Evening star., 1935-12-20
Silverlnan

Continued From First Page)
ton was thought necessary in cast
involving a congressional witness.
Four overt acts were recited. These
consisted in telephone conversations
between Silverman in Washington ano
Speicher in New York City on March
Is, April /, April Is and May /, oi
1884. During this period Justice De-
partment agents were conducting g
Nationwide search for the missing
witness. They finally located him the
following September and brought him
before the Military Affairs Committee
1t is charged that the four de-
PENDANTS, pursuant to their dishonest
arrangement" conspired "to entice
induce and coerce" Speicher "to Sc
clude and secrets himself"
Received Cash Is Charge.
The Government claims Joseph Sill
verman, jr., the central figure in the
conspiracy case, paid Speicher to re-
main in hiding in New York City Sc
as to protect Gen. Williams.
Gen. Williams at that time was
head of the Army's transportation di.
vision and had charge of letting con.
tracts necessary for the Army motor.
iZation then in progress. That wa.
about the time also that Sllvermar
is said to have branched out from the
surplus materials business into the
truck-selling field.
Testimony before The House Mill.
tary Affairs Committee last yeaI
brought sensational assertions about
Silverman's alleged influence on Wal
Department officials. Expensive en-.
tertainments and parties were de.
Scribed to the committee.
According to the Government
theory of the case, Ryan figures mere.
ly as Silverman's attorney and hi.
agent in his dealings with Speicher
Nathan Silverman is alleged to have
been implicated in a similar manner
Williams May Be in South.
Goldstein said today he did no
know whether Silverman and Ryar
were still in Washington, followins
their grand jury appearance yesterday
or whether they had returned to New
York, where Nathan Silverman alst
lives. Williams is thought to be on
Carolina farm, which he owns.
The indictment reviewed consider
able of the history of the investiga
ton into War Department contracts
Before the House investigation be-
gan in March, 1884. the grand jury
here had conducted a long, drawn-ou
inquiry, but failed to find a basis foI
criminal prosecution.
Speicher was said to have left
Washington when the first grand Jury
investigation was impending and to
have gone into hiding. He was the
principle witness. however, during the
current investigation, resulting In
Soday's indictment.
The charge entered by the grand
jury today states 1t is a valuable
right and privilege" of the House ''tc
have such hearings conducted in an
honest, fair and impartial manner
without unlawful interference by any
person, and without the unlawful OBJ
| struction, perversion. contravention
or defeat" of its purposes announced
in the resolutions authorizing the
investigation.
Prosecutors Heard Probe.
Testimony by Speicher, joseph
Sllverman. jr.; Ryan and other wit
nesseS early this year at the Capitol
was heard by two assistant United
States attorneys, invited to sit in the
hearings by Chairman McSwain OF
the House Military Affairs Committee
McSWain at the time predicted that
grand jury investigation would fol-
low the hearings.
The House committee was told by
Harold Schnure, a New York attlr-
neys, that Ryan gave him a numoer
OF little blue envelopes" containing
money for Speicher, but which were
described graphically as "circus tick
ets." Speicher was in hiding in New
York City and in need of money, 1t
was testified.
Schnure told the committee he knew
the envelopes contained money for
Speicher and that he knew the money
came from the Silvermans," who, he
said, wanted the salesman to stay
away from Washington" The attor-
ney said the brothers warned Speicher
to stay in hiding because it would be
foolish to get the old man in trouble.
Speicher Attitude Described.
The committee was advised that by
"the old man" the Silvermans meant
Gen. Williams. Speicher, the witness
declared, remained in New York re-
luctantly, as he always insisted he
wanted to come to Washington ano
make Williams pay up on the loan.
Schnure identified himself as Speich-
er's lawyer and said he used the flc-
titious name, "Dr. O'Brien," in the
money transactions between Ryan ano
Speicher.
Ryan admitted to the House Com
mittee that he had turned the sealed
envelopes of money over to Speicher's
lawyer and he also said he had con-
versed with Speicher on the telephone
while the Department of Justice
search for Speicher was under way.
Ryan told the committee the en-
velopes contained "about 500 apiece
and that he thought Speicher received
about 5000 or $500 in all.
Toeav,t1 ir u,or 80