Evening star., 1896-12-24
SCRAPED OFF THE STAMPS
A New Charge Against an Oleomargarine
Dealer.
Discovery Made In philadelphia Leads
to Two Arrestssfn
This City.

Joseph Wilkins of the firm of Wilkins 6
&C.. dealers in butterine and like goods
who, together with his brother. Walter =.
was acquitted here last Friday of violating
! the oiecmargarine laws, was yesterday af
ternoon arrested upon similar charge
Howard Butler. said to be an employe OF
the company. was arrested at The Same
time and upon the same charge. Both men
were taken before United States Commits
sicner Mills. who held them for an examine
alton next month In the sum of s., GEO each
The required bonds were given. and the
accused Were released. 's.---' '-,'. --.-
Some time ago. according to the state
ment of Mr.. W. H. H. Bowen of the inter-
nal revenue office the Philadelphia inter-
nal revenue officers We're informed that
revenue stamps and other distinguishing
marks required by law to be placed ON
packages of oleomargarine and like pro-
ducts were being systematically removed
from the packages. tubs and boxes at one
OF the Philadelphia wharves.
Mr.. Bowers Discovery. 80
Last Saturday Mr.. Bowen went over to
Philadelphia, and being told that the work
of removing the stamps and marks was
generally done on Sunday. he. made, his
way the next morning to the suspected
place of operations.
As matter of precaution, Mr. Bowen
sent man in advance a scout.
returning, the scout reported that he had
heard noises occasioned, as he believed, by
the work in a certain warehouse near the
water front. Mr.. Bowen went to the house
indicated by the scout and from the street
he heard the noises described Then Mr.
Bowen went in search of the person in
charge of the building. He found him in
the person OF wstchmah. Stating that he
was an internal revenue officer and show
ing his ba tse to the man Mr.. Bowen was
at once admitted to the building. Locating
the point whence the noises came Mr.. Bow
EN- made his way toward it. Piles of furni-
tire and boxes of merchandise hid him
from view as he approached. and in few
moments he had secured a position from
which he could look down upon all that was
going on.
Mr.. Bowen says he was astounded when
he saw that one of the men was Joseph
Wilkins one of the men who had here
been acquitted of violating the oleomarga-
rlne laws less than forty-eight hours be-
fore. Mr.. Bowen stood still for several
minutes. looking on at the work. He saw
he says. Joseph Wilkins and Howard But
Ter ana one or two other men busily en-
gagged IN removing from the packages OF
oleomargarine or butterine the revenue
stamps and other distinguishing marks
This work was being done, he said by
the means OF scrapers. sponges and water.
lhe men at work proceeded. he says, in
ii
stepped out upon them from his place OF
concealment.
Mr.. Bowen made no arrests then
but he did. he says, corfiseate abou,
5000 pounds of the stuff, from al
OF which the stamps ana marks he
claims, had already been removed in vio-
lation of law. ''''-.. "' b.
This amount was. he charges, in 100 pack
ages. tubs and boxes. He says he also con-
fiscated the scrapers, sponges and other
implements the men were using in tteir
work. After reporting the results of his
expedition to the Philadelphia office and to
the Treasury Department Mr.. Bowen came
on to Washington. Here he swore out the
warrants against Wilkins and Butler. They
were placed in the hands of Deputy Mar
shall Cusick. who made the arrests taking
the accused men before Commissioner Mills
late yesterday afternoon. There they asked
for postponement of the hearing until
next month. Their request was granted
the defendants being required to give bonds
of 5000 each for their appearance.
The Penalty. s'@
Mr.. Bowen states that the law provides
a penalty of so for each stamp removed anG
imprisor ment in Jail for rot less than thirty
days and not more than six mouths. He
Claims that no less than 12o stamps We're
removed. AS the alleged violation of the
law occurred in Philadelphia, the accused
men, If held by Commissioner Mills will be
tried in Philadelphia.