The news & observer., 1905-11-22
DEFENDANTS WITNESSES ON.
One of the Most Important Being
Gross Examined Wien the Old
49,. Nick Case Is Shelvcd for ,fr1Q
- ~Ht the Day. @"5 Gta3
lSnecial to News and Observer.)-

Especial to News and Observer -
Greensboro, N. c., Nov. 21.-When
Federal Court took its recess today at
one o'clock, Judge Bynum stated that
the defendants in the Old NICK Dlstll-
ling Company case would close their
testimony at the afternoon session.
In the bar this morning was Unlted
States Marshal Dockery, of Ralelgh'
who had been SUMMONED as a witness
for the defendants to show by records
that certain seizures made in his dls-
trict were made on inconclusiye in
formation. Col. Dockery, however,
was not examined and was excused.
Collector Duncan, of the Raleigh.
district, was also present. but he was
only a spectator. Both gentlemen.
who had been here at a meeting OF
the Industrial News directors. were
able to leave for Raleigh on the l:3O
train The first witness this morning
was the man who ground the corn for
the distillery. He testified that ne
never saw anything wrong.
A prominent government storekeep-
er S. f. Shore, testified that Williams
was a man of good reputation and he
had never heard of his being a de-
frauder of the government until this
case came up.
To the same effect testified Sheriff
Alspaugh, of Forsyth, who said he
was deputy collector several years
ago. On cross examination he ad-
mitted that he seized six packages or
Williams whiskey for alleged irregu-
larities, but it was afterwards re-
leased.
Yesterday afternoon the defendants
put on the stand the last storekeeper.
Mr.. Landreth, who was the govern
ment's officer until November fifteenth
of this month in charge of the
Forster distillery. Landreth testified
that he was there the day Revenue
Agent Chapman and the Kentucky
crowd, headed by Minor, took charge.
He said he ran out the beer set for
distillation, the companion tube of
those men had run out the day they
were there and made over five hun
dred gallons. His run of the same
amount of material turned out only
400 gallons. He said minor had a
pistol buckled on him and was making
himself pretty conspicuous, being III
his shirt sleeves. On Friday after the
raid on Wednesday, in the presence
of several \disinterested parties, he
said he weighed out material for the
capacity of 101 bushels, and when II
was distilled it yielded 29S gallons
He said that on November 1st the dis
tillery had adopted a new process or
yeast by South Carolina man. named
DeVall which was said to make a
much finer result than the old pro-
cess.
On cross examination the witness
was asked why it was that his. records
showed that he had reported nearly
hundred gallons more liquor turned
out each day than the daily reports
Of other StnralxnnnprG ana he SAID ne
didn't know Holten then asked him
if he had ever served as storekeeper
before. Witness said that he did so
for four days about f1Ve years ago
and the distillery shut down. Holton
then asked if his work as an honest
! storekeeper those four days. d1dn
| get him promotion, but witness sald
he had since been gauglng until sent
to the Old Nick distillery contempor-
! aneouS with the raid made the nrst
| of November
1t is manifest from the manner of
the examination of this witness that
| the government will claim that he
was the only honest storekeeper ever
at the distillery. to break the force of
| the long list of officials who have
resumed that they never Iouno any
thing wrong in the transactions OIL
the company.
by distiller who was running the
still when the raiders came defend
ants obtained statements tending to
show that Minor and johnson, that
night, when they were IN the distii-
iery, had doctored the beer making
II turn out such an unusual y1eid the
next day. He said he asked Johnson
after he had found the peer nad been
disturbed next morning. what ne mad
been meddling with it for, ana john
son only winked ana Iaugned'
vile. who had been summoned to go