The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-05
Judgment Pronounced in
Whiskey Fraud Cases.
AN APPEAL is TAKEN
Davis is Sentenced to Eighteen Months
in the Federal Prison at Atlanta.
Case Against Mebane Con-
tinued Until Next Term
of Court.
of Court.
Especial to News and ObserverD

Greensboro, n, c., May AT II
O'Clock today, the jury which lad
been engaged for ten days in cons!d-
GRAFTON the whiskey frauds case IN
! the Federal court here, against :. M.
Angle, b. +. Sprinkle and William
Young, filed into court, and rendered
u general verdict OF guilty or the ten
counts in the bill of indictment against
defendants for defrauding RE goe,.n-
| ment of taxes, making faiSe entries,
removing liquor, etc.
District Attorney Holton ar once
made motion for judgment and sen
| tence. Counsel for defantIauls made
motion for new trial, Which JUDI
Boyd overruled, and In appeal was
| taken to the Circuit Court uf Apft dis.
| y. +. Sprinkle was fined $500 and
sentenced to two years imprisonment
at Atlanta; T. NJ. Angle, dhei 81 CSC
and one year Imprisonment at Atlanta;
William Young. fined $1,000 and So
! fenced for six months in Jail.
District Attorney Holton then pray
| ed judgment on a. j. Davis, tile gov
| eminent gauger, who was convicted
three weeks ago of false returns from
the establishments conduct41 by dc
PENDANTS. Certificates from physicians
| being shown by his counsel, Judge
| Bynum showing his bad health, Judge
| Boyd, stated that he would only give
! Davis half the limit by sending liim
to the United States prison at Atlanta
for eighteen months, and tiaiug him
| $1,000. Judgment for $4,000 aga. nst
/ him was lso .6v0notal .,ei lsy Judge
| Boyd as amount of taxes in mis- case
government had~,been 4efraudcd of.
The district attorney Will sue Davis
| bondsmen for the amount o. Judg-
ment The case against ". n. Mcbahe,
a government gauger indicted for f;tlse
returns in same cases, was continued
| for trial until the next term of coIrt,
| he giving bond for his appear ll.;e.
The jury had been out, cCusioc:ina
the case, since five o'clock yesterday
| afternoon. There We're only TWO out
of the twelve who voted fo- not guilty,
and they surrendered after certain
disputed points in the avGen :, W.T.: h
they called for last night, had been
! thoroughly considered Oy them -!IlS
| morning.
In his appeal to the Judge f0: len
| iency, Judge Bynum said that IL ON
| the evidence it was apparent thar tle
money which had been made | Of
the government had not gone into tire
pockets of the North Carroll IA On. Of
the so-called conspirators, and that
the scheme was not originated ny
them, but had it's origin in the Wes-
tern States Every one OF t"1 Ce-
PENDANTS was practically u bankrupt.
In passing sentence, Judge Eoyd
said that in no case which had '''n:e
before him, had the result of - & al
been more painful than in this tese.
my sympathies involuntariiy go cut
to see men like these before me ever
taken in crime. 1t is hard to See my
Way clear Temptations to defraud
government are so great, and sa@h
practices have become Sd ';orN1on IN
,l-v NV, Il Ia
bv government officials it has become
more the rule than the exception to
violate the law. These frauds cJu,d
not have been committed by defend
ants without the active, Wilful, onrEt
connivance of government officers. !
am satisfied these stamps obtained out
West were never placed Oh ackaScs
there but were brought persons o..
sent by mail direct 10 these Ntt1h
Carolina establishments raised from
nine nroof to 100 PROOF, ard these
oaugers never even Spectn1 the no.
uor or saw the stamps on the North
Carolina barrels or took the proof, but
that they simply attested whatever
these rectifiers and distillers lut in
their reports. aiding and abetting them
bv certifying under oath 20 the gov
arnnant TO anything they were told.
The loss of money to the government
lis NOT half so bad as the bsolute and
complete decentralization 20 society id
ie q subject for profound thanhful1ajs,
tbo+ nubIic sentiment has reached the
ibaoItbv noint to recogni te this fact,
for ~ means that such abomiuahie
nractices must stop. In this case lie
NV could not have folmC any other
verdict than that of guilty. fhf en-
dencn presented by the government
was absolutely conclusive. Faere mu't
ba ~, example ret 20 These reCtifltls
and roanufact1lrers, VINO have grown
to think il Legitimate - deftt.ui the
government and 1ep lucn US on es.
soThnse gaugers have been at this
business many of them long time,
are at il right now, and the Nhcle
hueiness has got to stop. The manner
in yrbicl, these frauds have been ana
arc haing perpetrated against the gov
ernmant and honest society III tiis
dietrict is crying shame and dis
erooa rbese frauds and Irregularities
ara being carried on so boldly and
oro,,1,1 ae 70 amount to an actilal de-
lfanca Of the government and It's Courts
nf i1,stica Nearly every rectifier and
-, - !?,rel1 ,,,anufacturer in this district
tlo ,soor here during this trial, g tn
laN =, 1erson or by agent, watching
tbis trial or for other purposes less
creditahle. I know every one OF mem
o,ad r Rave seen them here IN this
on,',.+ x,oon wish they Wcre I'll here
80, ~ understand that Just rs cer-
toi,, lTn' &c ~ they continue in fraudulent
nractices ~ against the soVe'anenf' Icy