The herald., 1897-01-28
GOLD PLUGGED TEETH
A Dentists Assistant Claims the Usual
Perquisites
Charged With Embezzling Property of
His Employer, Covalt Comes Out
of His Trial a Winner

A jury and a room full of spectators
were entertained yesterday in Justice
Morrison's court by the trial of c. A. Co
Walt, young dentist, charged by Dr.
A. F. Schiffman, another dentist, with
embezzement. The particulars of the
alleged crime can be briefly told. Covalt
worked as an extractor for DR.. Schiff
man at $2S a week, and rebelled when
his employer cut him down to $21. AS a
result of the reduction of his wages CO.
Walt severed his connection" with Dr.
Schiffman and engaged with a rival
tooth-pulling shop. He also began a
civil suit against DR.. Schiffman for an
alleged arrearage of wages, and this
suit is yet pending.
The hostility between employer and
employe then became open, the former
causing to be published an advertise
ment referring in derogatory terms to
the latter.
The next move was to cause the ar
rest of Covalt on complaint of DR.. Sohiff-
man. on the charge of embezzling seven
dental operating instruments, two sam
pie sets of teeth and one lot of gold, of
a total value of s25 Covalt was ar
rested and Jailed on Gov. Budd's fund
ing bill holiday, which was on Saturday
and the prospects were good for the pris-
oner passing two whole days in durance
before he could be bailed out, but a
friend succeeded in getting him released
on cash bail. While Covalt was in the
city Jail detective and DR.. Schiffman
visited his room and found the above
named articles which the complaining
witness swore were his property.
The complaining witness at the trial
yesterday said that Covalt had made a
-. &...-- L.
numbers of teeth that contained gold
filling or gold crown work and sold the
metal; that he had made two sample
sets of teeth of material belonging to the
office and carried them away.
The defendant claimed that he had
a right to the old gold-bearing teeth
when they were given to him by the pa
tients woh owned them or who had not
claimed the extracted molars and incis-
ors. The gold in these filings, accord
ing to the defendants story, was worth
anywhere from cents to Is cents a cav
ity. Though the patients may have
paid numerous dollars for the miniature
gold mines in their worries, the actual
value of the metal used in a tooth was
quite insignificant 1t is a common prac-
tice, Covalt said, for dental operators
who are working on salary to appro-
pirate as perquiSiteS the gold trimmed
teeth they pull out unless the natural
owners thereof want to retain them,
which is seldom. AS for the false teeth
alleged to have been embezzled, Covalt
claimed that every grain of material used
in their coia .ruction was bought and
paid for by himself, and they were put
together during odd hours, and conse
Quently belonged to him.
Attorney Rush, who represented the
defendant, undertook to show by some
witnesses how insignificant is the cost
of the material used in making a set of
teeth, as compared with the price charg-
ed for them. He elected the fact that
the unmounted teeth are bought by dem
fists at cost of from "a cents to 81
set.
When character witnesses were put
on the stand in behalf of the defendant
some racy talk was INDUCED in among
Deputy District Attorney James, Attor-
ney Rush and a witness, and for a time
it looked as though everyone would
give away" everybody else as "lady
killers" The court, jury and spectators
enjoyed this sortie of wit, though the
previous talk had given them all tooth
ache.
The state submitted the case without
argument and Attorney Rush took up
only five minutes to talk to the jury
Only a few minutes time was required
to bring in verdict of Not guilty"