Evening star., 1896-06-23
BOGUS BUTTER MEN
Some of the Accused Dealers Plead
Guilty.
CONSERVATION AMONG DEFENDANTS
Trial of Grocer Deutermann Goes
on Today.
THE REVENUE OFFICERS

The trials of the parties recently indicted
for violating the oleomargarine laws were
resumed before Judge Cole in Criminal
Court No. 1, this morning, Frank Deuter-
mann, engaged in the grocery business at
e45 r street. being the first of the accused
persons to be placed on trial today. Before
the trial of Deutermann was proceeded
with quite bombshell was thrown into
the ranks of the oleomargarine men when
Albert E. Hayden, indicted last April for
violating he law, asked leave to withdraw
his plea of not guilty and Plead guilty.
Leave was given hm to do so, and Mr..
Hayden then formally plead guilty to the
charge At the suggestion of Assistant
District Attorney Taggart, who, in the alb
sence of District Attorney Birney, con-
Quoted the prosecution. Judge Cole released
Mr. Hayden on bail in the sum of $500 to
appear for sentence.
The CONSERVATION among the oleomarga-
rine men caused by the pleading guilty of
Mr.. Hayden the next moment in
creased when John H. Gundling, indicted
last April for selling oleomargarine as and
for butter without having first placed
thereon the label required by law, asked
leave to withdraw his plea of not guilty
and plead guilty. Permission to do this was
of course, given him, and. after pleading
guilty to that indictment Mr.. Gundling plead
guilty to the indictment returned against
him yesterday, IN which he was charged
with selling the stuff without having first
obtained the license required by law. At
the suggestion of Mr. Taggart he was also
released a bond of $500 to appear for
sentence.
Deutermann's Trial.
The trial of Deutermann was then pro-
ceeded with, Mr.. Henry E. Davis appear
ing in his behalf. MIR. Taggart being assist
ed by Assistant District Attorney Jeffords.
The first witness called was Arthur G. Van
Horn. a young man in the employ of the
internal revenue officers. He stated that
the evening of the 25th of last January he
sent Florence Davis. colored woman. into
Deutermann store to purchase half a
pound of butter. She returned with a pack
age of what appeared to be butter. He
turned it over to Dr. Chas. A. Champion
the government chemist. The Davis wo-
man testified to making the purchase, be-
ing charged 10 cents for the alleged butter
although she said she could not now identi-
fy the person who waited upon her. Dr.
Champion testified to finding the stuff,
upon analysis, to be oleomargarine.
The Internal Revenue Officers.
The defendant having been indicted on
two charges. that of selling the stuff as
and for butter without having labeled it
as oleomargariEe, and with selling it with
out having first obtained the license re-
quired by the oleomargarine laws, and the
two indictments having BEEN consolidated
Internal Revenue Officers W. H. H. Bowen
and Thomas Philbin testified to discovering
olecmargarine in Deutermarn's store last
February, after he had denied having any.
Later. they said. he claimed that he had
purchased it at the request of customer
He had no license then, although Mr.. Har-
rIson Nesbitt of the internal revenue Office
stated that Deutermann took cut the re-
qured license. as a retail dealer in oleo-
h. 4 of las Mar ha Ii
cense being made to cover a period from
the 1st of last January Mr.. Nesbitt also
explained that Deutermann. in applying for
the license last March, swore that he had
been engaged in business as a retail deal
er in the stuff since January 1, 1896.
Deputy Revenue Collector Maurice J.Clag
gett identified the affidavit made by Deu-
termann when he took out the license as
a retail oleomargarine dealer last March,
in which he swore that he had been such
a dealer since the first of last January.
Ordered by Customers.
That concluded the testimony on behalf
of the government, and in his own behalf
Deutermann took the stand. He testified
that he had never knowingly sold oleomar-
garine except when he purchased it at the
express request of customers. He said that
he signed the affidavit In applying for the
license but did not mean to swear that he
had been engaged in retailing the stuff
prior to last March. except when expressly
ordered by customers.
Since March last, he has been retailing
the compound. He stoutly denied telling
the revenue officers that he had been so
dealing in it prior to March last He said
that number of his customers ordered
eomargarine from him, Mr.. Cady gO2
French street; Mrs. Patterson, 1926 9th
street; Mrs. Britton. 943 r street: Mrs
could not recall. To all of them he said
he sold the stuff at the same price he paid
Tor H. twenty cents a pound, and in the
original packages.
Mrs William Cady testified that the 10th
of last January she ordered seven pounds
OF oleomargarine from Deutermann, and
that when she went for it in the evening
he told her the revenue officers had been
In during the day and had taken away
part of 1t. After that she bought no more
from him until after he took out his Ii
cense. She always paid 20 cents pound
for it,
To Judge Cole she said she could not
remember whether 1t was was not
marked.
Mrs. Lizzie Britton gave similar testf-
mony, saying that the stuff was always
marked, so far as she remembered. But he
did not put his name on il previous to get
ting his license Before then. however she
saw the name of Wilkins on It,
Adjourned Until Tomorrow
Geo. ". Buckman, Deutermann's clerk,
denied that he sold oleomargarine to Flor
ence Davis or to anyone else. and that
closed the defendants testimony.
After Mr.. Bowen and Revenue Officer w
W. Penneil had stated that they took no
oleomargarine from Deutermann's store the
testimony was closed on both sides and
the trial was adjourned until tomorrow
morning.
The Free Library.
The District Commissioners have called a
meeting of the public library trustees for
%I,D 4 IS TIL 81