The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-20
FRINK THE STAR WITNESS.
TOLD OF TYsON's ATTEMPT TO GET
HIM IN HIS SCHEME.

Amusement for the Spectators.
l.. j. Frink Unfolded One of T'y-
sons Plans to Make Profit of
S1C0 Per Day-The witness Had
Rejected It-Judge Twiggs Amused
Himself and the Audience at
Frink's Expense.
Yesterdays session of the Tyson con-
! spiracy trial developed testimony and in
! Guided incidents more sensation than the
case had been productive of up to that
time. One of the witnesses told of an at
tempt made by Tyson to enlist him in his
scheme to defraud.
This witness was L. j. Frink, mer-
chant and hotelkeeper of Daisy. He
came on the stand as the session was
drawing to a close and between his own
answers 10 some of the ques TONS. his
failure 90 answer others, the insistence of
the court that he should tell all that he
knew and the pointed and rigid cross ex-
animation of Judge Twiggs the audience
was provided with entertainment and
amusement for half or three quarters of
an hour.
Frink was what might be termed a
literally constructed man, large of girth
and countenance and provided with win
some smile and sweet righteousness of
manner that in themselves lent an added
interest to his testimony. He gave his
evidence with an apparent frankness THAI
at times seemed almost too good to be
true and resulted in Judge Speer permit
ting the district attorney to ask him lead
ing questions, course permitted by the
law only when a witness does not seem
10 be altogether willing and ready 10
answer the questions that are propounded
to him, or under like circumstances. This
permission from the court followed Frink's
attempt TO explain az length something he
had not been asked to tell.
The witness confessed that at his hotel
at Daisy he had sold beer without the for
mality of a license In that part of the
state the law prohibits the sale of liquor
and the county officers have some foolish
prejudice against issuing licenses This is
probably the reason that Frink did not ap-
ply for one He said that he had bought
his beer of Tyson and in this manner had
come to know him in a business way More
than this, Tyson made practice of stop
ping at Frinks hotel when he was in
Daisy.
We'll" said Mr.. Erwin "after the wit
ness had labored through these prelimina-
ries, did he ever make any proposition to
you in regard to your starting in business
with him?"
''he told me that if l went into business
with him he could show me how TO make
a profit of 800 day"
We'll, how was the profit to be made?'
Mr.. Erwin persisted.
There was some sparring here between
the district attorney and the witness
finally resulting N Frink telling, appar-
entity, all that he knew He said that Tvs
told him that they would start In business
and that Tyson would provide him with
enough money to secure credit with the
business world. They would order beer
from breweries all~over the country and
not pay for it. II could be disposed of, 50
Tyson told Frink, by shipping it to some
station a few miles down the road, where
it, would readily bring $40 per barrel All
the letters were to be written by Tyson
and the goods received by Frink. In this
way, SO Frink says Tyson told him,
profit of 500 a day could be made, and this
they would divide.
did you go into the scheme" asked the
district attorney.
mo, sir" said Frnk, II told Tyson
had a wife and family and l would not do
it,"
Then Judge Twiggs took the witness in
hand and for twenty minutes succeeded in
making his life miserable. At last said the
Judge to the witness
w hat did you DO, sir, when Tyson made
this infamous proposition to you?"
II told him I would not do it,"
"Wen, did you keep on selling the beer
you had been buying from hm?"
Il sold out what | had and then never
bought another barrel"
'Do you mean to tell me, sir" said
Judge Twiggs, that, after Tyson had re-
Vealed TO you the manner in which he was
| obtaining this beer, you still bought and
sold it? Do you mean to say that you
profited in this manner by the fraud?"
Hold on there" said the witness excit-
edly. He didn't tell me where the beer
that he had been selling me came from.
/ didn't know whether he had paid for il
or not. 1t was the beer that was to be
ordered in my name that was not to be
paid for"
well, look here" said Judge Twiggs,
| didn't you say, while this trial has been
in progress and while you were in the
witness room in this building. that if you
| were ever placed on the stand YOU would
play with Tyson?"
We'll, l might have said So" replied
| the witness. Il knew so much about him
| that l could"
when Tyson made this proposition to
! you, to embark in this fraudulent scheme,
| what did you say to him?"
Il told him that l had a wife and
| family" repeated Frink, land that 1
wasn't going to take such chances, told
him that he might carry the ching on for
a while but in the end he would be caught
| And il seems" the witness added. as
! though he had suddenly been struck by
| the aptness and truth of the remark that
| he has been caught"
well" persisted Judge Twiggs, when
this Infamous proposition was made you,
| did you resent it?"
Yes sir"
well, how?'
| "By not accepting it."
| Judge Twiggs emitted a snort of disgust
| Court and jury smiled and the audience
Uttered. See here" said counsel, with
the air of making one last final and dis
! pairing effort don't you know that there
! isn't a word of truth in what you have
| been telling? That Tyson never made
you such a proposition as you have out
! lined to this jury? That you have manu-
fractured every word of it2'
| do you think" inquired Frink, in a
very much aggIieved tone, that l would
| tell anything that was not true?"
Il don't know whether you would or
not-thats the reason I'm asking YOU.