The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-17
SWORE WILLIAMS
OFFERED BR|BES
-----'---- A
For Aid in Cheating the
Government.
]. WILL JONES' STORY
The Character OF This Witness in the
Old Nick Case Takes on KaIeidos-
cOopiC Hues Under the Brush
es of Defendants Wit
neSSeS.

Greensboro. n. c., Nov 16.-As the
Old Nick trial approaches it's con-
clusion, District Attorney Holton, fol-
lowing all frst-class precedent, is
punching his star witnesses for the
grand finale or denourement, To
painfully monotonous and long drawn
out previous proceedings
Today Bill Jones, properly entitled
RectItylng government gauger, j. VIII
Jones, OF t'airyIeW, occupied nearly
the whole of the morning session tell
ing al that he knew about the Old
Mex Distilling Company, and of an
effort on the part or Old Nick him
self in the person Of the president of
the company, II. Glenn Williams. to
bribe him by the offer of a princely
salary for his aid in cheating the gov
eminent out of its revenue.
In brief, Jones testified that he had
been a rectifylng gauger for the gov
ernmenr since January, 1900. THAT
on the night of June 10th. 1903, in the
parlor OF H. Glenn Williams, the lat
ter, while the two were speaking OF
the different branches of employment
III the revenue service, remarked thai
witness, had one of the best positions
in the service. Witness replied: mo,
the salary is not so good and the work
is difficult" Williams responded:
Why you can easily make from
four to six thousand dollars q year
out of your job
Witness asked how it could be done.
Williams said it was easy THAT he
would give me five cents gallon for
every twenty-five barrel lot of whis-
key we worked. That he would take
the clips. furnish blanks for reports,
and we could work the government
Out of two lots each week by that
method without detection, and as
each lot would pay me $62.50 it would
be $125 a week coming to me easy.
He said this scheme had been worked
and was being worked successfully by
wholesalers, but he had fixed way
by which it could be worked equally.
as safe by retailers and rectifiers with
the original stamped package.
Witness then went on to state that
he slept with Mr.. Williams that night
and spent the next day at his house.
He never made any reply to the prop
Osition, but on the following Sunday,
While at Ronda, gauging whiskey for
another distiller named Rogers, he re-
peated the offer Williams had made
MIN in casual way.
Such a Cussing.
Jones then, on direct examination,
told of having gone under orders to
the Old Nick Distillery on July fourth
folioWing. to gauge out the rectified
whiskey on hand previous to the turn,
ing over the product to the newly in
corporated Old Nick Company He
sald he requested some assistance
from Mr.. Williams, but he said there
VAS no one there except a boy; that
he himself was sick and couldn't help.
That it was so dark in the rectifying
room he could not see the stamps or
barrels without gettin ga lamp; that
w. Williams followed him up, and as
he gauged the barrels, to see what
amount of vantage" to report. Will
hams began curs.ng and said it would
be a damn shame for him to have TO
pay tax on such gauging as he was
dong. Jones said his gauging rod
was stiff and he was having trouble
with it and Williams kept up such a
cussing, he remarked that he believed
he would quit until he could get help,
and Williams replied: 'All right -
dam you, you had better quit" Wit
ness then left and came back Mon
day with another gauger and they
completed the job. He said he kept
a memorandum Of the work he did on
Saturday and that done by the new
Monday, and according to
of packages on his memor-
andum and those regauged Monday.
The difference of amount of want
age" in the ten barrels he had gauged
from Saturday to Monday was over
g hundred gallons in favor of Will
liams.
Jones Cross Examined.
Defendants counsel through Mr.
Settle. gave Jones a rigid cross exam
nation. He was asked many ques-
rions about his former record as
gauger, and admitted that when he be-
gan the business in Salisbury his mac
curate .gauging had made trouble for
the proprietor causing his stock TO be
seized and he made no effort to COR
rect the mistake. That his "gauging
rod was out of fix an6 that he told
-3auger Sans on Mondav, at Williams
listillery that he was not satisfied
With what gauging he had done the
previous Saturday, as his rod was stiff
Williams counsel here produced an
ron clamp used to make the rod at
ed il was lost and was found in the
)otsom of one Of Wi'liams' whiskek
barrels he had gauged. Being pressed
le said he 0!d not inform Collector
.Iarkins of the offer o bribc him until
after the difficulty he had with Viii
Jams on July fourth and after the
,ther gaugars had shown his inaccu,
'acies of gauging on July 9th He
having no good will for
Williams. but denied vigorously that
Continued on Page Four)