Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-01-19
GALL FINANC|ERS
IN LEAK PROBE
Morgan, VanderIip and Others
Are Summoned.
WOMAN WITNESS is GONE
Mrs. Ruth r. visconti Missing and
Sergeant at Arms Is Unable to
Find Her-Lawson on Stand
Again.

washington, Jan. ll.-Ine leak
investigating committee devoted an
other session to Thomas w. Lawson,
and then extended its field of inquiry
by summoning j. z. Morgan, Henry
z. Dawson, Frank A. Vanderlip, 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,
l'was the mysterious congressman wLo
told him a cabinet member, senator
and banker were engaged in stock
gambling pool, End that the cabinet
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-
ically that Henry had not mentioned
names Henry had mentioned were
those of Bernard Baruch Wall street
! operator, Count Bernstorff, the Ger
man ambassador, and Secretary Lam
sing.
White Named Mr.. McAdoo.
Henry, he said, repeated a rumor
that the ambassador made $2,000000
in the market, and that Lansing and
Baruch had conferences in New York.
Archibald S. White, Lawson said, add
ed Il what he had heard about Nc
AdoO's alleged relations with Fiske.
Mrs. Ruth Thomson Visconti, who
wrote Lawson q 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 a subpoena, re-
ported he was unable to locate her.
Members of the committee said there
were 'inklings that she has disap-
peared."
Tumulty, McAdoo. Price, Paul NJ.
Warburg and others who already have
issued statements repudiating Law
sons testimony, were waiting to tes-
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 Ii
could be shown to a mathematical GER
tainty that the havoc caused by the
peace note leak had subsidized when "a
false newsmaker" began to work TO
cover up the source of the leak.
did you have any other informa-
ton when you wrote this letter offer
ing to show the leak?"
II had a great deal of information
concerning the fluctuation of the mar
ket. / knew many things which have
said l did not know in a court evil
dence way"
Representative Harrison read a 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
fcaf In
ceptions in mind when he wrote the
letter.
Tells of Meeting Woman.
Harrison then questioned Lawson at
length about the letter from Mrs Wis
cont and the conference with her.
Lawson testified his son first went to
Mrs. Visconti's apartments and ar
ranged for a conference. He saw Mrs.
visconti and her lawyer the same day
that he received her letter, offering to
give him Information.
did this lady say that she would
be glad to testify before the committee
Il necessary" asked Representative
Harrison.
mo, not glad" Lawson replied. "Be-
fore we proceeded far l said to her,
Are you absolutely serious in this
matterp I was particularly insistent
and said very frankly to her that it
looked as though there might be some
Interior motive. asked her right out
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 people
should know"