The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-26
ITS A TlCKLISH BUSINESS.
LITTLE SHOW FOR THOSE WHO
PERSONATE United STATES
OFFICERS.

Two such Offenders Get Two Years
Each in the Columbus Peniten-
tIary Nathan w. WOOdcOck
Charged with Retailing without a
United states License-He Il said
10 Have sold Georgia Brewing As
socfatIon Beer Under n Champagne
cider LabeI-A Defendants Good
Intentions Lead to n MIstriaI Be
ing Declared.
It is with little regret that Judge speer
T passes sentence on a prisoner convicted
of violating the law against personaung
United States officer. as was shown
! by a. case which came before his court
yesterday.
Daniel Stewart and Isaiah Weber Of
Brunswick were tried on this charge. II
appearing that they went 10 a store
keeper, named Frank Silva at Bruins
wick. and purchased from him a package
Of playing cards. For some reason or
other they were not satisfied with their
purchase. and they found that the cards
did not have a government stamp upon
them The evidence showed that they
then threatened Silva wsth prosecution
for a violation Of the internal revenue
laws unless they were paid a considera-
ton, for which IT was stated they agreed
to drop the case. A consideration was
paid, and they were afterwards arrested
and charged with impersonating United
States officers.
The jury returned after being out a
few minutes and found them guilty on
all the counts in the indictment. When
asked if they had anything to say why the
sentence Of the court should not be passed
upon them. their attorney, Mr.. r. NJ
Hitch made a statement in their behalf,
saying that the men had not been sat
ished with their purchase and had merely
returned and demanded their money from
the dealer, which was refused.
In passing sentence on the men. Judge
speer told them they had had a fair trial,
they had been well defended and were
well convicted He said he always re-
GREETED TO have to sentence a prisoner
but it was with less regret that he passed
sentence on them than was so in almost
any other case that had come before him.
He told them they We're about as adroit
anu skAlllul "A PAIR Dl AdSN1AS do ne lAoh
seen in some time, and said that their
case should be a warning to those who
want to attmpt to run up
against the United States laws.
He sentenced them 10 two years
each at hard labor in the penitentiary at
Columbus, o., and to pay a fine Of 81
each and costs Of court.
one Of the most interesting cases that
has come before Judge Speer in some
time was that taken up yesterday just
before the adjournment of court, against
Nathan W. WoodcoclI Of Statesboro. who
is charged with carrying on the business
of a retail dealer in malt and spirituous
liquors without license from the United
States government to do so. Some of the
testimony was TO the effect that Wood
cock had sold beer and other liquors,
though not as such. Some of the witnesses
testified as to the character of the liquors
sold but they could not state positively
whether it was beer they had bought or
not.
President George Meyer Of the Georgia
Brewing Association was placed on the
stand. He testified as to one of his agents
or drummers having sold beer
to the defendant, though he
stated positively that in this
as in other cases it was sold as beer. He
said his brewery made nothing but beer,
but sometimes their patrons asked to
have other labels put on the bottles, and
Ii was done for them. Some of the beer
sold to Mr.. Woodcock may have been la
belled Champagne cider, he said, as such
labels were frequently put on bottles when
this was requested by the purchaser. He
was quite sure from the correspondence
he had had with the defendant that the
latter understood that he was buying
beer. Mr.. Meyer was instructed to pro
duce this correspondence in court this
morning at 10 O'clock and the drummer,
Mr.. Winslow, who made some of the sales
to the defendant, was summoned by wire
from Charleston. The case Will be taken
up again this morning.
In the case of Screven A Sweat, who
was indicted for the embezzlement Of
postohice funds from the postofhce at
bonneville, on consent of the counsel for
the defendant a juror was withdrawn,
and a mistrial was declared. 1t seems
that the law with regard to the postofiice
funds is so strict that when some of the
money arising from postofice sales is
unaccounted for, even though there be no
dishonest intentions on the part of a
defendant, he is arrested and prosecuted
just as if such had not been the case. In
this case it seems that after the indict-
ment was found theI defendant made
good his shortage which he had also, as
the evidence showed, made an attempt to
90 before that time. Under the evidence,
however, a conviction was very probable
and taking the circumstances into con
sideration, the court allowed juror to
be withdrawn, and a mistrial declared
The facts in the case will be presented
to the department, and it may be that
the indictment will be noll pressed
Judge Speer signed an order deferring
sentence in the case of John Dolburg Of
/ brownsville, the young white boy who
pleaded guilty to the charge of larceny
from a mail bag. He has been released
from jail on his own recognzance and the
court will apply to the president for
pardon for him
II MEMORY OF JUDGE ERsKINE.