Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-20
CHEESE WEIGHERS TO GO
Ak Likely to Strike Culprits Who
Were Kept in Office.
VAIL SAYS HE IS THE GOAT
Declares His Skirts Are Clean
Year Remains to Bring Sugar
Trust to Justice.

MacVeagh's statement as to the NUMBER
of custom house employees dismissed and
| denoted.
I'VE are in the midst of the greatest
shake-up in the history Of the United
States customs department" said the col
lector. More employees have been dis
missed from the New York office since 1
| took charge than during the entire pre-
vious history of the service. and We are
not through yet. We are going to keep
at it until the New York custom house
is made thoroughly respectable.
Secretary MacVeagh's statement In
Washington shows what We had accom-
plished. Add to that the employees dis
missed yesterday and you will see we
have gone pretty thoroughly into the
matter. ] am continuing my investlga-
tons and l can say that there are some
more heads to be Topped off SOON
Mr.. Loeb explained that the list he had
made public yesterday included only those
employees dismissed under charges con-
nected with the frauds. Secretary Mac
Veaghs list. he said, included minor en-
ployes dismissed for less important rea-
sons and men employed In departments
not under the collectors control.
The weighing division has been pretty
well cleaned out and all other men under
suspicion in that department will proba-
bly, go between now and December 1.
Cheese Weighers Likely to Go.
The three men who testified in the
Musica cheese weighing case that they
had been promised immunity and con-
tinuation in the service are likely to be
dismissed before long, 1t was learned out
side the custom house.
1t is understood that the promise made
them was that the underweighing of
cheese consigned to the Musicas would
not be made a basis for their removal.
Whether any other irregularities in their
official conduct have been discovered Is
not known.
By far the most important Of the men
who lost their positions yesterday is
James f. Vail. He was at the head OF
the weighers' division for years, and Be-
dell was his chief clerk. Hyland and
O'CarrOll were foremen Of Weighing dis
| tricts. In the ordinary course Of bust
ness assistant weighers reported to Hy-
land and O'CarrOll. They reported to
Bedel, who I'm turn reported to Vail.
Philip Musica, who pleaded guilty In the
cheese case, testified that Hyland first
pointed out to him the possibilities Of un-
derweighing, told him " all the importers"
were doing it. and offered to introduce
him to Vail. A letter Musica said he re-
ceived from Hyland contained references
to Jim as being afraid of F. and of
Jim wishing to speak with Musica. The
Jim referred to was Vail.
"I'm the Goat" Says Vail.
I'm the goat" said Vail. but have
been absolutely faithful to the govern.
ment for the whole twenty-five years
have been in the service. Mr.. Loeb's
statement today bears out that assertion.
II never took a dollar of graft, and
when / was at the head of the weighing
department I ferreted out the original
frauds. My work then resulted in the
prosecution and discharge of two assist
ant weighers, and since that time the
weighers have been against me.
Yes. 1 am the goat"
The six weighers mentioned by Mr..
Loeb in his statement are the big six
indicted with Oliver Splitter. Williams
burg dock superintendent OF the sugar
trust.
Splitter .emurred to his recent indict-
ment yesterday. So did James F. Bender
nagel, the sugar trust manager. and the
six minor employees indicted with him.
1t was thought some time ago that
Splitter would turn government evidence,
but this is now considered unlikely. The
demurrers are to be argued Monday.
The dismissals yesterday were not all
in connection with the underweighing
frauds. Two Of the men were charged
with having accepted fve-dollar tips from
a
Hoboken docks. 1t is possible that the
district attorney will he asked to take
action In the cases of these two men
today or tomorrow.
In connection with the discharge of the
men who had been assistant gaugers II
was learned that Collector Loeb discov-
cred not long ago that importers of oil
and wine were accommodated by the
assistant gaugers, just as cheese and su-
gar importers were accommodated by the
t,ha rt,a of fn
port sixty-gallon as thirty gallon casks.
In one case a sixty-gallon cask was re-
ported as containing only twenty-eight
gallons. The net profit to the importer
was about S2D.
1t Is believed that many more dismiss
ais in the gaugiDg department will be
recorded before long. also In connection
with the examination of baggage along
the piers.
Sugar Trust Case Lays.
The case against the sugar trust did
not advance a step yesterday. 1t is I'M
derstood that the special attorneys for
the government have not been able, so
far. to get anything like convincing evil
dence against any one higher up than
Bendernagel, and that the case against
him is not particularly strong. There is.
in fact, little prospect Of an indictment
of any of the high officials of the trust.
The weighing frauds on the Williams
burg docks were discovered In November
1907. 1t is, therefore. two years since the
elimination of the conspiracy. IL there
was one, and as the statute Of limitations
runs out in three years, the government
has less than one year in which to get
it's evidence and find indictments that will
hold water.
The time is so short that should the
lawyers for the trust be able to Quash
one set of indictments, there would not
be time for reindictment before the stat
ute of limitations protected the trust off,
GERS from prosecution.
1t was learned yesterday that a gov
eminent employee active at one time In
running down the sugar frauds laid evil
dence OF character entirely different
from that In the underweighing cases
before a Treasury official just before the
crooked scales were discovered. This evil
dence was said to be much more impor-
tant than the evidence OF underweighing
He was told:
you had better not go any farther
along that line fer. the present. 1t might
look too much like persecution"
The matter was dropped and has not
had il been followed II would have re-
suited quite disastrousiy to the high Of
ficials of the trust.
Water Theft Not Taken Up.
John III. O'Brien. commissioner Of wa
ter supply, said in letter to Mayor
|