Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-17
Rules Committee Spreads Drag
net Over Financial District
of New York as Result of
Lawson's Testimony.
WITNESS TALKS FURTHER
Goes Into Detail Regarding
Alleged Interview With
Chairman Henry.
WANTED WOMAN MISSING

dragnet over the financial district Of
New York, the house rules commit
tee today extended the peace note
leak" investigation to a general in
quiry into the stock market. In all
executive meeting the committee con-
sidered the advisability Of employing
expert counsel familiar with financial
affairs to conduct the examination of
witnesses. 1t also planned to ask con-
gress tomorrow for an extension of
time to report, .-t
As the first step in enlarging the
scope of the hearing the committee
subpoenaed J. p. Morgan, H. P. Dav-
ison, f. A. Vanderlip, Arthur Upper,
Sol c. Wexler and ]. S. Bache, New
York hnanciers.
Woman Disappears.
Vying in interest with the summon
ing of the hnanciers was the disap-
pearance of Mrs. Ruth Thomason
| Visconti, who Thomas w. Lawson
says told him Secretary Tumulty and
"others" had prohted in the stock
market by the leak" and that Viii
liam w. Price, one Of the White
House correspondents, had acted as
the "go-between" in the affair and re.
ceived $4,000 for his work. Sergeant
alarms Gordon and several assistants
tried in vain to find Mrs. Visconti. Mr..
Lawson expressed great surprise over
the disappearance.
Lawson, whose sensational testi-
mony aroused the committee to 60 to
the depths of the leak" rumors, oc-
cupied the witness stand again today,
reviewing. and supplementing his
statement.
Attacks Henry's Denial.
AT the outset Lawson attacked Rep
resentative Henry's denial Of his tes-
timony and cmphatically declared that
he or Henry was guilty of rank per-
jury. In a characteristic outburst,
Lawson shouted his reiteration that
he had told the truth.
| when there is direct difference
lot opinionstronger than question
Of veracity,' said Lawson, 1T is per-
fectly obvious that one OF the other
of us is committing perjury, deliber-
ate, rank perjury. Unless your chair
man said the things that have said
he did, ! am guilty Of foul perjury and
am unfit to be here or anywhere out.
side the bars OF jail"
| Lawson again brought the names OF
Secretary Lansing, Count Won Bcrns.
torf and Bernard Baruch into his tes-
tirnony as the men Chairman Henry
had told him he had heard leak" ru-
mors about, and elaborated on his
story told yesterday regarding Hem
ry's alleged statement concerning
them.
:. Never Did Say 1t.
In that connection, in answer to in
quiries by Representative Garrett as
to what Henry Told him about "a
cabinet member, a member OF con-
gress and banker" Lawson said he
never had asserted that Henry had
told him anything about Secretary
McAdoo, the mysterious Senator o."
and H. Pliny Fisk.
The cabinet member Henry spoke
: Of, Lawson said, was Mr.. Lansing and
the banker Mr.. Baruch. The fact
that Baruch is Spectator and in-
vestor" and not a banker had led to
misunderstanding in the commit
, tee regarding Lawson's previous tes-
timony, Information Mr. Lawson said
he received in regard to McAdoo,
Fisk and Senator o" came from an
other source, which he did not reveal.
The Boston financier insisted on re.
, citing to the committee in great detail
the disputed confidential conference
with Chairman Henry. For more than
an hour he recounted what he had said
to, Henry and what he alleged Henry
had said to him.
Remembers Something.
With regard to his testimony yes
/ terday bringing in the names of Sec
retary Lansing and Baruch, Lawson
said he had forgotten to- add that
Henry told him the committee had
received information concerning the
SUBSTANCE of all of one of Secretary
Lansing's alleged conversations with
Baruch and part of another.
, Lawson was questioned closely
! concerning the letter he received
, from Mrs. Visconti, the missing wit
ness, and the conference with her
at local hotel. @
: When Representative Pou asked
him if he had not previously acquitted
: Secretary Tumulty Of any connection
with the leak Lawson declared he
never had had Mr.. Tumulty in mind
: respecting it until he met Mrs. Wis
cont. Even then, Lawson said he
told the woman her efforts seemed tc
him to have been actuated by an ul
terror motive. She insisted, he said
in the presence of her attorney, thai
she had no such motive, but wanted
to disclose information she though,
S congress and the public should have
c Afraid to See Tumulty.
Asked by Representative Pou VIII,
he had not acquainted Tumulty with
.. the information given by Mrs. Wis.
cont, Lawson declared that he never
had any intention OF making the wom'
ans letter or her statements public
when he did and that he would no,
have done so yesterday had the com.
mittee not demanded that he give
them all information in his possession
on pain of punishment. Lawson said
i, he had sought a conference with Mr.
,, Price, but that reports which came
to him concerning his effort caused
him to let the matter drop. He said
! he probably never could have gotten
up his courage to go to Tumulty in
|