Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-12
THE SECRET EXPOSED
How the Electric Sugar Refining
Fraud Was Worked by Friend.
REVELATIONS In OPEN COURT.
A Number of Witnesses Explain the Whole
SWindling Process.
SUGAR BOUGHT In LARGE QUANTITIES
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPArcH.I
NEW YORK, June 1.-THE most secret
places in the late Prof. Friends chain
Tightening sugar refining process were laid
bare to the pitiless world to-day on the trial
of Prof. Friends right-hand man, the ex-
Rev. William Howard, in the general ses-
sions. Where the refined sugar that
the Brooklyn factory to the mystifcation
of the venerable Lawson N. Fuller and others
came from, and where it was put into the big
cases that were alleged by Howard and Friend
to contain machinery, were revealed for the
first time. Then two of the men who helped
the Professor and Howard send the refined
sugar down the chutes at the factory and down
the heater hole of the Professors dining room
in Sixtleth street told what they knew, to the
evident CONSERVATION of the defense and the
delight OF the audience.
tempted, and the force of the overwhelming
array of testimony remained unbroken.
Henry .. Weidmeyer, member of the firm Of
Apgar Co., grocers, of 70 Dey street, testified
that Parson Howard had bought Havemeyer &
Elders mold A refined sugar of the firm 10 or
II times the dates of the purchase correspond
ing with the Demonstrators" at the pro-
fessor's house in Sixtieth street, when he re-
refined sugar out of hole. Up to June I6
1885, though Howard had made number of
purchases of refined sugar, he had given no
name. paying cash and sending his own truck
man for the goods.
A QUEER CUSTOMER.
The clerk who waited on Howard had pre-
viously entered into the books the sale as made
to "a queer customer" On June 16 Mr.. Weide-
meyer, becoming suspicious, as the result Of
his own clerks failure to get any name from
howard or any information as to what ne IN
tended to do with such large purchases of
sugar, told him the firm wonld like to have
some name on the books for so considerable a
customer. Then Howard said his name was
VIM. Eaton; but he would not disclose the pur-
pose of his purchases. The clerk who usually
served Howard testified that when he asked
Howard once what he was going to do with the
sugar, Howard replied curtly: You get your
money, don'tyou? That's enough for you to
know
But the clerk determined to know more If he
could, SO he took down the name on the truck
that came for Howard's sugar: u. Sullivan,
ll35 Second avenue" Arthur Flickner. a
truckman, testified that on November II, 1887,
Howard engaged him to take large empty
case for the factory in Brooklyn to an unoc-
cupied store on Sixty fourth street, near Third
avenue, in this city. Howard and Gus
Halstead met him there. He reached
there with the case at about II
his horses. leave the truck stand at the side
walk, put his horses in a livery stable and
return with them at 4:30 on the following morn
ing: When he returned at that hour the case
was very heavy. He carried it to the Brooklyn
factory" Gus Halstead riding on the case.
In July, 1888, Howard called at his house and
told him that he wished to engage him to bring
100 barrels of sugar for Apgar & Ganets, in
some place to be decided upon. Howard asked
him whether he knew Of any suitable place
that could be hired for week.
THEY KEPT IT QUIET.
jeremiah Callahan, who was the day watch
man of the Hamilton avenue factory for about
a year before the exposure, testified that in the
beginning of 1888 the Professor sent him over
TO the factory to work under Howard's direc-
ton. He (Callahan) was instructed by How
ard to allow no one except their own''-the
Friends, Howards and Halsteads-to go up to
thessecret rooms He (Callahan) frequently
helped in the secret rooms The only ma
chinery that he ever saw in them was the
crusher and barrels of mOlds. A refined
sugar barrel was emptied on tin tables in the
strong room where the crusher stood. Callahan
and his wife and Mrs. Howard broke up the
Jumps in the sugar with mallets.
Then Callahan wheeled the sugar after it had
been pounded with the mallets TO the crusher
and the Halsteads and Howards poured it into
the hopper Of the crusher. Then the crusher
was started. the sugar passed through it to
sieVes on the floor below, then through copper
chutes and was caught in barrels for the edifi-
cation of the venerable Lawson N. Fuller and
the other English and American stockholders
who were putting up the cash.
This constituted Prof. Friends chain-light-
ming refining process as marked at the factory.
The only raw sugar he ever saw in the secret
rooms came down through hole in the roof
in bags. 1t was sent by Treasurer Robertson of
the company to be refined At Howard's re-
quest Callahan wheeled it into the big secret
room of the strong room and piled It up be-
hind a wall of the empty cases in which the
refined sugar had been smuggled into the fac
tory,