. l7.-The leak
investigating committee devoted. an
other session to Thomas W. Lawson
and then extended its field of inquiry
by summoning J. z. Morgan, Henry
r. Dawson, Frank A. Vanderbilt, Sol
Wexler and Arthur Upper all nation
ally known bankers. The exact pur'
pose of summoning these heads OF the
financial center were not disclosed.
Lawson's testimony was an ampli'
fication of his sensational statement OF
the day before, in which the commit
tee understood him to say that Chair'
man Henry of the rules committee
was the mysterious congressman who
told him cabinet member, a senator
and banker wee engaged in stock
gambling pool, End that the cabinet
member was Secretary McAdoo, that
the banker was Pliny Fiske, and the
senator's name began with o..
Lawson declared his information
came from another source which he
did not disclose. He declared emphat-
fcally that Henry had not mentioned
McAdoo's name, and that the only
names Henry had mentioned were
those of Bernard Baruch, Wall street
operator, Count Bernstorff. the Ger
man ambassador, and Secretary Lam
sing. 81. 2 t*s-
White Named Mr.. MeAdoo.
Henry, he said, repeated a rumor
that the ambassador made 100000
in the market, and that Lansing and
Baruch had conferences in New York.
Archibald S. White, Lawson said, add
ed ID what he had heard about Nc
,Adoo's alleged relations with Fiske.
Mrs. Ruth Thomson Visconti, who
wrote Lawson a letter offering infOr-
nation and later, he says, told him
that Secretary Tumulty and w. w.
Price, one of the White House CORE
spondents, profited by the leak, sud
denly disappeared and the sergeant
alarms of the house, after making a
fruitless search with subpoena, re-
ported he was unable to locate her.
Members of the committee said there
We're "inklings that she has disap-
peared.p
Tumulty, McAdoo, Price, Paul NJ.
Warburg and others who already have
issued statements repudiating Law
sons testimony, were waiting to ties.
tify under oath.
Women Crowd Hearing.
When the committee began the aft
ernOon session members had to climb
over the tables in order to reach their
seats, owing to the crush of women
around the platform.
When Lawson returned to the stand.
Representative Harrison read from his
letter TO Henry, a declaration that it
could be shown to a mathematical GER
tainty that the havoc caused by the
peace note leak had subsidized when -
false newsmaker" began TO work II
cover up the source of the leah.
"Did you have any other inforIna.
ton when you wrote this letter offer.
ing to show the leakT"
Il had a great deal of information
concerning the fiuctuation of the mar.
ket. i knew many things which | have
said / did not know i'll a court evi.
dence way" 20.
Representative Harrison read let.
ter from Lawson to Henry on Deem
Der 20 and sought TO make Lawson
admit that the letter cleared all mem
bers of the presidents cabinet. Law
son protested vigorously against any
such Interpretation being put on the
communication. He said he had ex
ceptions in mind when he wrote the
letter. $50. .,..a .. 5..
Tells of Meeting Woman.
Harrison then questioned Lawson al
length about the letter from Mrs. Wis
CONT and the conference With her.
Lawson testified his son first went L
Mrs. Visconti's apartments and ar
ranged for conference. He saw Mrs
yisconti and her lawyer the same day
that he received her letter, Offering t.
give him information.
"Did this lady say that she would
be glad to testify before the committee
If necessary" asked Representative
Harrison.
"No. not glad" Lawson replied. "Be
fore we proceeded far said to her
Are you absolutely serious in thl
matter? L|%as particularly inslsten
and said very frankly TO her that /
looked as though there might be som,
Interior motive. asked her right on
If she had any such motive. She as
sured me that there was no such mo
tive; that she thought she had infor
nation that congress and the peopl,
should know"