The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-24
A RATHER EXPENSIVE CASE.
4 CRIMINAL INDICTMENT THAT HAS
COST THE GOVERNMENT
NEARLY $1,000.

Hugh h. Salter and the Defendants
With Him Have Summoned About
sixty Witnesses iH Their Behalf.
The Government Has More Than
Half as Many More and About 100
Witnesses Have Been Drawing
Per DieIns and MiIeage-Tbc De-
PENDANTS Charged With Using the
Mails 90 Work n Green Goods
SwindIe.
There is decidedly interesting case
now on the criminal docket of the United
States court. In which the defendants are
Hugh X. salter. W. 5. Johnson. George
Il. Fletcher, J. \. johnson and J. :. Min
ton all Of whom live in the southern part
part OF the state in Brooks and LoHndes
counties.
The cases were TO have come up
at this term Of the court. but the proper
legal showing was made TO the effect that
one Of the Johnsons was 50 iii a { his home
at Valdosta that he was unable to be
in attendance at court, and for that rea-
son, at the request Of the defendants the
The defendants are charged with con-
spiracy, or the counterfeit money fraud.
which IS to say dealing in green goods
by the use Of the mails. The story OF the
affair is an interesting one. These men.
it Is said went TO New York in answer to
circulars they had received from green
goods dealers, and were themselves
-
ried with them and by which they had
hoped 20 profit. Having lost through the
game themselves. it is charged they re-
turned 10 their homes in the southern
part OF the state and entered into a con-
spiracy to defraud in the same manner
any suckers they might catch BY Offering
for sale counterfeit money. Several let
tiers TO and from them mailed in the post
offices at Naldosta and Quitman and other
points in that section were procured. and
these with other evidence furnished
basis Tor the arrest IN April. 1892. The
letters, which are set forth in the indict-
ments against them, are Of a nature TO
indicate that there was some such scheme
on foot, and fl seems that IL Is largely on
these that the indictments are based.
The violation of law charged is two fold,
in that IL is claimed the defendants offer
cl counterfeit money lOI SAFE anu luE-
ther that they used the mails for the
purpose Of carrying Oh their swindling
scheme.
The Indictments against them were
found BY the grand jury and filed Jan. 13,
1888. The cases have, therefore, been on
the court docket for two years. and have
been called at three terms of court. Dis
trict Attorney W. T. Gary was ready to
proceed with the trial Of the cases at this
term Of the court. he said. In this in
stance however. as fla others. 1t seems a
sufficient showing was made to warrant
the continuance of the cases for the term,
and they took that course.
A particular point of interest in this con-
nection is the large number Of witnesses
which have been summoned, especially
i'm behalf of the defendants. and the heavy
cost to the government IN such cases.
There are about sixty or siXtN-hve Wit
nesses summoned for the defendants in
the case each time it IS called, and about
half as many for the government. Thir-
ty-three of these witnesses are for Salter
alone, ana in all, the number of witnesses
is about 100. Both the Witnesses for the
defense and those for the government
have been brought to Savannah at the eX-
pense Of the government. and they are all
paid a per diem while they are IN at
tendance on court
It is estiInated that the miea re, which
is cents per mile each way. for this large
number of Witnesses in coming to Savah-
nah and returning to Savannah IS about
$1,000 each time they are brought here
Each witness IS paid $50 per day while
in attendance on court and under sub
poena making about $3.50 day for tho
total number of witnesses concerned in
the case. At each of the three terms
at which they have been called. the wit
Z nesses have been here from five to ten
days, or perhaps about twenty days in
IA. Al
since the case has been on the docket
somewhere in the neighborhOod of $1,000,
which. with about 5000 for mileage each
time, and perhaps 500 as the costs of hold
ing the commissioner court for preim-
mary Investigations and other expenses,
would make about $500 which the case
has already cost the government, and
about 81. coo more will have to be paid out
when the cases are again brought up, and
/ the witnesses again summoned to appear
before Che court.
The case is an extraordinary one In that
respect. as in the average run of cases
from three or four to a dozen witnesses
are all that are usually called. Salter
and the other defendants have had wit
nesses summoned at the expense of the
government for every conceivable pur-
pose. Some Of them are to prove the good
character of the defendapts, while others
are summoned to disprove as far as pos
sible the evidence to be offered by the
government. The case, as will be seen, is
an important one and one of considerable
magnitude, the defendants being charged
with having carried on extensive opera
lions in the southern part of the state
in the green goods business, and the gov
eminent, It is understood, will have sew
eral witnesses on hand alleged to have
been swindled by the operations of these
men.
.r,,Irc NEyAs rs ponIER.