The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-01-19
APPEARS AS WITNESS AT
WASHINGTON
IN THE MACHEN TRIAL
He Considered MaChen
Very Competent.

.. ffeatn, HTSt aSSiStdnt pOStuuSIct
general criticised In the Bristow re.
port on the postoffice department in
vestigation, made his slong-expected ap-
pearance and the witness stand today
in the trial of A. w. Machen. the
Groff Brothers and Mr.. and Mrs. Lo-
REM, on the charge of conspiring to |
defraud the government in the pur-
chase of Croft letter box fasteners.
Heath's testimony was timid as to |
the Identification of papers and the ex-
PLANTATION of routine in his former Of
flee. r. J. Wynne. the present first
assistant postmaster general was the
only other important witness and his
cross examination was completed. He
gave little information that was new.
The appearance of Mr., Heath on the
stand was productive of temporary
technical victory for the defense. He
was asked to identify orders for the
Croft fasteners, signed with his name,
and did so. Then the prosecution tried
to have the orders put before the
Jury as evidence. The defense claim
ed that the case was being tried back
ward and evidence of the fruits of an
alleged conspiracy was offered before
the conspiracy itself had been even
partially proven.
Justice Pritchard said he did not
see how It was relevant in the trial
for conspiracy at that stage to offer
as evidence orders for Croft fasten-
ers signed by Machen.
He then ruled that the papers could
not be given to the jury until later
Mr.. Heath gave his answers in a
clear, firm tone, which could be heard
throughout the court room. He was
subjected to the closest scrutiny on
the part of the spectators and all
of those engaged in the trial, but his
equanimity was in no wise disturb
ed.
The line of testimony the govern
ment expects to extract from Mr..
Heath is not known, but 1t is not
thought that he will leave the stand
until sometime tomorrow.
Machen took an active part in the
pIOCccuiHBo. TlC WhiopCtCu ouNiSC W
his attorneys every few minutes and
when Mr. Wynne was on the stand
practically conducted the latter part
of the cross examination, suggesting
question after question which was
put by the lawyers. He seemed per-
fectly at ease and was not In the
least fiustered by the testimony of Mr..
to- NH oh Mo-
to as untrustworthy and not to be be-
lieved.
Mr.. Heath, under cross examination
by Lawyer Douglas, said that the
Grff fasteners had become a fixture
when he entered the department and
that the subsequent orders of them
as required in the rural free delivery,
were considered routine. He testified
that the rural free delivery COM
menced under his administration as
an experiment on $4,000 which had
grown until it now amounted to $12,-
100000 year.
"You considered Mr.. Machen. who
was in charge of the rural free de-
livery, competent man?" he was
asked.
HE was very competent"
He was the father of the rural
free delivery. wasn't he?"
HE was at least one of the faith
ers of the system
The witness stated that with the
enormous amount of business which
passed through Machens hands 1t
was fair to consider 1t as impossible
for him to know all the details In his
division, as 1t was for the first as
sistant postmaster general to master
all the details In his bureau.
When new devices were introduced
In the department. Mr., Heath said, In
redirect testimony, the first assistant
postmaster general was consulted
and If after investigation a device
was adopted 1t became standard
and was matter of purchase at fxed
price and distribution on acquisitions
to the free delivery division. During
his service, he said, he recalled M
substitute for the Croft fasteners be
ing submitted to the department
At $3.50 o'clock Mr.. Heath left the
stand, being followed by Mr., johnson
who succeeded him as first assistan
postmaster general
Mr.. Johnson's direct testimony wal
along the same lines as that of hi
predecessor with reference to treat
ment OF business originating in Mach
ems division.
Court adjourned at O'Clock unit
tomorrow.