The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-04-20
CLOSE OF A CELEBRATED
CASE
Boston Transcript

CLOcE VI "A CELEBRAIED
2 CASE.
t Boston Transcript
| The case of Benjamin L
Greene and John f. Gaylor VIII
, were yesterday found guilty a
were recently found guilty a
conspiracy to defraud the Unite,
States Government, and wer
given exemplary sentences, ha
been most extraordinary one
There was nothing particular!
novel in the character of their of
fences. They profited by methods
which have been employed times
without number, wherever public
servants and contractors have
had business relations, and in the
majority of cases, we are sorry
to say, with impunity by the
principals. The story of theil
crimes goes back about eighteen
years when Captain Oberlin M
Carter was appointed to take
charge of the improvements in
the harbor of Savannah, Ga, a
work for which millions of dol
lars had been appropriated.
This position Captain Carter
held for nine years when he was
appointed military attache to the
American Embassy in London,
and was succeeded by Captain,
now Major Gillette of the Engi-
neer Corps, the same man who
was recently selected to probe
frauds in the Philadelphia filtra-
ton works. 1t did not take him
long to bring to light what seem
ed to him indisputable evidence
that Carter had been systemati-
cally defrauding the Government.
A secret court of inquiry was
held resulting in the latter's con
viction with a fine of $4,000, a
term of Imprisonment and expul-
sion from the army. The charge
upon which he was found guilty
was that he had for years con
spired with the Atlantic Con
struction Company, by drawing
specifications for bids on con-
tracts which it alone could meet.
A private understanding with
Greene and GaylOr, senior mem.
bers of the firm, was made evi-
dent, and the machinery of JUS
tice was then directed against
them.
Since then their fight against
justice has been the subject of
continued story in the press of
this country and Canada. Their
names have become as familiar
to readers both sides the border
as those of the most prominent
public men. Their notoriety has
been continued fresh and kept |
growing. They were first indict-
ed at Savannah in 1899. They |
we're arrested, but resisted ex-
to Georgia, and when a
decision was rendered against |
them at New York they fled to
FORGETTING bail to the
of $4,000. Detectives
,aught them and hailed them to
Montreal, hoping that measures
If eXtradition would be success
ul. They were committed to jail
~ a Montreal judge, but re-
eased on writ of habeas corpus
~ a Quebec judge, and, as one
If the Canada papers said, lived
like princes at one of the great
EST hotels in Canada"
1t finally required an appeal
o the Privy Council of England,
which decided in favor of the
United States year ago last
February, and some six months
alter they were brought to this
country and put on trial, with
he result just announced. Thus
or six or seven years, with the
proceeds of their plumber, they
lave been able to dodge justice
md bring upon their country the
eproach of not being able to
punish those who had robbed it.
The chase has been a long one,
md but for the action of the
english court they would prob
lbly still be at large, enjoying
II seeming to enjoy, the spoil
Won by their transgressions. The
entences that have been imposed
AIRY the aspect of poetic justice.
'he men are fined $575,649, the
mount of the embezzlement of
which they are found guilty, and
.iven prison terms of four years
ach. Justice has been tardy,
nut she has at last come to her