Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-02
1.-THE POSTAL TRIALS.
Croft Say Government Accept
ed Fasteners Before 1895.
One Of Them Says He Never Spoke a
Word to Machen
Previous to the First Sale of the
Goods.

Washington, Feb. 1.-Samuel A.
| Croft, the inventor of the street letter.
IO& fastener, contracts for the furnish
ing of which are alleged to have been
improperly obtained, today. took the
stand in the postal trials and told how
he conceived the idea of getting I'D the
| device and the efforts made bv him
| TO ma some one besides his brother to
! take an active interest in placing it.
| The fastener had been adopted and
an ORDER for the Washington post
office paid for, he testified, before DR..
lorenZ, in 1895, proposed to work up a
sentiment in favor of it among the
postmasters Of the country.
| The witness declared he never spoke
q word 10 MaChen about the fastener
other than to admit in response to a
question put by Machen at q public
test that it fitted too tightly. Up to
that time he said he never heard of
Mir. LorenZ ana afer making the ar
| raii%cm"nt with his, witness said,
never saw him until late last summer,
nine years after.
| Preceding Samuel A. Croft on the
| stand was Dilar T.. Croft, son of Diller
| +. Croft, who said in response to Il
| question by the district attorney that
should the government see fit to pur-
chase the fasteners the Groffs now
have on hand they would pay Mr..
Lorenz his share of the profits in ac-
cordance with the agreement made in
| 1895.
The redirect examination of Dill
ler +. Croft, son of Diller 3.
| Croft, who was on the witness stand
when court adjourned, Friday, was
continued. today. by Mr.. Douglas. The
witness said that while calling on Ma
chen i'll June, 1899, the latter informed
| him that he would require q reduction
| i'll the price of the fastener from S1.50
TO $l.25 each, and the Croft Bros, said
the witness. accordingly were COM
| RELIED to reduce the price to the latter
| figure.
M. GrGff declared he overheard In
| srector Mayer say to d. Ii. Croft:
What we want you to do, Mr.. Croft,
is to get on the government side and
we will sec that both you and your
brother get immunity. We also will
| see that you get the $4,000 due you and
matter previously made by yo,:.''
The witness further testified that his
| father turned down the proposition
| ''natfooted." In response to other
questions he said that in June, 1895.
several efforts We're to DISPOSE of an
| interest in the fastener without sue
| cess.
ON cross-examination by District At
| %1lJ sc h.
steps taken by the Griff Bros. to fill
| orders from the post Office department
| for fasteners. He declared that no spe-
cal accounts We're kept. When orders
We're filed and the money disbursed
| all papers were destroyed. In sending
Mr.. Lorenz checks for his interest in
| the fastener, Mr.. Croft said his father
| invariably would write the letter of
| t-ansnittal. He could not recOllect ever
| getting receipt from Mr.. LorenZ. but
| said that he regarded the checks them
| selves as receipts. He related the con-
versation which took place between his
father and Lorenz in 1925 which finally
| resulted in the requirement by I4oranZ
! of q One-half interest in the fastener
| in consideration of $500 and certain in
| iluence which he would bring 10 bear
on postmasters and congressman in the
way of introducing the fastener.
| Samuel a. Croft. testifying in his own
behalf said as early IS 1895. he showed
4 model of his invention to various
officials of the Washington post office.
A. the suggestion of Major Bell, super
| inten,icnt of delivery. Mr.. Croft said he
wrote the then superintendent OF The
free delivery division asking the usa
| Cf q few letter boxes for purposes oc
| making Il test of the fastener. which
| request. he said. was granted. He de-
clared that ut that time he never spoke
a VOID to Machen about the fastener.
Later an official test was made, but
! he declared he got no satisfaction
whatever out of Machen.
| When discussing with his brother the
terms under which Lorenz should be
| Maid. Mr.. Croft said he told d. B. Croft
he would let Lorenz have a half inter-
est in the device only so far as it ap-
piled to letter boxes in the United
States. and the understanding with Lo-
REM was on that basis. The witness
said that during the subsequent nine
| years he never saw LorenZ until the
Indictment was found against them
last summer. He asserted there was
no signed partnership agreement be-
tween himself and his brother or be-
tween himself and Lorenz. Witness
said he did not know and had no rca-
son to suspect that Mr.. LOrenz knew
Machen or had any influence with him.
He fatty contradicted much Of the tes-
timony of Inspector Mayet regarding
the details of the conversation had with
| d RI tho arrest.
At this point adjournment was taken.
Mills Start After Weeks Shutdown.