New-York tribune., 1907-08-30
ALLEGED METER FRAUD
pJFCTRICI4N ARRESTED.
Charged s.ith Selling a DeUice to
Suindle the Edison Company.

Bs-fh. an electrician VINO was arrested
n Wednesday charged with manufacturing a
--s-,et which can turn back the record OF the
e,sc--ic meters OF the Edison company and with
hs,--g two-OUnce vial of knockout drops il his
nnssession was UP before Magistrate Breen in the
aoraSs police court yesterday. Barth held in
xUo hail OF The knockout drops charge and in
ssn. on the other. pending an investigation. The
tea-ing viii be September 8 The electrician
rres al No 81 Sixth He denied that he
eyer had knockout drops in his pockets and init
mated .hat Inc accusation part OF plot OF
the police 10 railroad him TO prison He also said
.tst he was innocent of the other charge.
The detective bureau maintained by the Edison
eoragary has been working the case for eighteen
months II found. declared in court. that
twenty-five hundred attachments were in use by
rersons % ~ classes There are people prominent
A. this city Detective Miller OF headquarters. said
"1l,o have bought the device knowing that they
were def-auding the company when they had the
attachment put on
The arrest was made by Detectives Miller and
Griffith. They say that Barth showed fight He and
: B Percell an agent Of the Edison company, were
II the cellar Of No Isl Clinton street, Manhattan.
where Al experiment Is said 10 have been made
Ha-th did not know Perceu Edison er1ploye.
but was led 20 believe according 10 the police that
he was one OF owners Of the saloon on the
ground Of the building. 10 whom Barth Is al
legged TO have tried to sell tie attachment for s2o
Everything had been arranged by the detectives 10
tran him and they say Barth easy victim
When Barth was searched the detectives say
they found IN Of his pockets q two ounce vial
containing liquid. The label on the bottle read
-'Knockout Petre." The police have turned the
,iuuid over 10 chemist for analysis The defend
ant in court disclairned any knowledge Of having
Knockout drops IN his possession. He said when
he vas searched at Police Headquarters there
Was no vial in his pocket. but that the detectives
,old him later that he had the drops In his pos
session.
The electrician explained n court yesterday that
la5 ro i'm plans to construct
the peculiar apparatus. He denied that he ever
knew what the cont-ivance was intended FOR. He
.aia Purcell had agreed to pay him ss5 for IL
The scheme itself described simple inven-
.on The company is loath give out details
until the case completed Exterory- the device
consists OF sheet iron box the side pieces OF
which ara of heavier iron These sides project
doHrvrard some inches. making sort OF stand
which is securely attached 10 the meter FROM
II are passed two wires which connected with
an outside electric current When properly operated
the invention has the peculiar virtue Of driving the
Indicator Of the dial Of the back TO zero In
g very short space Of time and with little use Of
electricity. The box is finished with aluminium
paint.
trrance about two years ago. bst # is understood
that difficulty found in getting evidence against
the prisoner and he discharged The com
panys detectives did not let the matter drop now
e-er and now assert that they have the man WHO
has made all the machines.
Perth is twenty-five years old Through MS al
.o-nev J. B. @. Rinehar1. Of No 43 Cedar street.
re made q statement in which he said he was an
er-.e-1 mechanic and had made models OF various
.n-entjons He said. according 10 Nj hlhehai" |"
that one W X Kenny had come 10 him WIN llaiis
for rne construction OF apparatus Ike 1Iiat
which -aused the elecrrician's arrest. and asked
him 10 make one like it Barth did So and the
conuauv detective paid him $50 on account Tor ms
rork Barth denied ever having made such ma
chine before
According to Mr. Rinehart, Barth never carried
knoc kout drops in his life, and when he was
searched at the Madison street police station be
fore being taken TO Police Headquarters no slch
.hing was found IN his possession
The address No Isl Clinton street where Barth
was arrested. is that Of saloon run by Couiin
G Touhey. When a reporter for The Tribune called
a the saloon last night man who said he was
one OF the proprietors refused TO discuss Barth s
arrest
The Edison corpany's officers declare they OBJ
faiaed information several months ago that Barh
xas making and selling his invention, but that
tAey were unable 10 get any positive evidence
against him. Charles ]. Taylor, attorney for the
corporation. says the company has been swindled
of hundreds Of thousands dollars by the
device.