The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-18
He Denies That He Was Ever in
Business of Sweating"
Coins.
LAYS RESPONSIBILITY
ON TWO NINE OWNERS
Witnesses Testify Against the
Defendant; Gregory
Again Today.


sweating" gold coins, and which has
been on trial before Judge Marshall in
the United States district court for the
past two days will be given into the
hands Of the jury some time today. 1t
is confidently expected that before ad-
iournment of court this afternoon, the
verdict of the jury will be known and
there is a possibility that sentence VIII
have been passed. With the conclusion
of this case, Gregory probably will be
tried on the charge OF having IN his
possession a complete counterfeit out
lit at the time of his arrest.
The feature of the second day OF the
trial of this young man was his taking
the stand in his own behalf, and making
general denial of the charges against
him and the testimony of the govern
, ment 3 witnesses.
The first witness OF the afternoon
was D. X. Goddard, operator of the mint
at Denver, Mr.. Goddard said that there
bad been taken up in sweated' coins
at the mint 124 $50 gold pieces, 200 $40
and Al S5 gold pieces, these having
total value of $6,s35. The weight of
these gold pieces before having been
submitted to the sweating" process
they had been sweated" tho weight
was 6,735. pennyweight, The total
! amount of gold taken from these CONT
! was 624.57 peunyweight, total value
in dollars and cents of $56060.
Gregory On the Stand.
Gregory was the first TO take the
stand after Mr.. Goddard, the govern
ment resting with the completion of the
Denver mau s testimony. He said that
he was born in this city % years ago
and that he was married seven years
hol Io Ir-uS
employed rs a clerk for ten years by
w. 2. o 'Meara, leaving his employ IN
| 1901. For three years he conducted u
cigar business at 61 West First South
street. He had made study of all
kinds OF chemicals, having great lik
ing for the subject, and had made a
speciality of testing base bullion for the
purpose OF separating gold from platir
nun. He claimed that the bullion had
been brought to him by two men named
Taylor and Lawrence, they bringing
him the material because they did not
want it. known that they bad ground
which contained gold and platinum. This
gold and platinum, lie said, came III
slugs weighing from oue-half TO one and
two ounces. The greater part of the
slugs were lead and they contained
platinum.
lie identified the various bottles. Jars.
batteries and other vessels on exhibition
as his. saying they had been taken from
his laboratory. He admitted that Tay-
lor and Lawrence had heen bringing
him bullion for three years, and that
the platinum was turned over to them
while the gold was his.
Two letters addressed to the Denver
mint and signed 81. A. McEwan,n he
admitted having wnden, saving that
there was judgment of S75 against
him In this city, and he used his wife S
maiden name so that an attachment
cou'd not be placed upon his returns to
satisfy this judgment. He said that
once he had mixed some jewelrv gold
with that taken from the ore. and it
had reduced the fnencss Of the gold
materially.
At the Cullen Hotel.
Gregory told how, three davs after
his arrest, be had been taken from the
county Jail to a room in the Cullen hotel
by Secret Service Officer II. B Rich
ardson, and how the latter had tried to
wring a confession from him. lie
claimed he had nothing to confess. after
which be was returned 10 the jail where
he has since been confined.
He admitted that two money orders
which We're introduced at the trial Mon
day, made payable to his wife. and
signed by Z. A Lake and the other by
w. y. katz, were cashcd by him lie
said that any name which came into
his head was used In signing the money
orders, and that the only way in which
his name appeared in the cashing OF
these was when his wife indorsed them
over to him TO be cashed.
He said that the testimony of vii
liam Tones, employed In a local restau-
rant. was untrue. Tones had testified
that Gregory always paid for his meals
with gold coins, but that several times
he had refused TO take gold in return,
saying the coins had been "sweated.
A I clerk In the office of the Welsh Fargo
Express company had testified Monday
that Gregory had frequently brought
silver to the office and had it exchanged
for gold, and that occasionally he had
brought gold and had it exchanged for
silver. This was strenuously denied by
the defendant He admitted buying
drinks at the Union and Plaza saloons,
and said that he probably paid for these
drinks with 50 gold pieces, but was not
certain. He denied ever having
swoated' coin or having at
tempted to swindle the government in
any way. lie said he had never had a
" sweated' coin in his possession in his
life that he knew of.
AS it was impossible to finish the di-
rect examination of Gregory Tuesday
afternoon, he was excused until 10 !
O'Clock this morning, when his case will !
be resumed.
Gregory Contradicted.
Justice F. NJ. Bishop, who for the |
past 80 years has been an assaycr here.
told of receiving a slug from counsel
Tor the defense. on Saturday which he
had tested THIS suP weighed Is IL
ounces and contained three ard twenty. |
hundredths ounces of cold, three nun. !
dredths of an ounce of silver and the
lao 7 4 A.
contained any platinum, which was m
direct contradiction to the testimony
given by Gregory.
State Chemist Herman Harms re.
sumed the stand at the opening of court
Tuesday morning. He was subjected to
a rlgld cross examination by Attorney
Hoffman for the defense. C. C. Girls
man. assayer, explained that Gregory 3
process was a successful one in taking
gold from coins and W. D. Matthias, in