New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-26
SILVERSMlTHS ACCUSED.
PROMINENT CORPORATIONS AND JEW
ELLERs INDICTED.
cu.,ors OF SELLING sILvERwARE MARKED
s-rp,,xa THAT WAS BELOW THE STANDARD
Explicit DENIAIs-THE PROCEED
INGs APPARENTLY RESULT
OF THE CONFLICT WITH DE-
pARTMENT STORES
PARTMENT STORES.

rh. camille, between the silversmiths ana lHe
nroprietors Of the large department stores IN TINS
city over the sale OF articles OF silver"afe n'aIhen
"sterllng has resulted In another batch % lhcic'
mcn;s In May 1895 complaints by the silver
smith, led 10 the Indictment OF about thirty men
connected with the large department stores 'o'
alleged violation OF Section 3sia OF the Penal CODE
which makes II a risdomeanor 10 sell silVerwaFe
marked STERLING" which does not contain s-o-
100 pure silver. Now the tables nave peeh
turned on the sversmiths. II was announcer yes
teriay that the March Grand Jury had found IN
dIctments against Tiffany Co. NO. - 'h'oh
SQUARE: the Whiting Manufacturing Company No
I'll Broadway and the Gorham Manufacturing COM
many No $40 Broadway. as corporations and
again.t Frank NJ Whiting. OF +. NJ. Whiting
co No POS Fif,h-ave.: Robert G. Black and Aaron
" Frost OF Black. Starr & Frost NO 2ol fltth-
ave: Theodore Is. Starr, No. 200 Fnth-ave'' ana
George w shiebler OF G. W. Shieber & Co.. NO
l7s Broadway, as individuals.
All the corporations and individuals named In
the indictments are accused OF violating the same
section OF the Penal Code by selling silverware
marked Sterling" which Is not OF the required
degree OF hneness. The witnesses named IN the
indictments are Oscar Siesel. buyer for Boom
ingdale Brothers, and II. G. Torrey. an assayer
in the United States Assay once In Wall-st Mr.
siesel bought a number OF small articles OF silver
ware from the silversmths and took them TO the
Assay ONCE where Mr. Torrey assayed them
Charles J. Rosebault the secretary of the Retail
Drygoods Association. employed Horwitz & iIersh-
ned lawyers at No g77 Broadway to draw up the
afidavits and submit them to the Grand Jury
through the District-Attorney.
COURT PROCEEDINGS YESTERDAY.
Notices OF the indictments were served yesterday.
and they called the corporations and ind!-
viduais to appear In person or by attorney In Part
of the Court OF General Sessions yesterday
morning and plead. Dclos McCurdy appeared for
all of them. and entered a formal plea OF not
guilty but he obtained permission to withdraw the
plea and substitute demurrer to the indictments
when the case is called again next Wednesday, In
the mean time there will be no arrests, the de-
PENDANTS all being technically paroled in the custody
OF Mr. McCurdy. Conviction the Indictment
against either OF the firms individuals would i'm
pose a penalty OF fine not to exceed $500.
Mr. McCurdy said that the indictments had been
ob aimed n technicaltty. and that the proprieors
OF the large department stores. who were indicted
last summer had been trying to secure the indict-
ments for months In order 10 turn the tables on
the silversmths. 1T was not until they rep
resented the Grand Jury that the indictments
were found" he said. He referred to Isaac Stern.
n member OF Stern Brothers, who is n member OF
the March Grand Jury.
THE ACTION OF THE GRAND JURY.
Assistant D!strict-Attorney Battle who presented
a member OF the Grand Jury. but he had nothing
TO do with the indictments against the silver
smiths. He absented himself when the case was
being considered | believe he is the only member
OF the Grand Jury who Is In any way connected
with the large department stores. and the Grand
Jury would not have found the indictments II the
proof had not been explicit. The case against the
siiversmiths was considered for about ten days
before the indictments found. About three
months ago the Grand Jury considered complaint
against the s.lversmths and refused to bring In
indictments. because the assay tests showed that
the articles OF s!lverware which had been examined
were only slightly beiow the required degree Of
nneness The articles OF so-caled sterling silver.
which assayed in the present case. were small
articles such buttons. coinholders and pencils
and the tests showed that they contained In some
cases as high as a05-l.0O0 pure silver and In some
cases low .aO-l.OOo pure oliver
STATEMENTS FOR THE RESPONDENTS.
C. 7. Cook. the manager for Tnany's, when seen
yesterday by Tribune reporter. said: Every bit
OF silver that sell Is TO the proper standard.
and. what Is even better than the mere assertion.
We can prove that II is 80. We have a stan In
our workshops and Laboratories Of more than <0o