New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-04
PARIS BRIBE STORY
TESTIFIES HE COULD
N1UE HIS PRICE,.
Sugar Fraud Investigation Be
gun, He Says, Under
ROOSerel's Orders.

Richard Parr, who as a special en-
ploye of the Treasury Department. dis
covered the frauds at the Havemeyer &
Elder dock. told mis- story yesterday at
the trial of the six former employees Of
the American Sugar Refining Company
in the United States Circuit Court The
little steel spring which was used in the
scales to influence the weight adversely
To the government was on exhibition. II
was the finding of this spring which cost
the sugar company $2.135.0OO.
The accused men, James F. Bender
nagel. Oliver Splitter. Thomas Kehoe.
John r. COyle Edward A Boyle and
Patrick ]. Hennessey. shifted nervously
as the narrative proceeded. Their cOun-
sci, Henry f. Cochrane. Clarence LexOw
and George NJ. Mackellar. fought strenu-
Ously 10 check the testimony. but Judge
Martin said he had decided To admit the
evidence the government had to offer as
TO matters before and after the day of
the raid. November 20,-l901- 81. .-
Parr told of approaching Scale No l.
Japha. the government weigheT, had
started To adjust the balances for
truck load of sugar. but seeing the spe-
cial employe. got up. Parr ordered him
To continue. and then when the load had
been trundled off the platform. he turned
I" the company checker. KehOe, one of
the defendants, . no was sitting I'm the
scale house at the left of Japha.
'KehOe had cOlored up and then be
came pale" Parr said. He was ner-
vOus- | made him get up. and. going
ct ha I
been sitting. l felt down the stanchion
where his hand had been and felt a for
eign substance. / got a match. struck il,
and in the flare saw the wire L asked
Kehoe to come and look at it, He re-
fused to DO so. / asked him how long
he had been using this wire. He said he
did not know. ! called Japha and
BrZeZinski special Treasury agent who
had been helping Ine in the case. and
had them look at the wire Then went
out and telephoned to the Surveyors Of
flee for a scale expert"
TELLS OF TRIBE OFFER.
Splitter. Parr said. appealed to him not
to expose the fraud. The former dock
superintendent. according to the witness.
declared that as Masons they should
stand together. Parr continued:
splitter took me by the arm and said
that this thing must be fixed up / said
there was no fixing mp To be done. Spit
ZeT said that we were all MasOns and
that if | told of the discovery he and
the others would be discharged. l said
l could not help that: that they had
made the trouble themselves
He said that l should report the scales
out Of order and l could name my price
He said he had already fixed others the
same way and would sooner cut his right
arm off than give any one away. He
said | ought To ;tand by my obligation
as a Mason and not go back on a brother
Mason. l told him Masonry had nothing
to do with it
Parr. after telling of the arrival of
Thomas ID. Hyatt the United States
weigher in charge of that district. his
examination of the scale and PARIS re-
moval OF the steel spring. said ne went
the rounds of the other scales. but be
fore getting to them met Splitter again.
splitter said was a fool for not TAX
ing the money" ne witness continued.
that iron. referring To the steel spring.
| said there was 40 chance. had the
iron in my pocket.
According to Parr. Splitter was in
tenseIy concerned and excited. Parr
found holes in the stanchions OF the SIX
teen other scales. In three scale houses.
he said. he found COyie, Hennessey and
HalIigan. who was indicted last spring.
weighing sugar. There We're no other
springs. however. The witness told OF
the coming OF James +. Vail, Deputy
Surveyor at that time. He had heard
that there was trouble at the dock. and
made an investigation. Parr identified
pieces of wood In which were the holes
These pieces had been cut out under his
direction.
EFFECT OF THE SPRING.
The trucklOads which contained bags
OF sugar from the steamship Strathyre
were reweighed. and showed differences
in weight Of from three 10 fourteen
pounds. owing TO the removal OF the