Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-21
PACKERS GET OFF EASY
Pay Fines in Chicago Court
Today.
ANSWER INDICTMENTS
BEEF TRUST CASES APPARENTLY
FALL FLAT.
Heard Before a Justice and Jail
ANSWER INDICTMENTS
Heard Before Justice and Jail
Sentences Imposed, With
Great Big II.

CHICAGO, September 21.-Four officials
sof the Schwarzchild & Sulzberger Packing
Company of Chicago were fined an aggre-
gate Of $4,000 by Judge Humphrey In the
United States district court here today
The fines followed a plea of guilty to In
dictments charging conspiracy to accept
railroad rebates. The defendants were:
Samuel E. We'll Of New York, vice pres
ident of the company; B. s. Cusey, traffic
manager; Vance d. Skipworth and Chas.
b. Todd, assistant traffic managers.
Mr.. WE'LL was fined $4,000. the other
three S. 200 each.
With the entering Of the plea the declara-
ton was made that unless at least one OF
the cases is Immediately settled the life of
Samuel Well who Is vice president OF the
company and is one of the defendants, Is
In jeopardy. He Is said to be nervous
wreck, and fears were entertained for his
life il he had been allowed to continue un-
der the stigma of an indictment. The plea
was entered it Is declared, after complete
understanding had been reached between
counsel for the defendants and Attorney
General VIM. H. Moody. While in Chicago
the Attorney General was apprised Of the
condition of Vice President We'll, and, 1t
is said agreed to the entry of a plea OF
guilty, with the understanding that the jail
provision of the law under which the in
dictment was returned should be Wa wa,
cesson was made in the case of the ~, ner
three defendants.
The four defendants were charged with
unlawfully combining and agreeing to go
1icit rebates for the Schwarzchild & Sulz-
berger Company from the Michigan Central
Railroad Company, the Chicago, Rock Is
land and Pacific, the Grand Trunk Western
railroad. the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com
pany the Boston and Maine Railroad Com
pany and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
Company.
Charges were made that the defendants
conspired with each other In presenting
supposed claims for damages which were
In reality claims for rebates.
The plea made today Thursday does not
In any way affect the charge of Interior
ence with government witnesses made III
a previous indictment returned against
Cusey and other Schwarzchild & Sulzberger
men. The four defendants were in the fed
eral court building and all but We'll ap-
peared before Judge Humphrey. They We're
accompanied by Attorney Weissenbach and
Attorneys l. K. Boyesen and j. ]. Herrick.
No Time in Jail.
The fines carried with them a provision
that the defendants be confined In Jail until
the fines were paid The fines. however.
were paid Immediately. Mr. Max Sulzberger
giving his check for the total amount, $685.
600. The check after being duly certified,
was accepted as payment Of the fines and
District Attorney Morrison, discussing the
case after adjournment of court, said:
Il am perfectly satisfied with the matter
as it stands. The defendants came into
court, pleaded guilty. and the court showed
leniency in their sentence. The fine Is
heavy, but the imprisonment provision is
there, the most important part of the law.
l think it was very fair consideration of
the matter.
ut was proven conclusively by the gov
eminent that after the issuance of the in
junction by Judge Grosscup the Schwarzs-
child & SulZberger Company withdrew from
the combination. They were independent,
but in order to carry on their business In so
strenuous a competition against the other
packers it seems 1t was not for them to &C.
cept rebates. The results today only go to
show that the government has now lodged
an opening wedge into the question of
rebates. We have found a way to pro-
coed, and 1t seems the proper one. 1t seems
to me that the government is in a fair way
of breaking the entire rebate evil in this
country.
From the books of the government 1t is
shown that to collect evidence against the
four defendants and bring about their in
dictment the government spent SIG COO"
The cases against Armour & Co. and
others were continued until next Wednes-
day.
The scene in the court when the four
defendants in SchwarZchild & Sulzberger
case entered was most interesting. All the
defendants except Well went Immediately
before the bar, the center OF the gaze OF
every person in the crowded court room.
The three traffic managers are young men,
and they showed their emotion visibly The
fourth defendant Well, as he entered the
room, slipped into a seat near the door.
He is an elderly man, weighing more than
10 pounds. His face was lined with deep
marks, apparently showing the suffering he
has passed through since he was indicted.
He, however, appeared to be little interested
in the proceedings. He did not look at the
court nor at the crowd which turned with
one accord to see him. He had scarcely
taken his seat when an attorney called
him forward and the four men stood In a
line before the court.
After looking steadily at the defendants
for a moment the judge began speaking.
We'll stood with his hands folded before
him and his head bowed. At intervals dur
ing the sentencing by the court he shot
chances toward Judge Humphrey from be-
meath his brows. His face bore no marks
of his thoughts other than the dropping
of the corners of his mouth and the deep
ening of the wrinkles in his face.