The evening times., 1896-12-15
.OLEO LAW AGAIN TESTED.
Washington Firm Of Dealers
Made the Defendants.
THEIR TRIAL IN PROGRESS
Some of the Goods Delivered to the
Reform School-Butter Also Fnr.
nished by Them-Butterine Pur-
chased by Order of the Board.
Books of the Firm in Court.

The trial OF Messrs. Walter P. wilkins
| and Joseph wilkins for the alleged violation
| OF the olcomargarinc law commenced this
morning in criminal court No. L. Judge
| Cole presided.
District Attorney 4. A. Birney and As
sistant District Attorney Laskey repre-
| sentcti the prosecution. Judge Jere VIII
son and Henry +. Davis appeared for tue
| defendants, who sat in court with their
| counsel.
Mr. Davis had the Indictment read and
| then inquired OF the court just what 1t
meant. 1t charged the defendants with
| having sold to Superintendent George a.
| ShallenDerger OF the REFORM School, II GER
| tain quantity of oleOmargarine as and for
butter without having he goods i'll marked
Packages. Judge Wilson submitted that II
his clients were charged with having sold
the oleomargariDe as butter the case could
oe uIsposeu OF In few minutes. He
suggested that motion to quash the in
dictment might be made.
The court intimateu tnat such Course
would not be entertained, and the eNaini-
nation Of the jury was begun. S,,,,,
and the Jury was finally accepted as FOL
lows: Benjamin E Taylor, foreman; W.
\; freeman, W; o, a. summons Tnnpn ,nSn 1aphey
Beacham, Abraham Herman, Frank w.
Dowiiug, jeremiah X -. Knight. Henry w.
Reed, William H. NJ. Pearson and Charles
Richardson. ,..,af.--.-, ..-..' -1s. -=
In his opening address to the jury Mfr.
Birney reviewed the law against selling
oeiomargarine in unstanped packages. He
went on to explain that If the defendants
margarine and kno wing it 10 be unlabeled,
| they were violators OF the regulation.
At this point Mr.. Davis interrupted with
by Mr. Birney. Judge Cole overruled the
objection and the defense noted an eNcep-
| ton.
Reform School, was the first witness. He
| explained the invitations issued for bids
| for furnishing butter to the institution, and
award be Of fS bd wns on prned
On cross-examination Mr.. Davis wanted
to know from MT Porter who furnished me-
| tember and during November, he having
stated that Mr. wilkins bid was for the
intervening month. MT Porter SAID he
| ence to his papers at the school.
Mr.. Davis insisted on the answer, and a
messenger was sent after the papers
| Counsel for the defense endeavored to
draw from the witness as to who insti-
| gated the investigation.
Mr.. Porter gave The Information that MIR.
| James Oyster asked him for sample Of the
butter being furnished the school at that
| time. The sample was taken from a tub,
| and put in an oyster box.
BY AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD.
1t. developed that the officers at the
| school had during the month of October
| also purchased butterine froH the VIII
kins Company. knowing it to be butterine.
| This was done by the authority of the
board. Mr.. Porter Identified tub In the
| courtroom as the one which contained the
| substance in dispute: It was received, said
the witness, on the 18th of October.
From evidence given by reference to
Mr.. wilkins bills, 1t was SHOWN that the
company furnished the school with the
| following during october:
October /, so pounds of butterine; 4tfi,
go pounds OF Elgin butter; 10th, so pounds
tutterine, and SO pounds of butter; 5th,
ter; 21st. 80 pounds butterine; 9th, 60
pounds butter.
James r. Davis, colored, cook, at the
Reform School, folio wed Mr. Porter, and
told about the handling Of the butter tubs