The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-26
TRIAL THAT COST A FORTUNE
BIG EXPENSES FOR THE GOVERN
NIENT N THE sALTER CASE.

II j. Estimated 10 Have Cost some
thing Like $4,000 or sI5.OOO-The
Marshal VIII Pay out About $500
in witness Fees and Mileage at
This Term of Court AiOne-There
Were - Witnesses for the De-
Pendants and p for the Govern
ment-The Case TO BE Concluded
To-day.
There has not been case I'm the United
States court In many a year. in this divis-
ion at least, that has cost the United
States government as much money as
has that Of Hugh X. Salter and others,
now on trial for using the mails and con-
spring 10 use the mails in furtheranee
Of a scheme to defraud.
The case has been on the docket since
January 1893. and some idea Of how large
the total cost has been may be gathered
from the fact that the marshal paid out
yesterday alone nearly s., 500 for witness
fees and mileage.
There are over 100 witnesses in the
case. The defendants, II. X. Salter W.
5. Johnson and George II. Fletcher. had
summoned about lightweight witnesses.
the government, nearly all Of whom an
swered the summons These witnesses
Travelled eachs from 100 to 20O miles eacn
way TO ana from their homes. which is
an average of 80 TO 400 miles Travelled.
and they have now been in attendance on
court for three days. having been dis
charged last night. The government PAYS
each witness cents per mile Travelled
and S.5O per day for attendance on court.
The average amount paid to each witness
therefore was from so to $2i.
The parties were arrested in the latter
part Of 1882. Three of them were carried
before United States commissioner a
Macon and in each case there were about
six witnesses for the government. They
were indicted in January. 1885. and a large
number of witnesses We're brought To Sa-
Nannah at that time. At three terms of
court since that time the case has haen
called, and each time from sevenJy-iive to
W WITNESSES nave been summoned 10 tes-
uIy Tor the defense and the government
10 the cost Of this large number of wit
nesses there is also to be added the fees
OF the marshal, the clerk OF the court
Jurles ana other usual costs Of court
IL VIII be seen, therefore, that the cost
70 the government Tor the trial of this
case IS not over-estimated when it is put
There is no way of arriving m the eyaCf
amount, but according to the statements
OF the oHlcers OF the court this estimate
Is "A very conservative one. That It is
conservative Will be more readily apDar-
ent when il is considered that the trial
on TINS occasion viii cost something like
$5,uO all told, and there have been three
hearings before the commissioner in Ma
con- and the defendants and witnesses
nave appeared in Savannah at four dir
ferent terms of court
II the defendants are convicted on the
Indictment charging ~
tent OF the law is two and a half years
ana a fine Of 1000, and if they shouId
be convicted on the Indictment charg-
ing simply use of the mails for fraudulent
purposes, the full sentence, provided the
court imposed 1t, would be eighteen
months ana fne of $500.
The entire day was consumed in deal
ing with the case. Altogether something
Ike eighty witnesses were sworn, and
the majority OF these were caneu on 70
testify. The testimony was concluded at
the afternoon session, when the argu-
ments began and went on until 1880
O'Clock at night.
There was great deal of testimony
introduced that was not material 10 the
issue, and the court took care whenever
possible to see that 1t was stopped and
ruled out. The government brought in
carried on green goods business, en-
deavoring to defraud their neighbors in
Southern Georgia, in order TO get even
for what they had lost on their New
goods men on that Occasion. Some
Of the testimony went to
prove by inference, and other testimony
directly, that the mails had been used
TO carry on this scheme.
The testimony of the defense was direct
ed toward refuting many of these points.
and also toward showing that Salter and
his associates had not mailed the letters
with reference tu the green goods scheme
as was charged in the Indictment
The first argument was made by Mai
W. T. Gary, district attorney, who was
followed by Mr.. Alex. r. Proudfit of Ma
con for the defense and Messrs. Edward
also spoke in behalf of the defendants.
Maj Gary closed in a brief speech for
the government last night. AS it was d
charge the jury until this morning. sew.
eral ladies were in attendance on the
court as spectators last night and the
bly, by the wit and humor OF the attor.
neys and the court