The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-05-26
SUGAR WEICHER IS
PARDONED TO AID
The PROSECUTION
Sensation Is Sprung When He Is
Called as q Witness Against
Secretary Of Trust.

New York, May 25.-The trump car
secretary of the American Sugar Re-
6ning company, was played at the
opening of the sugar trust under
weighing conspiracy trial today when
prosecutor Stimson called as the gov
ernment's witness Oliver Splitter, ror-
mer superintendent of the Williams
burg docks, who some months ago was
convicted of underweighing, and SEN
fenced to two years in the federal PEN
itentiary at Atlanta.
When Splitter took the stand John B.
stanchfield, for the defense, claimed
that under the federal statute Splitter,
as a convicted man, coulo not testify,
The sensation of the trial was then
created by the declaration in court thai
Splitter had been pardoned by Presden
Taft.
Six Men on Trial.
Heike is on trial in the United States
circuit court with five former employees
of the American Sugar Refining COM
pany on the charge Of conspiracy to
defraud the government by under
Weighing cargoes Of sugar imports.
witnesses have testified to the discov-
docks at Williamsburg whereby, It was
alleged, employees Of the sugar trust
manipulated so as to bring about
underweights.
on evidence of Richard Parr, n gov
eminent Inspector who made q raid on
the sugar docks in November, 1907, and
others, Splitter, who was the dock SUI
perintendent at the time and for years
previous, was convicted with four
checks employed under him of connec-
ton with the conspiracy to perpetrate
frauds whereby the government was
cheated Of millions of dollars in sugar
duties.
Splitter Was Given Term.
The four checkers, Boyle, Coyle, Ke-
hoe and Hennessey, were sent to the
Blackwells island penitentiary for a
year. Splitter got two years in Atlanta
He protested Ignorance Of frauds on
the docks.
Men higher up" were sought and
Heike, secretary of the trust, and Err
rest F. Gerbracht, the refinery SUPER
intendent, were indicted. With them
on trial now, besides four other former
company checkers, is James f. Ben
dernagel, the refinery cashier, who was
tried with Splitter and the others.
Bendernagel had a part in the con-
spiracy and 1t was decided to retry
him.
AS Splitter testified to the under.
weighing frauds on the docks, It was
developed that President Taft granted
him an unconditional pardon on May 10.
Splitter went back to the years 1894
and 1896, when, he said, an investiga-
ton he made developed the fact that
the checkers were affecting the weights
on raw sugar by placing small bags
of lead on the beams of the scales,
CanSinU tlo rannrdad toInt tA
below the actual, often as much as 40
pounds on each draft.
In addition, Splitter said 1t 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.
Splitter demonstrated in court the
use Of the bags of lead. He walked over
to the sample scale, which Is one
Of the governments exhibits in the
case, and indicated on the beam the
place where the bag was suspended.
Testifying regarding the use of the wire
spring were used. heavy one first and
lead. Splitter said that two styles Of
then spring considerably lighter in
weight.
Causes Great Interest.
Spitzer's testimony regarding the
notwithstanding device of the news
papers underneath the scale was a new
development. Heike listened to Spit
zer'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 sugar trust had paid the rebate to
the government as a result of the fed
eral suit
In reply to an interrogation of the
prosecution IL he had ever reported the
weighing frauds to anyone, Splitter re-
piled he had informed man named
Elroy, who worked in the Wall street
Office of the sllpar trust