The Washington herald., 1909-11-13

for the frauds had confessed and were
giving the government assistance in fol-
lowing up the trail 10 officers OF the COM
pany.
Prominent I'm Brooklyn.
Tho Indictment made public to-day is
blanket indictment and names as de-
/ PENDANTS. beside Bendernagel, oliver Spit
yer. the dock superintendent: Thomas
Rehoe. Gene Voelker. Edward A. Boyle,
John r. Coyle, and Patrick J. Hennessey.
These men were indicted some time ago.
/ Splitter. as dock superintendent. worked
under Mr. BendernaEel. but only recently
| the government investigators seemed 20
have been baked in following the trail
beyond splitter. Mr. BcndernaEeI and Mr..
/ Havemever were the closest friends. Ben
| dernagel is d director Of the Eastern dis
trict hospital vice president Of the Han
over Club in Brooklyn. and a member Of
| the Congress Club.
The Indictment against BendernaEel and
! the others charges them with cOnspirlng
10 defraud the government in connection
with the entry Of 1850 bags Of raw sugar
/ from Cuba on the steamship Eva on
August q, 1907. The true weight of the
L
weight on which duty was paid was
| 9.O526oS pounds. The government. by
! reason Of the fraud, was cheated out OF
! 81. 69407. The second count in the iudict-
ment charges that on May I, 1907, Ben
dernagel Splitter and the others con-
spired with James j. Iallgau, jr.. and
! other persons 10 defTaud the government
out Of duty on impOrtatiOns between that
| date and the date of exposures Of the
/ fraud. on November %. 1901 Various
overt acts are reclted IN the case or some
| OF the men who were weighcrs.
Ready To Pay ID.
| Treasurer Arthur Bonner Of the Amer
lean Sugar Refining Company, said to-
day that should the government present
any evidence that the company owed It
any more money it would gladly pay up.
He said that the company's officers were
OF the opinion, however. that they had
struck an honest balance with the gov
eminent.
Mr.. Bonner seemed TO be surprised at
the evidence presented to-day regarding
the new chapter of frauds in the ap-
praisers stores.
Il came 10 this company in 1900, be-
lieve," he said. Il never heard of any
such transactions. 1 never would have
countenauced any such thing"
When Collector Loeb read Of the frauds
| discovered by Mr.. Wakeman. he set on
foot an investigation to discover who
the James Vail was referred TO in Mr..
Wakeman's vouchers as having paid a
bride 10 Mr. Wakeman's investigator
Later on Mr.. Loeb announced that there
were two James Walls. and that the
James F. Vail now deputy collector and
formerly the deputy surveyor in charge
Of the government weighers on the docks
Of the sugar trust, was not the James
| Vail who appeared as giving the bride.
Congress May Probe.
Representative William S. Bennett. who
is one Of Parsons leaders in the Re
publican organization. went 10 see Col
lector Loeb and United States Attorney
Wise to-day to ask IL a Congressional in
vestigation was desirable. The result Of
his inquiry made 1t appear that an in
vestigation was not desirable" Mr.
| Bennett did not say whether anybody had
! sent him to find out. He said:.
Upon publication Of reports in relation
! to the situation in the customs service I
| consulted with United States District At
torney Wise regarding the ACCESSIBILITY Of
| a Congressional investigation. Mr. Wise
| informed me that such an investigation
at this time would be prejudicial to the
courts Of criminal justice. and [ shall
| Of course abide by his Judgment"
Mr.. Bennett did not explain how Con-
| gressional investigation would interfere
1 with attempts 10 get at the whole truth
! concerning the sugar trusts iniquity.