The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-02-13
NOTORIOUS LEAK
rnv,ES ONLY GOSSIP

W. w, Price Tells froDers He Believes
One OF Ills children Furnished
Mrs. tIscOnti lnIOrmathJn.
Washington, Feb. S.-The notorious
leak" of President Wilson's Decem
Der peace move proved itself this al
ternoon into case Of common Oh
dinary gossip SO Tar as Mrs. hu'i-
ThomasSon-s isconti, the so-cal4cH
woman Of mystery in the case, l.
concerned Mrs. Visconti started tht
whole investigation by telling Thomas
w. Lawson, the Boston finanr:cT, thi-
w. w. Price, White House CORES
pondent, made $1,000 out Of haVins
advance information on the peace note
and that Secretary to the Preslden-
Joseph Tumulty made much more.
Price cleared the matter up in rapid
strides this afternoon when he took
the stand and told the committee tina.
he believed Mrs. visconti's charges
were based on a chain of remarks
dropped by one of his children.
Mrs. ViSconti early in the day hao
submitted to the committee III writ
ing the name of the person who tolo
her what sne told Lawson. The name
was withheld and it is improbable
that the owner thereof even Will be
informally questioned. 1t is undel-
stood to be a member of Prices lam :
lily.
Bit by bit Price, sometimes in tears,
told a room crowded with curious
Washington citizens, most Of whom
were women, all the inconsequentlal
little details OF his private finances,
the Christmas presents he had made.
and explained the entries in his DanA
books. There was but one large item,
a deposit of S1,062, made during the
first week of January, which he sald
came from the sale of bonds bought
in 1912. He submitted letters to prove
this purchase and sale.
He said he presumed one of his
children had seen the entry, and by a
chance remark gave Mrs. Visconti the
nucleus of her story to Lawson. He
had no idea,. he said, how Tumulty's
name was brought into the matter.
The house, leak Investigation was
carried on in an executive session to-
day when Mrs. Ruth Visconti, called
as a star witness, refused to tell her
story in public. She had written to
Thomas W. Lawson that W. W. Price,
q newspaper correspondent, was d
"go-between" for Joseph P. Tumulty.
secretary to President Wilson, in stoch
market speculation.
Mrs. Visconti, after the executive
session, wrote %ne name Of her lii
formant on a piece Of paper which
was shown secretly to the members
OF the committee only.
After supplying this name, Attorney.
Whipple suddenly excused Mrs. Wis
cont from the stand.
Mrs. Visconti, when called at the
outset of the hearing, identified the
letter she wrote Lawson telling him
she had information of value to the
committee She also admitted telling
Lawson that ". W. Price was go
between for Secretary Tumulty al
the White House in stock speculation.
This information, she said, cams
from second person.
"I told Mr.. Lawson the source OF
my information and who told me,
said Mrs. Visconti. ..
"Who was your source?' asked
Whipple.
81 wish to claim my constitutions.
rights and ask that l give this in ex-
ecutive session. This will do irrepar-
able injury to my informant" salo
Mrs. Visconti.
Representative Bennett said he "dis-
sented'' from forcing Mrs. Nisconti to
disclose the name of her informant IN
public.
"Was your informant any one IN
public life?" asked Whipple.
"No."
"Or the member of the family of any
public of6cial?''
NO.
The committee after more discus
sion then decided on the executive
session.