Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-31
Washington Man Insists Pres
ident's Brother-in-LaW Gave
No Information. 81
"LEAK" PROBERS SEEKING
TO RUN CLUE TO EARTH
E. F. Hutton Reveals That His Firm
Had Advance Summary of Wilson
Note to Belligerents.

By he Associated Press.
NEW YORK, January 81
Finding further examination to-
day of f. +. Hutton barren of re-
suit as far as showing the origin
of the information on which the
stock brokerage firm of Z F. Hut
ton & Co. warned its customers
that President Wilson's peace
note was to be issued, the con-
gressional 'leak" investigating
committee today decided to sum-
mon George A. Ellis, jr., the
member of the firm who wrote the
warning telegram. Ellis, accord
ing to Hutton, is i'll in Georgia.
but the committee nevertheless
decided that he must appear.
Did Not Come From Boiling.
F. A. Connolly of F. A. Connolly &
Co., the Washington brokers, who fur
nished the Hutton firm with the in
formation, is expected to take the stand
later today. Connolly on his arrival
from Washington denied that the in
formation came through r. w. Boiling.
the Presidents brother-in-law and Il
member of his firm. He said that it
was gathered merely from general talk
around Washington.
Hutton today said that, although in
possession of the information as to the
Presidents note at least two hours
before the market closed on December
90. neither he nor any of his eight
partners had taken advantage of it.
His customers had an hours 1eeway
to sell before the market closed. They
were long in the aggregate about
100000 shares. He was of the opinion
that few needed the warning. but prom
ised the committee to furnish the exact
amount of selling orders that came in.
What KILLED the Market"
Hutton said that the information he
had on the peace note made little i'm
preston upon him. What killed the
market" was Secretary Lansing's verge
of war statement, he said, the day the
Presidents note was forwarded, De-
cember 81
Customers of the Connolly firm during
the peace period" in the market lost
$4,000, it was brought out.
No pools or COLLECTION of persons We're ,
operating through his firm between De-
cember 10 and December %, Hutton
said
He volunteered the emphatic state
ment that the connection between his
firm and Connolly & Co. was not made
because Boiling was President Wilson's
brother-in-law.
Bolling's Name Not Inducement.
"I want to say" he said, that we did
not take the account of Connolly & Co.
because Mr.. Boiling was President Will
sons brother-in-law. 1t would have
been the same If he had been a Smith.
Jones or any one else provided We were
convinced members Of the firm were
clean men,
Until the Connolly firm opened, Hut !
ton said, his house had had no Wash
ington representative for seven years.
The witness also insisted that he had
no knowledge on December 20 that a
note was coming from President Will
son. Other members Of his firm han
died the various messages now in the
record
Trying to Fix Time.
More light on the kilograms which
went over the Hutton wires December
20 was sought by the committee coun-
sci from Z. F. Hutton when the hear
ing was resumed today.
Whipple tried to find out just when
the Connolly telegram was received. in
the Hutton office. he called attention
to the time the confidential telegram
from Clement Curtis & Co. was re-
ceived-12:4S pm, with its intimation
that a peace statement was forthcom-
ing from Washington-and produced
from the brokers' files new telegram
which was sent out by the firm at 1857
pm, which read:
stock flash: All: Reports have It
that State Department will issue state-
ment today intended to promote peace
prospects. H. c."
H. Co." explained Hutton, was tel
egraph operator, named Toomey, en-
ployed by the firm, who sometimes sent
out messages on his own initiative.
Had you received at that time the
Connolly message?" asked Whipple.
Il couldn't say, replied Hutton.
Had you received any oral intelli-
gence?"
witness. adding that he did not know
why Toomey had sent the message.
Asked why the Connolly Telegram
was not preserved and the telegram
from Clement Curtis Co., in Chicago.
was preserved. Hutton said he had no
explanation to make other than that
sent to individual members
of the firm were not as rule kept, and
that the preservation of the Clement
Curtis message was an exception.
Committee Summons Ellis.
At this point the committee ordered
that George A. Ellis, jr, of the Hutton
firm, whose name was signed to the
|: :54 telegram giving resume of tho
peace note. be Immediately summoned.
Ellis is i'll near Savannah. Ca.
Hutton Immediately sent a message
TO Ellis over his firms private wire.
asking him to come to New York. He
IS expected to reach here Thursday
night and appear Friday.
Hutton finally fixed the time of the
receipt of the Connolly message as
between 1857 and 1:15 o'clock He
said this must be the time, as the ''HG-
message of 1857 was based on rumor
l., Narr- yorE vht1a the syaeaSu