The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-23

Savannah, Ga, January 20.-The
most interesting session that has yet
been held by the federal court in it's
two weeks consideration of the Greene
and GaynOr case was that of today,
when Special Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Marion Erwin, in a long and de-
tailed arraignment. explained to the
jury the governments contentious as
to the guilt of the defendants, and
indicated just what the prosecution
would endeayor to establish with in
contestible proofs.
Both defendants were present, as
they have been every day of the trial,
but they did not seem particularly
moved by language that charged them
with the seduction of former Captain
Oberlin NJ. Carter from his duty. and
the embeZZlement of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars
Assistant Attorney Marion Erwin
said the government would seek t.
show that Lieutenant o. M. Carter
came here in 1884 under General Gill
more, and was connected with the riv-
er and harbOr work when apprOpria-
tions for giver and harbor were not so
large as now. Carter was appointed
in charge upon the death of General
General Gilmore, and the government
would show, said Mr.. Erwin, that he
fell in with Greene and Gaynor. At an
early stage Mr.. Erwin said, the con-
tractors started to work On Carter,
getting him into little side contracts
with them and making little money
tor him or at least so pretending;
then they commenced to lend MIN
money. He would pay the money back
and at first the loans were incons1dera-
BILE, but soon the amounts grew to as
much as $4,000, gradually the amounts
increased and he became involved in
contracts and enterprises with them.
Then the alleged cOnspirators inter-
ested the people of Savannah IN getting
very large appropriation for Savan-
nah harbor work. Congress made this
great appropriation, and in 1891, Mr.
Erwin said, Carter went over to Greens
and Gaynor body and soul"
When the payments began upon the
contracts, divisions of the money could
be shown to have been made at the end
of each month as regularly as clock
work. From 1892 continued Mr.. En-
win month by month, the balances
from payments, after defraying the ex
penses Of the work, were split up by
Greene, Gaynor and Carter In equal
amounts
In the advertising of various con-
tracts, Mr.. Erwin declared Carter did
not follow the regulations, often on
S1,000,000 contracts cutting down the
time and so managing as to suppress
competition and leave the work neces-
sarily to fall to the Atlantic Contract
ing Company. of which Greene and
Gaynor and Carter were the chief ben
eficiaries Various obstacles we're
thrown in the way Of other prospective
bidders. Carter was said to have kept
the specification under lock and key,
guarding them carefully and knowing
every man who got a copy. The al
Legged conSpirators, it was stated.
bought off other bidders. and the work
was let to the Atlantic Contracting
Company at exorbitant prices.
In one instance, said Mr.. Erwin,
where they could not buy off an OUT
slider, the government was saved over
100000 on one contract. In the course
of five or six years, he said, from 1891
to 1897. the contracts with that single
SXC0DCIOn, went W IIcc1c duu 'IOA
and Carter and the net profits wera
regularly divided among these three
In the exception, when the contract
went to an outsider, Mr.. Erwin said.
they put the screws upon him and
caused him to fail, Carter treating him
with a severity that he never showed
in his demands upon Greene and Gay,
nor, thus crushing him so that there
was no longer any competition.
Mr.. Erwin, with pencils and bundles
of straws, Indicated the construction
of mattresses and fascines. He said
that Carter had three designs of mat
tresses set forth in the specifications,
stating that the engineer might require
use Of any one of the three specified