The Portland daily press., 1898-11-03
PLEADED GUILTY.
Ending of the Fairfield Floral Company
Case.

In the United States Circuit Court
yesterday forenoon the case Of the govern
ment against the Fairfield Floral Com
pany came up. 1t was supposed that the
case would be contested and several law
yers were in attendance for the defense
while the witnesses numbered a score or
more. To the surprise of those on the
outside the three respondents pleaded
guilty to every indictment found against
them.
| George Fred Terry arraigned on three
| indictments waived the reading of all and
pleaded guilty in each case. Each in
dictnent charged him with using the
United States mail to defraud.
| Arthur Il. Terry and Frank ]. Good
rich were each arraigneo on three indlct-
ments, waived the reading of all and
| pleaded guilty to ALL
| George +. Terry, Arthur H. Terry and
! Frank J. Goodrich were ordered to recog-
nize in the sum of 81, 500 on each inict-
ment and continued for sentence. The
entire amount of bail in all three cases
was $13, 500.
|
| The operations of the Fairfield Floral
company were first officially Investigated
last spring by Chief Post Office Inspector
John o. King of Washington, who was
subsequently assisted by Charles W.
| Fisher and William S. McGtnness of
Washington. Many complaints in regard
to the company's operations had bsen
made to the post office department., and
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Joseph l.. Briston had directed the Fair
field postmaster not to deliver their mail
Then the Hon. William L. IIaines of
WatervilIe, the company's attorney, went
| to Washington and interoeded on behalf
speotor King was sent on to investigate.
Mr.. King arrived in Rairtield the last
day of March and found between 30, 600
and 40, 900 letters addressed to the COM
pany held up in the post office. Many of
them were registered letters The small
office was almost full of mail addressed to
the company, and letters were still conf
ing at the rate of 1000 a day. After in
vestigating, Mr.. King made an unfavor-
able report on the company's business
and fraud order was issued by the post
office department. forbidding the post
master to deliver any more mail to the
company. Then the company applied to
the circuit cou rt and got temporary in
junction restraining the postmaster and
succeeded in getting the mail which had
accumulated in the office. Subsequently
the court in the equity proceeding decided
the business was fraudulent and the fraud
order from the post Office department.
went into operation again, and the COM
pany's mail was held. Then the members
of the company were indicted with the
result above noted, an unusual result,
says the inspector, because it has seldom
been possible to proceed successfully
against concerns of this kind by criminal
action. The Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General, Mr.. Bristow, who really insti-
gated the proceedings against this COM
pany, has very sharp eye for fraudulent
schemes of this kind, and is determined
to put an end to them if possible The
penalty on each of the indictments to
which the defendants in this case pleaded
guilty is a fine not exceeding $500, or i'm
prisonment not exceeding eighteen
months or both.