New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-17

given IN his reference TO his CONVEX
>atiou with her
rhat "some persons close 20 the Nd
ministrstion were IN 70 meaning thc
stock speculation on advance lntormR-
Uon-"up to their nccks' was the re
tort OF Mr. Lawson % an attempt ol
Representative Harrison 90 force MIN
10 admit that he had sbsolved all the
associates OF President Wilson. Nj.
Harrison repeatedly quoted from let
ter Of Mr. lawson 60 Chairman Henry
on December %. in which Mr.. Lawson
aid:
"It"-an Investigation such az he had
demanded will show. for instance. 70
p mathematical clearness. that the dc
s.ruction caused by last weeks leak
had scarcely finished when this great
false news maker was working overtime
20 lay the blame Of the leak disaster al
ihe door OF the associates Of the great
est President since Lincoln
In reply 20 categorical questions, Mr..
lawson said he had Secretary OF State
Lansing mentioned 70 him. he said.
by Chairman Hcnry--in mind as one
Of the associates Of the President who
Vas absolutely free from any wrong
doing in any way"
A moment later he refused 20 exon
crate Paul NJ. WarburR. however. and
later Secretary Of the Treasury
NcAdoo.
Seek 10 Trap Lawson
The most interesting part OF Mr..
LRwSon's testimony this afternoon CON
oerned his dealings with ,he mysteri-
Gus Mrs. Nisconti, whose letter 10 him.
printed yesterday, led him 70 bring
Secretary Tumulty's name and the
name Of ". ". Price, newspaper cor
respondent. into the case.
Pat Harrison. junior Democratic
member OF the committee, had had Wit
ness Lawson on the grill for more than
an hour, seeking 10 make him admit
that his various letters and his testi-
mony did not agree. He had special
reference 20 a letter in which Mr.. Law
son said that he did not believe mem
hers OF the Presidents official family
were implicated. Lawson said this
afternoon that he did not mean call"
ihe members. Certainly, he said, he
did not mean TO include Secretary Nc
Adoo.
Passing 20 Mrs. Visconti. her letter
&c Lawson and later her conversation,
IN which she claimed that she knew the
secretary 10 the Pres dent had profted
~ the leak. Mr.. Harrison took Mr..
Lawson again and again over the cir
cumstances OF Mrs. ViscontiS visit TO
him A great deal appeared to depend
anon the lawyer who accompanied Mrs.
Nisconti. Lawson to-day remembered,
upon prompting, that his name was
Fox. that he was a Princeton man, about
thirty-fve years old and 'clean-cut
chap with the appearance of lawyer.
The testimony verbatim at this point
follows:
Nr. Harrison: "She impressed you
and she gained your confidence 70 that
extent. You would not think so much
OF the LADY If, after telling you what
Won have stated 70 the committee as
having transpired during the con
ference, and saying that she would
come and testify about these things
hat she wrote you about and that you
conferred about if It should be re.
voaled that she had left the city and
could not be found to come here, after
subpcrna had been issued for her and
when we have secured the country 10
cot her? You would not have quite as
much faith in her as you did, would
YOU. after that night you conferred with
ker?
not.
He Would Be Astounded
Mr.. Harrison-In other words, you
would doubt that you would believe
anything that she said?
Nh. lawson cover IL all when
say that, after bringing a reputable
attorney TO my rooms that way and
saving with the earnestness that she
did say it, j would say / would be
astounded
A great deal Of time was spent on
advertisements which Mr. Lawson mad
had inserted in Washington neWsps-
,crs: how two Of them had not pup
kl Ga the advertisements, but two~ot
them had; how Mr.. Lawson wrote the
advertisements himself, how he had
them charged TO his account. how one
Il them cost S295, etc, etc. MI. HAITI
son proceeded as follows:
"Tn the bottom left-hsnd corner OF
this advertisement in The Herald and
in The Times there IS this quotation;
Will the member Of Congress VINO
sent me without his name the startling
statement kindly send me his name
I will treat il in absolute confidence
Why did YOU put that in there ?"
Mr.. Lawson-0h. somebody sent me
startling statement with a lot OF in
formation and some documents ana
things,
Mr.. Harrison-And you imagined he
was a Congressman?
Mr.. Lawson thought so.
Committeeman Bennett then proceed
ed with the witness as follows:
do you know Secretary McAdoo
personality"
Mr.. lawson do not
Refers TO Hudson Tubes
Mr.. Bennet-Hsve you ever been
connected in any way with any OF his
enterprises in New York City?
Mr.. Lawson-Never.
Mr.. Bennet-Were you one OF the
guarantors Of the underwriters Of the
Hudson tubes?
Mr.. Lawson was not.
Representative Edward W Pou, OF
North Carolina, concluded to-day's
examination Of Mr. Lawson as follows;
IL understood you to say, Mr.. Law
son. that you acquitted Secretary
Tumulty in connection with this al
ieged Leak
Mr. Lawson did not even have
him in mind. ] did not even go so
FAR as TO acquit him. / did not have
MIN in mind.
1lr. Pou-When this strange occur
renee took place, Of the lady calling
YOU up and getting IN communication