New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-02
relegrapher ContradlctS
Connolly, Hutton and
Latter'S Chief
ToOMEY MUDDLED
ON MESSAGES TIME
Committee Now to Hunt
Means by Which lnforma-
tion Was Transmitted

somb into the leak inquiry yes'er'
DAY ,-rA Com
ii, mariner IS TIC Presidents broth
- ~. which so accurately described
". Presidents peace note the day De-
-. il. release FOR publication, did not
-. aver ms wire. he testified. More
s,ns,islIv. f. did not come over his wire
s.twsep o'clock in the morning ana
oc-oek in the afternoon Of Decem-
Ger 20.
THIS eoa.r4ticts the testimony Of Z.
Hinton. OF Mr.. Connolly himself
I'D Of william G. Toomey, chief tele-
-rs,b operator in the Hutton office.
Nv Hutton. 20 be sure. was rather
~.,,o about this Connolly telegram,
mon REPRESENTATIVE Campbell, Of
kansas. in his interrogation Of Toomey
y.stsrday openly called the leak" He
.urposed s.. must have come in about
noon Of December 20, but IL went TO
George A. Ellis. jr.. his partner, and
ha had mo- knowledge Of it until later
8 telegram sent by his firm TO Glenn
snt. Curtis o. Co.. one Of the Hutton
chicago correspondents, at l:l4 p. M
ihat DAY referred 20 1t.
Connolly. on the other hand. sw0Se
hat ne sent his message from Wash
ipston about 1915 or 1880 p. m. and
Toouev told the committee yesterday
that he himself had taken 10 from the
aspd OF the operator in the Hutton
ofiee and delivered iJ 10 Mr.. Ellis
about l:l5. Both declared IL had
some on the Washington wire over
which Becker presites.
Becker on job All Day
And vet Becker declares that, on
Deeember 90 ne was on duty ia
charge of the Washington wire. con-
,juuouslv from o'clock in the morn
ing until o'clock In the afternoon
not leaving 10 even 20 90 10 luncheon
hot once "uncoverlng' 1t. 10 use rs
i, erpressiou-and that in that time he
most positively did not receive sucn
2 message.
Sherman L. Whipple, counsel 20 the
Rules Committee. described his state
ufnt as the "mOst direct conradlc-
sSn Of testimony almost possible 10
eueeive Of" But he also character
ned BecEers evidence as most care
mi. clear and truthful The commit
tee all agreed with him not only IN
this but IN the necessity Of contnu-
ing the inquiry.
Pressure mad been put upon them 20
return 70 Washington, IN view OF this
crucial conflict of testimony given IN
der oath. But thev decided last night
60 keep on the trail.
But where does this contradiction
leave the leak? was the question which
every one thought or voiced who heard
e. 40 COPY Of the telegram which
Connolly says he sent, and about which
he, Hutton and Ioomey have tesuHeo
az length. exists. There is no tell
tale" I'm the Hutton Office, 10 was dis
covered. which might have recorded it
IN the Morse code automatically as 1t
zane In. Was the message. IN fact.
telegram 40 all2 II not. "nat was DO
and when did 10 reach f. r. Hutton
& Coz
That no doub. may remain as 20 the
possibility OF the leak having reached
The Hutton Office bv some other than
tre Washington wire. Mr. WhiDple per-
sgadcd the committee that every OPP
esa.0r ls tina. Office should be called q;
once.
Becker Suggests a Way
Becker suggested that there was an
other wire. the southern circuit
sire. over which the message might
have come. despite Conno.'y's stale
ncnt that Ire used the Washington
sire. tie thought DC hardly likely how
ever.
Sot only the firms telegraph OF
orators. bl. ifs letter files and al tele-
fione slips o. Washington mes ages %
tae l0ca. exchange, are 20 be com0ea
0r the DE- red evidence. And m the
mean tiue George A. Ellis. 5r.. the sup
f0sed recipient Of the me sage, VINO i3
on his way back from Georgia. where
.e had gone for his health, viii be put
Oh the stand His testimony Is seen
10 become more vital with every day.
o. the course Of T0omcv's eXamina-
a0n Do was established that Hutton g.
Co had installed ts single private wire
90 the Office of r. a. Connolly & Co,
Do Washington. about November 20. X.
VI Boiling. the Pre5ident's brotner-in-
sw, had joined this arm a month be-
fore.
Toomey. a. Hutton. his employer, had
zone before 1.m. said separate wire
Dad been Installed in this case TO re-
ere the Southern circuit wire, when
aac become congo ted The Southern
9re, r. was explained, goes through
Woshing-oE, but serves all the Hutton
eorsespon1cuts throughout the south,
including Hart e. Co.. in New Orleans.
b." IT, Hra
. lake one small. recently established
once OF Tins WIRE and put D on a sep
arsie wIre2' asked Mr. Wnlppie, ms
'one expressing great amazement.
Connolly's Business Large
Bst Toomey objected that the ousi-
ness received from the Connolly trnS
"as second only 90 that Of Hart Co.
snon2 The Southern CORE spondents, 90
iolsmc o. orders
Becker, he said. had been in charge
ne separate wire, known as the
warrington WIRE ever since iLs install
alton. IOOmey himself is the super
ftor Of the wire room, into which come
~'.o an overland wire. Eo-callcd. which
4t-ens1 San Francisco. "a Chicago du-
f'ek wire, and The Southern wire al
ready described There are thcre, 20
edition, what arc known a. pony
,reti raining 90 other Offices in New
forz City.
o.. Isonsy did not make q good witness.
@hps2n szceszvcIy slow ~ speech, he
ersfned very nervous, chewing gum
~ great gor throIghou. his Ok
-sllhaiion, ollahing and laughing By
And ne reemed % have great
-,Hieuity iH under landing The SIM
yst questions from Mr Nh.pDie. re-
r>ing them after h.m all The time
W a rising infection aa though he
eefe put.