The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-18
Quiet Day in the Old
Nick Trial.
NO STAR TESTIMONY
Witnesses Were Placed on the Defen-
sive. One Said That Iones Could
Make Fine Public Prayer, and
Should Persevere in That
Powerful Gift.
Powerful Gift.

Especial to News and observer
Greensboro, n. c., Nov. 17.-There
were no star witnesses or sensational
testimony in the trial of the Old Nick
Williams Distillery Company in The
Federal court here today
Aside from impeaching witnesses
introduced at the morning session,
continuing the attack on the character
of j. Will Jones, who testified yester-
day that Williams attempted to 1ribe
him, the witnesses during the entire
day were government officers, gaugerS,
storekeepers, deputy collectors, etc,
who had served in various capacities
at the Old Nick establishment or had
watched it. Without exception they
testified they had never discovered
anything crooked" in the transac-
tions of the distillery or the recify-
ing plant. Beginning with r. F. Fox.
the first storekeeper assigned to the
plant, the defendants after the noon
recess kept up the introduction of
each succeeding storekeeper or gauger
until the evening adjournment not
having reached the last ones at adj
journment.
District Attorney Holton subjected
each one to a close examination S
TO the minute of the operations OF
the plant but so far as could be OBJ
served made no breach in their CVi-
dence. He refrained from directly at
tacking them by embarrassing qucs-
tions, nor even asking some officials
who are indicted for alleged conspir-
acy to defraud the government by
conspiracy with distillers. if they We're
indicted.
All these officers swore that ID. +.
Kennedy and not n. Glenn Williams
seemed TO be managing the distillerT,
of which Kennedy is the reputed own
er but which the government denies.
Every thing was quiet and demure
in the Old Nick trial today. At The
beginning of the court about seven
additional Buncombe citizens testified
for the defendants that the general
reputation of j. Will Jones was bad.
Some said he used to get drunk, Son6
said he had a bad name for dis
honesty and all said he was meddle-
some. District Attorney Holton On
cross-examination brought out Incl
dents in the life of each witness show
ing they, too, had been accused OF
some particular bad thing. One wit
ness on being asked by Mr.. Holton
if he could not think of sometninG
good of Mr.. Jones, replied:
Yes, / take pleasure in saying that
have heard Jones do some of the
finest public praying in church that
/ ever heard in my life and he should
persevere in that powerful gift
One witness denied ever having
stolen a still. Another admitted har
ing had trouble about q young lady
but said it was when he was young.
Another said he had been accused OF
blockading. but the grand jury never
found a true bill. Another denied hay
ing maliciously killed his neighbor ;
hogs. 1t was plain that while all
the array of character witnesses
against Jones had been hearing for
the past twenty years bad things about
Jones, he hadn't been idle in turning
his searchiight on each of them for
forty years back, even to the old doc
tor who, yesterday. admitted TO nav
days, explaining that it was not only
a negro corpse, but most valuable 10
science for dissection because it was
deadened by lightning.
Next followed revenue officers.
Deputy Collector George w. Sheets
testified that he had, with Revenue
Agent Sans, made a thorough inyes-
tigation of the distillery plant for sey-
eral days last April, examining the
premises and the books but found
nothing wrong or any irregularities.
Of law, but could find nine. He had
visited the esta blishment several times
before but found no violations 70 re-
port ON.
r. II. Hardin. ex-deputy collector
next told that he had officially paid
many visits to the establishment i'm
he past three years but had never
oeen able to find violations sufficient
20 justify report.
r. r. Fox, the government store
keeper and gauger who took charge
1f the distillery when it opened up
n 1905, said he was there the first
the time the Kentucky dis
iller Johnson, ran it, but he found
1othing wrong the month he was
here. He said he kept the Keys.
weighed all the materials gauged the
liquors and kept the required records.
lie said Johnson would get drunk oc-
,asionally and he knew plenty Of
North Carolina distillers who could
,eat him bad making Whiskey. Jie
lidn't consider Johnson an expert at
W. he said. as he would have diff
erence of as much as a barrel of II
luor in two days runs 1t is said chat
he defendants will follow up FoX's
testimony by that of every store
Keeper and gauger the government
las had at the distillery since it BE
ran business.