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Show 'DESTROY ZITDEHGEl DISSOLUTION CASE -- 4 -f-- -- NEW YORK, Feb 7 Judge -r Elbert H. Gary, chairman of 4- the United States Steel cor- f poration, gave out a statement -f- tonight in explanation of tho charge made by the govern- -t -f ment that certain evidence -f used in the prosecution of the so-called "Jackson wiie pools" f and needed to support the gov- 4- ernment's suit to dissolve the -f corporation should have been destroyed. V Judge Gary says that the evidence, a trunkful of "old papers," that had been before the federal grand jury in New York and returned after the indictments In the wire pool investigation investi-gation had been disposed of, were ordered or-dered destroyed by Frank Baackes, vice president of the American Steel and Wire company, who supposed that all the prosecutions growing out of the wire pools were at an end and that the papers wore no longer needed need-ed for any purpose, Gary's Statement. Judge Gary's statement says in part: ? "I had never hear"d of the destruction destruc-tion of these papers until yesterday and upon Inquiry, I learn that tho circumstances "were as follows: "In the spring of 1911 the New York federal grand jury, under tho direction of District Attorney Wise, began an investigation Into the Jackson wire pools. During the course of this Investigation, In-vestigation, a subpoena was Issued directing di-recting the wire company to produce all letters and papers bearing upon the transactions under It. The officers offi-cers of tho company compiled with his subpoena by gathering together from their files all the papers called for They were Verj' numerous and filled a large trunk. "Upon the day the indictments were returned the trunk was returned re-turned to Mr MacVeagh (Charles MacVeagh), general solicitor of the corporation. In response to his letter referred to in the petition of tho government gov-ernment for an Injunction Had Been Disposed Of. "The Indictments were all disposed of by pleas of noble contondre, and the papers were never called for again by the district attorney The trunk remained In the personal charge of Mr. MacVeagh during all of July and until the 25th of August, when ho left on a two months' vacation. During the absence of Mr MacVeagh. Mr. Boiling, assistant general solicitor, was In charge of the office "At tho end of September, tho offices offi-ces of Mr. MacVeagh and Mr Boiling were moved from the seventeenth to the sixtoonth floor of No. 71 Broadway. Broad-way. "Mr. Boiling then noticed the trunk in ono of the offices and directed that inquiry be made at the offices of the American Steel Wire company, No 30 Church St. New York City, to as. certain If the trunk could not bo stored stor-ed there Upon hearing that it could he directed its removal, and accord-Ingl accord-Ingl it was removed to the office of tho wire company on or about Septem- Trunk and Contents Destroyed. "TIiIb was done without the knowledge knowl-edge of Mr. MacVeagh "When Mr Colton of tho department depart-ment of Justice, applied about tho end of Januarv fo- leave to lnspoot the contents of the trunk, Mr. Boiling made Inquiry at the oilice of the wire company in New York and learned that shortly after the trunk was received re-ceived at that office It was forwarded forward-ed by direction of Mr. Baackes to the offices of the wire company at Worcester, Mass., from which it had been originally sent "Further Inquiry doveloped that after af-ter Its arrival at Worcester. Its contents con-tents were destroyed by order of Mr. Baackes. Mr Baackes reports that when he ordered tho contents destroyed, de-stroyed, he supposed that all the prosecutions growing out of the wlro pools were at an end and that the papers were no longer needed for any purpose." |