Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-10
Stamp Robbery Evidence All In
This Afternoon.
LONGSHREEF MAKES 4 SCENE
Committed to Jail for Calling a
Lawyer Names.
DEFENDANTS TESTIMONY

Testimony was continued today in the
stamp robbery case and after argument
the jury was given the case and retired.
The jury was still out at o'clock.
During the arguments Of the case Mr..
Taylor minated that Longstreet knew
great deal about the stamps, and remark
ed that Longstreet had lied in testifying.
The remark greatly angered Longstreet,
who happened to be in court, and he call
ed out in the court room that Mr.. Taylor
was a liar.
Judge McComas ordered him into the
custody OF the marshal and subsequently
committed him to Jail for forty-eight hours
for contempt OF court, adding that were the
man not wanted Monday next in New
York as a witness he would have made
the Imprisonment longer.
The testimony in the case of VIM. B.
Smith, charged with the larceny in Sep
TENDER last of 10000 two-cent postage
stamps from the bureau Of engraving and
printing. where he was employed, was
concluded after The Stars report of the
case closed yesterday. The instructions to
the jury were discussed, and at $50 the
trial was adjourned until this morning.
In his opening address to the jury on be-
half Of the defendant Mr.. o. B. Hallam
Stdlcu ludIN luS ClleIll udu COul0 lllO Tic
possession Of the stamps in an honest man
ner. That is that 1t would be shown by
the defendant that the witness, Longstreet,
had given him the stamps. Smith being
told by Longstreet that the stamps had
been obtained from New York newspapers.
the papers receiving great numbers of
them in return for advertisements and sub
scriptions.
The First Witness for the Defense.
James w. Moore, the keeper Of the vault
at the bureau of engraving and printing,
was called as the first witness for the de-
fense He stated that any one from the
packing division could enter the vault
where the stamps were kept. But 1t was
the rule that those entering should be ac-
companied by the witness or the latter's
assistants.
Joseph H. Hartley, assistant vault
keeper, stated that while outsiders were
always closely watched and accompanied,
those employees allowed to enter the vault
He stated that while the packages of
stamps were sealed. package could have
been tempered with and Its contents stolen.
Defendants Testimony.
After Edward Gibson Of the bureau had
given some unimportant testimony, the de-
PENDANT was called to the witness stand.
He testified that he entered the bureau on
June q. 1894, as a laborer. August 5 he
was placed in the vault to help the vault
keepers. While at Wizards Hotel one
evening In August a colored boy came in
and asked him If his name was Smith. The
boy then said that man at the ladies' en-
trance wished to see him. Going out. Smith
said he met an unknown man, who asked
him If he did not wish to make some mon
ey. Saying that he did, the man. who did
not give his name said that he was in the
habit of receiving great numbers of postage
stamps from newspapers, and wished to
get man to sell them for him. Smith
stated that he told the man that he was
afraid that he could not handle them.
Some days later Longstreet met him and
proposition. Witness replied all right, if
the stamps were all right. Longstreet said
that it was all right. and witness then
asked his friend. Beach. TO sell the stamps.
him at Wizards Hotel and gave him five
or ten thousand stamps. Subsequently,
Lcngstreet handed several thousand more
to him at different places in this city.
handed to Beach to sell. At one time wit
ness said he gave Longstreet $40, and diff
ferent amounts at other times.
Smith said he never thought there was
anything wrong in the matter until the day
of the arrest, although he had heard that
$1,000 package of stamps had been missed
from the bureau. He said that in handling
and disposins of the stamps he never at
tempted concealment, but, believing Long
streets story, sold them openly, always
giving his name
On cross-examination Smith said that
there was q fifth person in the party to
New York. but, stating that the person was
married man. refused to disclose his
name. Smith stated that while he could
have opened a package Of stamps unseen
while in the vault, he asserted that he
could not have gotten them out Of the
vault without being detected. He swore
that he received every one of the stamps
from Lorgstreet Longstreet, he said.
could have taken them undetected from
the bureau.