The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-04
Spitzer'S Offer Told in Sugar
Prosecution
FOLLOWED THE FINDING
OF False Weight Appurtenances- Impor.
tant Point Won by the Government
Judge Martin Admits Testi-
mony on Irregularities.

the scandal and hide the faet that mis-
lions we're being stolen from the federal
treasury, was the charge openly made
before Judge Martin in the United States
court yesterday. Richard Parr the spe.
cial agent Of tile treasury department,
at last came out openly and said be was
working under direct orders from the
White House when, il 1907, lie began
the Investigation that developed one OF
the greatest scandals in official life Of
the government.
Parr swore that when as special
agent OF the treasury department, be
found the now notorious steel spring
by the use Of which the government was
cheated out Of thousands OF dollars in
customs, sugar men did all IN their
power to force him to abandon his in
vestieation He testified that they told
him to name his price for silence, He
said that when he refused to consider
their offers Splitter called him a d----
fool for not taking the money, saying
that it had been done before
Parr was the second witness on the
stand yesterday He said that as a
special agent Of the treasury department
in 1907 he discovered the use Of the
fraudulent spring device and the notorl-
ous seventeen holes IN the stauchions
on the scales on the Williamsburg docks.
Proir to serving the government rs spe-
cial agent Parr had acted as a special
employee Of the treasury department
lie was familiar. he said, with condi.
tions on the Williamsburg docks hav-
ING worked there as a sampler IL sugar
IN 1890
Parr then told Of his work preceding
the exposure % fraud on Nov 20, 1907.
ITe stated that he left his Office On the
morning Of Nov ", 1907 with Bfezin-
sky. also a special agent Of the treasury
department who was subsequently, dis
missed from the service There was
weighing going on AZ the time, and he
went 10 scale house No. |, where Kehoe,
one Of the defendants, was acting a.
the sugar compsnv's checker
Parr said that when he entered The
scale house he fonnd the weigher en-
gagged IN weighing ten drauahts Of sugar
with the checker, Keh0e sitting beside
the scales fapha, Che welgher. had All
ready added Wp several columns and
made the entries 81 weights when he
entered said parr Ile ordered several
draughts reweiahed. and noted the Pc
cuIiar stopped over attitude 81 Kehoe,
who was Mt the end Of the scale II
il charged that Kehoe was enc of the
checkers who manipulated the spring
device
Photographs Of thu interior If the
scale house, showing he Arrangement Of
the room and the positions Of the weigh
or and checker. we're shown TO the iury.
Parn said be became suspicious of
Kehoe and took his place. He reached
around the end Of the scale. and bis
hand, he said struck foreign sub.
stance. which turned out 70 Be the spring
device.
II asked Kshoe how long he had been
using the SPRING said Parr. lie col-
ored up and paled alternately ! called
over Brezinsky to see the spring and
also tapha, the weigher went ont
to telephone and told Brezinsl,y not 70
let anyone into the scale house. When
] came out, ! met Oliver splitter, who
took me BY the arm and said Ne wanted
to see me TO fix this thing mp. | told
him there was nothing to fix up, and
that ii there was any trouble they must
get out Of It. Splitter told me that
.if ! reported the scales out Of order It
would be at my own price II had been
done before and il would mean money
to me If | would do ii. | told him l
didn't want any money In that way.
"fe then asked ME 70 have Brezfnskv
come out and talk it over continued
the witness. y refused to allow Bre-
2insky ID leave the scale house splitter
then told me that ought not to get a
fellow Mason in trouble. | told him
this affair had nothing to 40 with the
Masons"
what was Spitzer's attitude when
he came up to YOU" asked Mr.. stim
son.
"He was very much excited and fairly
blue ia the face" replied parr
"Mr, Hyatt the government weigher
then came up continued The witness,
"and asked me what the matter was.
didn't know him and didn't answer, but
when | was told who be was. / asked him
to 90 into the scale house ith me IN
there ] showed him the spring and
asked him to 40 some weighing with and
without It. He weighed several draughts
in that way
@Aftpr this, I met splitter aqan near
the scale house. and he started &c talk
to me again and told me 7 was
fool not to take the money! paid no
attention to the remark. but continued
on to examine the other scale houses"
How long was II after FIRST going
to scale house M that vou went to
the Others I" asked Mr. Stimson.
about an hour
What scale house did you 20 to
nextf'
NO ~
Who was weighing for the govern.
ment n
Morris 0Briene
Who was the chackergs
"Coyle,n was the reply,
What did you find there2'
4 found Tie hole, but not the spring.
Where did you so then &"
TO scale house No. 3. and from there
to No 4"
parf explained that he continued this
investigation through all the scale
houses. but found nothing but the holes,
intimatina that The spring devices had
been removed while he was busy in scale
house no i
On cross examination bv Henry F.