Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-24
CONSCIENCE HURT;
SP|TZER TEST|FIES
OF SUGAR FRAUDS
Taft Secretly Pardons Former
EmpIoye of Trust to Appear
Against Heike
PRODUCT is UNDERWEIGHED
Testimony of Witness Does Not
Connect Defendant mmag1dtte
Directly with Conspiracy
Associated Press1


NJ EW YORK, May 23.-Oliver Spitz-
Y er, a man whose conscience hurt
~ him, came back to New York to-
day like a specter from the grave, and
with a pardon from the president in
his pocket, gave testimony at the trial
Of Charles r. Heike, secretary-treas-
urer of the American Sugar Refining
company, who, with five subordinates,
is charged with conspiracy to defraud
the government in underweights Of
sugar imports.
Splitter, as superintendent of the
company's Williamsburg (Brooklyn)
docks, got two years in the Atlanta
prison for his participation in the
frauds, but he was quietly pardoned
by the president last Thursday after
having served three months and hav-
ing made a full confession, from now
on will aid the government in its at
tempt to convict his former aSsoci-
ates.
Spitzer's story on the stand today
did not directly connect Heike with
the frauds, but his confession resulted
in one new arrest tonight, James o.
Brzezinski, formerly an employe of the
treasury department, and now a pri-
vate detective, was locked in the
Tombs, charged with perjury. Splitter
confessed he attempted to bribe
Brzezinski to conceal the frauds and
the latter is alleged to have denied this
before a federal grand jury.
TELLS AMAZING STORY
Splitter told an amazing story on
the stand today under direct examina-
ton, and hurried from the court to the
federal grand jury room. This led to
Ii E.YIT I.Cra
would result in another batch of in
dictments. He was not cross-eXamined
by the defense, because of the peculiar
situation created by his sudden ap-
pearance as a government witness.
Splitter went back to the years 1894
and 1895 when. he said, an investiga-
ton he made developed the fact that
weights on raw sugar by placing
small bags of lead on the beams
of the scales, causing the recorded
weights to drop below the actual often
as much as forty pounds on each draft.
In addition, Splitter said, it was also
the practice to stuff paper underneath
the floors Of the scales for the same
purpose He said that when Deputy
Surveyor of Customs Vail took office
these devices were abandoned and the
use of the steel corset spring was be-
gun and continued.
NEW DEVELOPMENT APPEARS
Spitzers testimony regarding the
notwithstanding device of the paper
underneath the scale was new de-
velopment Heike listened to Spitzer's s
testimony with tense interest. Splitter
talked freely about the frauds by
which the government was robbed of
millions of dollars. He said the use of
the steel springs was stopped after the
I,,I fln TsnIl fa fn tln
government as a result of the federal
suit.
Did you arrange a system of signal
lights in the scale house?" suddenly
asked the prosecution.
Eyes, sir' replied Spitzer, who then
related that the signals were used to
warn the WeigherS of any sudden dan
ger.
How were the lights worked?"
"By a switch in my office" replied
Splitter, who said that the switch was
turned whenever a government official
was seen to approach.
Two of the defenses lawyers had
previously appeared for Splitter when
he was defendant, and for ethical
reasons could not examine him.
The court ruled they must agree on
someone to examine him Wednesday.
No promise of pardon brought about
authorities. His conscience merely
hurt him, it was explained, but realiz-
ing the Importance of his testimony
and the legal obstacles likely to bar it
were he a convict, the government re-
stored him to citizenship.
When convicted in February last,
Splitter declared the sugar trust had
made him the scapegoat.
'It bounded and ruined me after L
had served faithfully for twenty-nine
years." he said then. Today, he told
how, for years, he had assisted in the
alleged frauds.
Allen e. Hawxhurst, an employe of
the sugar trust for eighteen years as
an assistant cashier under Bender
nagle, corroborated Spitzer by testify
ing Gerbacht ordered various raises in
the pay of the government checkers.
1t had been testified earlier in the trial
that the government checkers got SO
extra per week, over and above the
sum noted on the pay envelope. Ben
dernagle sometimes ordered the adj
vances, testified the witness. This, too,
was in corroboration of Spitzer's testi-
mony.