The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-07

Acquitted of Completely in the
Giving of Rebates on
Freight.
Witnesses en- Whom the Prosecution
Relied Testified for the
Accused.

CHICAGO, ILL, Jan. GA nolle PROSE-
was entered to-day in the case of Joseph
W. Reinhart, eX-president of the Santa Fee
Railroad Company. who was charged with
being inculpated in giving rebates on
freight rates, and Judge Grosscup ordered
him discharged from custody at once.
The Government failed utterly to prove
that Mr.. Reinhart knew anything of the
alleged transactions.
In the case of Hanley, the ex-general
traffic manager, the District Attorney,
General Black, admitted that evidence
necessary to complete the proof could not
be introduced, because the witnesses
were absent and he suspected they would
come only "by slow freight"
The Government relied on w P.
Jenkins, manager of the Hammon Pack
ing Company, and Isaac Thompson, the
Kansas City livestock shipper, to corrobo-
rate the testimony OF John G. Taylor. the
ex-liYestock agent of the Santa Fe, as to
receiving the Illegal rebate money by or
der of Hanley. AS witnesses for the
Government both these men weakened
the testimony OF Taylor, and the prosecu-
ton having closed except for proof OF the
railroads incorporation, Hanley expects
TO be discharged tomorrow.
Jenkins fatty contradicted Taylor. He
said he was in no sense a representative
of the Hammond Company to treat on re-
bates. but was sent by some official of the
company, whose name he could not re-
call, to receive some money from the rail-
road COMPANY. He went to HanIey's
office, but saw only Taylor, from whom he
messenger. He did not know what the
payment represented, and HanIey, whom
he saw afterward. did not mention the
transaction.
Thomp on could not remember any
thing about his transaction in Hanley's
office OF interest to the Government. He
remembered only that he called to collect
some damage claims, and he was sure that
if any money was paid him at the time he
got none OF it for himself, but might have
been given some for the houses he repre-
scented.
President Ripley, G neral Auditor Her
bert c. Whitehead and Freight Traffic
Manager Biddle of the Santa Fe, We're in
court at the afternoon session. Mr. White
head as ordered by the court, brought
with him copy books of the bills of ladlng
for the Kansas City livestock shipments
in 1892, but on objection of the defense the
court refused to allow the books to be in
troduced as evidence, None of the Santa
Fe officials could identity the books
Judge Grosscup said at the beginning of
the trial that the waybills and any other
documents of shipments were the best
proof of rate-cutting, but the Government
had not proved that any livestock was
shipped upon which rebates were paid.
The court reminded the Government
that the railroad company was not on
trial, but only ex-otficer<.
hen the nolle PROSE- was entered by
General Black Senator Duncan, attorney
Tor Rinehart. Indignantly protested
against the action of Senator Shields,
special attorney for the Interstate Com
merce Commission, in having his client
held over since last spring without a scin-
tilla of evidence, 90 which Mr.. Shields re-
torted that the failure to convict was no
fault of his and there were reasons which
he did not wish to assert now.