The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-03


In United States district court yes
terday James Hill, of Wilkes Barre,
was returned guilty of fraudulently
using the United States mails and two
other Wilkes Barreans, George p.
Noble and II. n Mckay, were tried
for similar offenses. the jury in the
Hill case made recommendation of
extreme mercy. The prisoner was pa
rolled on $500 bail until today when he
will be called up for sentence.
The crime charged against Noble Is
exactly the same as that which Hill
was found guilty of, namely, securing
shipments of farm produce and the like
through mailed circulars Offering big
prices for the same and then dispose
of the goods at any price without any
thought of remunerating the shippers.
When Noble was called for trial he
stated that his attorneys We're John
Shea and Colonel Martin, of Wilkes
Barre, and A. J. Colborn, of this city,
but none of them appeared for him and
it was denied that they had been en-
gagged. Judge Burlington assigned At
torneys Petty, of Pittsburg, and Cam
eron, of Wellesboro, to defend him.
Assistant United States Attorney Sam
uel B. Griffith opened for the prose-
tion. He said Noble had been working
his fraudulent game since December
1895. He was in a manner associated
with Hill as the latter was used by him
as one of his references.
THE VICTIMS TESTIFIED.
Among those who went on the stand
and testified to having been caught by
Mohles game were S. p. Cole, of Thorn
son, n. Y; f. Il. Gregory, of Schuyler
county, N. Y; j. w. Chew, of Balti-
more, Md; G. f. Pullman, of South
Velley. N. Y; John Parvin, of Kely's
Crossroads, N. Y, and others. The at
torneys for the defense called no wit
nesses, holding that the government
| had failed to establish anything, but
| that Noble had failed to pay his bills
which is no crime.
The jury required but a very few
| minutes to come to the conclusion that
Noble was guilty.
The charge against II. T. Mckay
was that of being the keystone Mill
| ing company, of Scranton" which
| fraud it will be remembered was eX-
posed through the postoffice inspectors
| last winter. The scheme was this. Ad-
| Vertisements were placed in various
| papers at a distance Offering for sale
a new brand of flour at $3.50 barrel
"just to introduce it," If victim an
swered the advertisement he was urged
| to send on $25 and secure ten barrels
| which he would be informed he could
| sell at good profit and in time work
up d nice flour trade. If he didn't come
up with the $25 the Keystone Milling
company would have to content itself
with the 81. so and the dupe would have
| to be content with some very valuable
| experience.
The indictment in the case on which
| Mckay was tried had A. Coseo, of
Clockville, n. Y, as the victim. Mr..
Coseo went on the stand and told of the
way he was swindled. Mckay when
put on the stand in his own defense
contended that he was nothing more
than an employe of Frank j. Jepson, of
Cortland, N. Y, who he alleged was the
guilty party, if any one was guilty.
Jepson was the principal witness for
the government. The defense tried to
make out that Jepson was the Keystone
Milling company and the government
|
that Mckay was the company.
Despite all the evidence offered by
the government the jury was only a
few minutes in declaring Mckay not
guilty. Judge Burlington called him
before the bench and told him that the
jury, he believed, had not acquitted
him because he was innocent, but be-
cause of his youth and possibly because
it did not want to make him suffer
alone for the crime of two. But, be
that as it may" said the judge, "if in
the future you propose to enter into any
such scheme as the one you have been
identified with, l will advise you to ply
your game in some district other than
the western district of Pennsylvania
Judge Burlington suspended sentence
on James Meehan, the Priceburg school
boy who pleaded guilty, through his
attorney, NJ. j. Kalsh, of sending an OBJ
scene letter to a school girl friend and
neighbOr. He will be called up for SEN
tence a year hence, when the court
again sits, and if his conduct in the
meantime is found to have been al
right he will probably be discharged.
GO HAND IN HAND.
| "DO you smoke cigarettes" asked
Judge Burlington in a stern voice, when
he had finished his severe lecture to the
boy.
Young Meehan hesitatingly admitted
that he did sometimes.
"Well, I'd advise you to stop that
too. My observation has been that Gig.
arctic smoking and nasty letter writ.
ing go hand in hand, especially in the
cases of boys"
At adjournment Henry Kutz anC
John Mentch, of Shamokin, were OF
trial for counterfeiting. Mr.. Hall anC
Mr.. GrifIiths are conducting the prose
cution and Attorney A. G. Miller, o
Williamsport, is looking after the de
fense. NJ. f. Griffin, of the United
States secret service bureau, sat at tn,
prosecutors side of the table.
Kutz passed a counterfeit half dolla
in the saloon of Henry Moss in Sha
mkin January last. This lead to hi
/ arrest by Chief of Pole w. A. Gillian
Counterfeit coins were found on hi
person and a search of his house dis
covered plaster paris moulds for hal
dollars, dimes and nickels, a crucible
the imitation silved from which tn
4 coins We're made and a note book con
tanning the formula for making 1t; sill
yer plating bolts, more coined counter
feits and other indisputable evidences
of guilt.
John Mentch's arrest followed Kutz'
and similar evidence of guilt wer
1 tIrOad nm In his naca Hnoth ,,,a,, ,a,,