Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-14
ACTIVE PROSECUTION
'Short-Meight" Ice Dealers
viii Be Arrested.
PLANS OF SEALER HASKELL
Nay Invoke Law Of False Pretenses
II Others Fail.
ADDITIONAL ARREST TODAY
No Collateral Less Than Twenty Dol
lars to Be Accepted After
Monday Next.
PLANS OF sEALER HASKELL
ADDITIONAL ARREST TODAY

Regardless of the fact that Seaier of
weights and Measures w. c. Haskell has
received no word from the corporation
counsel regarding the status of the appli-
cation for writ of error to carry to the
higher court the recent decision of Judge
Mullowny In the Police Court that the
Districts "short-weight law" is meaning
less. Col. Haskell is proceeding with NO
cessation Of vigor against the Ice dealers
who persist In selling their product at
short weight or without weighing IL at
all.
The seaier Is In no way dismayed by
Judge Mullowny's holding. and says he Is
prepared to continue prosecutions for vio-
lations of the weights and measures laws
by other methods in case the Police Court
decision is upheld.
He Ia determined to combat any dishon-
esty among Ice dealers. as well as all other
merchants To accomplish that end Sealer
Haskell Is prepared to fall back on the
present code OF the District with reference
to false pretenses. He u.s. advised that the
false pretense law Is sufficiently broad to
cover the short-weight offenses.
Law That May Be Invoked.
The section of the law he says he intends
to use follows:
'Whoever. by any false pretense, with in
tent to defraud obtains from any person
anything of value. or procures the execu-
ton and delivery Of any instrument of
writing or conveyance Of real or personal
property. or the signature Of any person.
as maker, fndorser or guarantor to or upon
any bond. bill. receipt. promissory note
oraft or check. or any other evidence of in
deotedness. and whoever fraudulently sells
barriers or disposes OF any bond, bill, re-
ce1pt, pr0mSSOry note, draft or check or
other evidence of Indebtedness for value
m tn ha u
ing the signature Of the maker indorser or
guarantor thereof to have been obtained by
any false pretenSes. shall, If the value Of
the property or the sum or value of the
money or property mentioned or described
IN the instrument so obtained, procured
sold. bartered or disposed of Is $35 or up
ward, be imprisoned not less than one year
nor more than three years; or II less tina
that sum shall be fined not more than GOO
or imprisoned for not more than (six
months) one year. or BOTH
To further reaSSure himself that the false
pretense statute was applicable Sealer Has
kell delved into The Standard Dictionary
and he has had many copies made of the
following definitions:
"False-To mislead; betray: defeat; con-
trary to truth: not accordant with fact; er-
roneous"
"Pretense-That which is pretended or al
legged as motive, excuse or pretext: espe-
cially that which Is advanced or displayed
for the purpose Of conceaIing of misrepre-
u
qualifying epithet Is used almost always
In a bad sense at the present day; It Is
qualified In traditional phrases like false
pretense PhraseS-False pretense (criminaI
law} a false representation as to a past Or
existing fact, made with a fraudulent design
to cause another to part with something of
value"
One Arrest Today.
One arrest was made this morning when
Assistant Sealer Howe took into custody
Frank Wells of 231 G. street southwest, the
driver of an American Ice Company wagon
Wells was charged with failure to weigh
ice. and he deposited $40 collateral at the
fourth precinct station house as security
for his appearance at court.
Sealer Haskell announced today that all
ing that they will be prosecuted for VIOLA
lions of the law. and he declared that no
collateral less than $40 will be accepted af-
ter Monday next.
In the Police Court.
Only two cases involving alleged VIOLA
lions OF the weights and measures law in
tho sale OF ice were presented In the Police
Court today. In both cases the defend
ants forfeited collateral. They were James
j. Reynolds and Leon Rucker, both employ
ed on a wagon of the Columbia Ice Com
pany Each deposited s. when arrested on
a charge of failing to weigh the ice they
sold to customers. Inspector Howe pre-
scented the cases, he having observed the
men making ice deliveries in the northeast
section of the city yesterday morning.