The Portland daily press., 1873-09-27


THE TRIAL OF BERRY.-A case of unusual
interest in mercantile circles has been on trial
in the Superior Court for the past sever days.
1t appears that or the 18th day of March, last,
Charles L. Berry, merchant at Island Falls,
in the county of Aroostook, came to this city
and purchased goods to the amount of $4,000
That among the goods purchased was one bill
of Woodman, True & Co., amounting to about
$500 Subsequently, Berry being unable to
meet his liabilities as they became due, civil
proceedings were instituted against him in the
U. s. Court, which are still pending.
In August last Berry was arrested at Island
Falls, upon complaint of Hon. Geo. w. Wood
man of this city, charged with obtaining goods
under false pretences, brought before the NUM-.
cipal Court and bound over to the present tern,
of the Superior Court Last Friday the trial
began.
The indictment charges that Berry represent
| ed to Woodman that he was a trader at Island
| Falls, in solvent circumstances; that he owned
| house, lot aud store, stock of goods and
carding mill. and other property to the value
of So, 9OO that he had debts due to him to the
amount of $500, and that all his liabilities cid
not exceed $4,000.
The government claimed that these state
ments were false, and made knowingly with
intent to cheat and defrand; and that owing to
these statements Woodman, True & Co. were
induced TO art with their property.
The defence contended that the statements
made by Berry were substantially true, and that
th error lay u his not TAXI ng into account GER
tain sums due to parties in Houlton, because
they were to give him such time for payment
as lie might require; that be based bis esti-
mates upon his immediate liabilities The de-
| fence denied Misrepresentation. The character
| Of Berry was shown by his counsel to be good.
| The case was submitted to the jury yesterday
noon. The Court came in at o clock p. NJ.
| and the jury reported that they were unable to
agree After further instructions by the Court
they again returned to their room TO delibeSate
| CP. Mattocks for governments H. B. Cleaves
| and Bion Bradbury for defence.
SIBERIAN EvERGREEN.-The PRESS contain
! ed paragraph few days since stating that
| at the Custom House might be seen the Sibe-
ran Evergreen. Since then it is understood
that the man with the band around his hat
was about our streets busily engaged in dispos
ing his seed In order that the whole case may
be clearly stated the following from the Boston
| Globe is given
| For several days, at different points of our
| streets, young man might have been seen,
| and was seen and patronized, with a large
| stock of tiny envelopes endorsed containing
| seed Of the ''Siberiau Eve rgreen." The man
| also had several moist sponges from which We're
| growing quite luxuriantly some pretty plants
| of the evergreen family. The peculiarly of the
seed and plants consisted in he fact that they all
| exbaled a strong and pleasant perfume, which
] the seller said was natural and permanent TO
| Siberian evergreen. So cleverly had the
sgoo1s'' been fixed up, and so attractive was
tile bait to human olfactories that the seed sold
| very rapidly at ten cents per package. Mr..
| l,ime told his customers thai all they need do
| was to deposit the seed in wet sponge, as he
| had done, and 10 few hours it would spront
| lp into real Sberians, such AS We're his spec-
| mems, with all the delightful fragrance which
| hung around those same specimens. But tn e
| whole thing was d base though petty fraud, and
| the seed did not come up to the expectations OF
| the purchasers, nor was it by any manner of
means true to the plant Mr.. Dime represented.
| In few hours all perfume exhaled and left no
scent behind. and the sprouts which have ger
minated present only the qualities of field gras-
| ses and weeds As grass seed can be obtained
| in the market for about five cents per pound,
| selling it coored aud scented. for ten cents per
| balf-ouuce leaves a margin for profit. The fol-
| lowing is q fac-simile of the little fraud enve-
ope: