Evening star., 1908-01-25
Sentence imposed Today in
the Famous Suit.
END OF LONG LEGAL FIGHT
Both of the Defendants Admitted
Their Guilt.
THEY HOPED FOR LENIENCY
Judge Mcpherson in Passing Sen
tence Scored the Prisoners and
the Practice Heavily

KANSAS CITY. January 2o,-George l..
Thomas, freight broker OF New York
city and l.. B. Tasgart. his clerk, pleaded
guilty in the United States district court
here today to charge of conspirlng to
pay rebates to shippers. Judge Smith Nc
Pherson then fined Thomas $1,000 and
Taggart $4,000
Both defendants were in court. and
after sentence was passed checks cover
ing the fines were rendered and accepted
by the Judge
Thus ends the case against these men.
Jail sentences imposed al a previous trial
We're omitted today. Those sentences
were the first ever imposed for rebatinS.
At the time Thomas and Taggart were
first found guilty an appeal was taken
and the verdict was reversed on the
ground that the lower court had failed
TO instruct the jury on the presumption
of the innocence of the defendants. a
technical point.
Dealt With Many Shippers.
George L. Thomas maintained Il broker
age Office in New York. and represented
practically all the important shippers eH
the Missouri and Mississippi rivers under
a contract to route their freight from the
east and to collect overcharges in freight
bills. Thomas. with his clerk, l.. b. Tag
gart was indicted in December. 1865
charged with conspirinS with Barton
Bros. wholesale shoe merchants of Kan
sas City. 10 pay rebates on the latter
firms shipments.
In the trial of the case it was brought
out that Thomas had also agreed to Sc
cure rebates for other merchants. They
MGR in Thomas
the principal. was fined $1,000 and SEN
fenced to serve four months In jail. and
Taggart was fined 5000 and sentenced to
serve three months in Jail.
An appeal was taken, with tGe result
stated.
Asked for Courts Leniency.
O. NJ. Spencer appeared for the defend
ants today and asked the leniepcy Of the
court for his clients. saying that although
the first cases were reversed by the court
of appeals there is little in that court 5
opinion to encourage the hope of sue
cessful defense on a retrial.
The defendants had. he said. concluded
to plead guilty and trust to the fairness
of the court in the light of all the cir
cumstances surrounding the case to inn
pose only such punishment as is commen-
surate with the offense committed
Judge Mcpherson in passing sentence
upon InOIHdS ana ldSSdIt, Sdlu
Judge Scores Defendant.
In the full belief that the vicious prac-
tives of these defendants and the pay
ments of rebates have been stopped. and
in the belief that the practice of rebating
generally over the country has been
brought to an end by the vigorous action
of the government through the office of
the United States attorney of this dis
trict as we'll AS other districts there is
no occasion for the order of imprison-
ment."
Judge Mcpherson took occasion to say
that he believed the firms that accepted
the rebates were as guilty as the defend
ants and the railroads, and that he had
never been able to find why they had not
been indicted by the grand jury. He
would have liked, he said. to have had
the members Of these firms before him to-
day with power to pass sentence upon
them. 1.-The railroads. declared Judge
Mcpherson. .'are bounded to death with
rebate seekers. They are not entirely to
blame for all the rebating that has been
done"