The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-11-26
LOEB'S AXE FALLS
ON NECKS OF z
SUGAR FRAUD MEN
INSPECTOR VAIL HEADED THE
LIST OF THE DIS
CHARGED.
OTHERS ARE SLATED To GO
Philip Musica Charged That He
Was Taught to Beat The Govern.
ment by its Own Employees-coL
lector's Statement.

lectors Statement.
NEW YORK. Nov. 19.-The wedding
out from the customs service of the
men who have been implicated in the
sugar fraud and other schemes to
cheat the government, but against
whom no evidence OF actual commits
sion Of crime has been obtained, be.
gan in earnest today when Collector
Loeb announced the discharge of
James F. Vail formerly deputy sur
veyor in charge of the weighing divis-
ion; Geo. e. Bedell an inspector and
same division James P. Hyland and
Joseph 0. Carroll, foremen of weighing
districts, and eighteen other weighers
and gaugers whose names are not
mentioned in the official report given
out at the customshouse. So far as
could be learned the men granted
immunity and retention of their jobs
for testifying against Philip Musica
at his trial for cheating the govern
ment out of duties on cheese are in
cluded among the men whose heads
went into the basket today. Whether
or not any of the discharged employees
will have to face criminal charges
later is a question which both Collec-
tor Loeb and United States Attorney
Stimson refused to answer today
The official statement of the remov-
ais as given out by the collector is as
follows:
collector Loeb announced today
the separation from the customs SER
vice of the following: George f. Be
dell, an inspector, formerly chief clerk
of the weighing division James P.
Hyland and Joseph o. Carroll, ex-
foremen of weighing districts; ten as
sistant weighers, one inspector, for
merly assistant gauger, and one as
sistant gauger.
James f. Vail, formerly deputy sur
veyor in charge of the weighing divi-
sion, is dropped from the service and
his office of deputy collector is abol-
ished. The collector has no proof, nor
have Special Assistant Attorney-Gen-
eral Stimson and Smith, of any cor
ruption on his part, but he was in
charge of the weighing division dur
ing the time that the extensive under
weighing frauds were perpetrated, and
the fact that such conditions could
exist in his department warrants his
separation from the service on the
ground of negligence and ineficiency
I'm addition to the above, since
March 9, last, the day the collector
took office, he has removed from the
service for irregularities in the weigh
ing department, eighteen other Off
Gals. six of whom are now under in
uictment. In other branches of the {
service he has removed for cause thir-
ty-six officials, making the total num- e
Der of removals from the service since
March 8, seventy-three.
"The collector is continuing his in
vestigation."
Vail and Hyland are the men who
were accused by Philip Musica of
teaching him the way to cheat the
government. Musica, during his trial, /.
said that Hyland introduced him to
Vail as zone of our clients" and that
Vail told him, 81 guess we can take
care of you" Musica also said that :,
when things got warm he met Vail
by appointment on ferry boat and !,
that Vail told him to get away as :
n
soon as he could. :,
Vail at that time, although not :
called to refute Musicals testimony on -
he witness stand, denied that he had
ever seen Musica before the trial be- ..
gan.
Collector Loeb refused today to add
my details to the typewriter state >
nen which he gave on, or discuss
what further action, if any, may be
aiken with regard to Vail, Hyland, and
he others. Mr. Stimson was equally
eticent He refused to say whether th
n not immunity would be granted in NJ
ase any of the discharged men had h,
violence to give. Ia
It is said that the removals, al II
hough not unexpected, have caused bl