The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1910-07-23
PADDING CASES
ARE CONTINUED
Charges of Tampering With Steel
Company Payroll are Involved and
May be Long Drawn Out

leaving his work the employe must reg
lister by punching the time clock which
makes an impression on his time card.
Twice a day he is checked up by the
timekeepers and the foreman. When
this was brought out the defense
worked on the angle that 1t is possible
for good many fingers to get into
the pie and do some stealing and this
the auditor admitted might be done.
Witnesses Get Tangled.
Three foreign workmen were intro
duced as witnesses They said that
Thomas had given them pay checks to
be cashed and that they did so, turning
over the money to him with Caldwell
not several feet distant. Orl of the
foreigners was asked where he cashed
the checks. He said at the Gary State
bank, although the endorsement show
ed that they were cashed at NJ. Bern
STEMS saloon. Another foreigner. who
could not remember his dates very well.
frequently refreshed his memory by
consulting q mote book" but even then
he got mixed up.
Edgar Hall, bookkeeper for Contrac-
tor Cronfn. testified that one of the
men, Mike Buric, who was carried
the steel plant payroll. had worked for
the contractor for two years with the
exception OF a few days. A pay check
for sixteen days work, payable to
Burfc. was introduced, but when the
latter took the stand he admitted that
he did not know whether there was
not Pete Buric working in >the plant
Some Strange Things Happen
Foreman Walter Thomas of the yard
department. was arrested two
charges. On juno 80 he was arrest
ID
when the timekeepers were hauled In
grand larceny he was also taken in
the net
! His case has previously been called
for trial, but had been continued twice.
Yesterday morning 1t was due for a
hearing and when Attorney Bretsch.
serving the defendant, announced that
| he was ready for trial Then It was
discovered that the warrant and aff1-
davit in the case had mysteriously dis
appeared from the court files.
When Investigation was started.
Chief Martin said: THE police had
tho warrant and AFFIDAVIT when the man
was locked up. 1 can swear to it. We
turned it over to the city court"
The NoIIe Prosee Affair.
Clerk Winkler declared that IT was
placed in the court files and Deputy
Prosecutor Hunter did not know any
thing about it. Attorney Bretsch then
announced that he would hold the
prosecution liable for false imprison-
ment.
At this juncture Prosecutor Hunter
after conference with Judge Green
lee. local counsel for the steel corpora
Ition and chief of the prosecution. an
lgrand larceny case of Thomas before
Especial Judge Mayo. Thomas attor-
neys demanded to see the records. but
there were none and Mr.. Hunter saio
that the action was an oral one. The
attorney for the defense then cited the
statutes that nolle PROSE- action must
ibe entered before the judge before
whom the case is being tried and thai
the motion must be in writing. Finally
this was done Mr.. Bretsch said tha'
he would not allow the consp piracy cass
to go ahead until the prior charge
against Thomas was disposed OF A
written nolle prosee action was final
ly entered.
Something May Explode Now.
Friends or Thomas asserted that TIL,
disappearance OF the warrant and aft
davit looked funny to them. The,
claim that the steel corporation sud
IDENTIFY became cognizant of the fac
that it did not have enough evidenc,
TO sustain a grand larceny charge and
that 1T wished to base everything OF
| the lighter charge 1t is also averree
! that by so doing that they would b.
, less liable for damage suits in cas-
proceedings were brought against then
should the evidence against the de
: PENDANT fall though.