The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-22
FINES Them ALL,
Judge Mcpherson Passes Sen
tence in Rebate Cases
Five Defendant Corporations to
Pay $4,000 Each.
Imprisonment and Fines for
Thomas and Taggart.
CASE OF THE ALTON.
Has Been Reset for Trial Some
time in September.
The Court Suggests PrOpriety
Of Further Prosecutions.
Evidence Involved Some Big
Kansas City Houses.
CASE OF THE ALTON.
Has Been Reset for Trial Some
time in September.
The Court Suggests PrOpriety
Of Further Prosecutions.
Evidence Involved Some Big
Kansas City Houses.

Kansas city Mo. June 22.-In the
United states district court here this
morning Judge smith Mcpherson Of
Red oak. Ia. passed sentence upon
the seven defendants recently convict
ca in this court Of making concessions
and accepting and conspiring to ac-
cept rebates on shipments. judgments
i'm the nature Of fines were assessed as
follows;
Swift & Co., $4,000
Cudahy Packing company $4,000
The Armour Packing company,
$4,000.
Nelson Norris & Co, $4,000
Chicago. Burlington & quincy rail-
way. $4,000.
George L. Thomas of New York
was fined $4,000 and sentenced to four
months in the penitentiary.
L. b. Taggart of New York was fined
$4,000 and sentenced to three months
in the penitentary.
The appearance in the federal court
here this morning for sentence of the
representative Of four meat packing
companies. one railway and two indi-
vidual defendants, recently convicted
of violating the Ell1ins law. marked the
end of the rebate cases to be tried at
This term Of court One other case,
that Of the Chicago & Alton and two
of its officials. has been reset for trial
in September.
The indictments upon which the
various defendants we're tried we're re-
turned in Kansas City by the grand
jury on December. 12, 1905.
The cases have been handled for the
government by A s Van Valkenburg.
the district attorney. and his assistant,
Leslie Lyons while the defendants
have been represented by some Of the
ablest counsel in the west OF the
eleven cases brought up a t this term,
the government has secured seven con-
victions. one defendant was acquitted
and three cases were dismissed.
George L. Thomas Of New YORK city,
a freight broker and his chief clerk.
l. B. Tageart. whose case was the first
to be tried, were convicted Of securing
rebates from railways on shipments
from New York to St. Louis and kan
sas CITY dry goods concerns. At their
trial several prominent merchants, who
admitted having signed contracts with
Thomas. testified to receiving at vari-
Gus times sums of money from mys-
terfous sources Many thousands of
dollars were thus received and some of
the witnesses admitted the likelihood
of it having come from Thomas. The
penalty provided is a fine of not less
than $1,000 nor more than $4,000, or
Imprisonment in the penitentiary for
not more than two years or both fine
and imprisonment
Crosby Was Discharged.
George n. Crosby. former assistant
freight traffic manager Of the Chicago.
burlington & Quincy railway, who was
charged with conspiring with Thomas
and Taggart to pay concessions was
discharged by Judge Mcpherson. The
court sustained demurrer presented
by Judge O. NJ. Spencer Of st. Joseph
general solicitor of the railway who
contended that no evidence had been
presented to connect Crosby with the
alleged conspiracy.
The Armour Packing company.
Swift & Co. CudahY s. Co. and the
Nelson Morris Packing company, were
tried jointly and convicted on the
charge Of accepting concessions from
the Burlington railway in connection
with connecting lines, on packing
house products for export via New
York.
The Burlington was convicted on
four counts of granting concessions to
the packing companies of Armour
swift. Cudahy and Nelson Morris The
penalty provided in the ease Of the
packers and the Burlington involves a
fine Of from $1,000 to 10000 on each
count. but not imprisonment.
The cases of the Chicago. Milwau-
kee & st Paul and the Chicago & Al
ton Railway companies charged with
EresSy. q freight broker of Kansas
City, charged with conspfring 10 secure
concessions from these railways were
dismissed upon the suggestion of Dis
trlcI Attorney Van Valkenburgh who
stated that he believed the railroads
mad In this case been imposed upon.
AS the case against Kresly was
predicated upon that against the rail-
Ways It was useless TO try him
In the case Of the Chicago & Alton
railway company and ]. n. Faithorn.
Us former vice president, and F. A
WaHn. its former assistant traffic
manager, charged with having given
concessions to the Sch warzschild &
suizperger Packing company. the de-
lrtdanIs ser up plea of immunity
UPON the ground that some of their
FiApioyes had testified before a federal
grand jury at Chicago concerning the
same transa actions for which they later
were indicted at Kansas City. Judge
AePhersou sustained the governments
demurrer TO this plea. but continued
me case over till next fall, when the
Sases AT Chicago probably will have
9Sru disposed of. This Alton case is
ulsanct from that in which Kresky
vas concerned.
Appeals Are Filed.
he fine of $4,000 assessed against
me burlington covered all four counts.
the aggregate of the fines in the seven
cases totailing $4,000.
appeals were filed in each case and
say OF execution was granted until
guAe ~ until they could be perfected
me ponds in the case OF Thomas and
AeSs3fl were fixed ct $4,000 each