The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-05-26
TAFT AID SHOWN
IN SUGAR TRIAL
Prosecution Plays Trump Card
by Calling Convicted Man.
PARDON HAD BEEN GRANTED
Testimony Made Valid by Executive
CIemency Throws Light on Plot
Charged by the Govern
nnent.

card in the prosecution of Charles r.
Heike, secretary of the American
Sugar Refining company, was. played
at the sugar trust underweighing con-
spiracy trial when Prosecutor Simpson
called as the governments first wit
ness oliver Splitter, superintendent Of
the Williamsburg docks, who same
months ago was convicted of under,
weighing and sentenced to two years
in the federal penitentiary at At
! lanta
| Splitter demonstrated to the court
the working of the fraudulent de-
vices by which the government was
cheated out of millions of dollars by
false weights, 1t is alleged.
When Splitter took the stand John
B. Stanchf1eld, for the,defense, claimed
that under the federal statute Splitter,
as convicted man, could not testify
The sensation of the trial was then
created by the declaration in court
that Splitter had been pardoned by
President Taft.
Heike is ON trial in the United
1
employees of the American Sugar Re-
6ning company on the charge of con-
spiracy to defraud the government by
underweighing cargoes of sugar i'm.
POI S
Witnesses have testified to the dis.
covery Of fraudulent devices on the
sugar docks at Williamsburg, where.
by, it was alleged, employees of the
so-called sugar trust manipulated the
scales so as to bring about under.
weights.
How Fraud WassPractised.
AS Splitter testified to the under.
weighing frauds on the docks 1t was
developed that President Taft granted
him an unconditional pardon on May
10 last
Splitter went back to the years 1894
and 1895 when, he said, an investiga.
ton he made developed the fact that
the checkers were affecting the
weights of 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 40 pounds on each draft.
In addition, Splitter said 1t was also
the practise to stuff paper underneath
the floors of the scales for the same
purpose. He said that when Deputy
Surveyor Vail took office these de.
vices were abandoned and the use of
the steel corset springtinstead was be-
gun and continued
1t was said before Splitter got well
into his testimony that he would make
clean breast of the frauds alleged
to have been committed in the under
weighing OF raw sugar in the Will
liamsburg docks.
Shows How Lead was Used.
Splitter demonstrated i'll court the
use of the bags of lead. He walked
over to the sample scale, which Is one
of the governments exhibits in the
casgy and indicated on the beam the
plate where the bag was suspended
The jury and the defendants and
everybody in the court room followed
his demonstration with the closest
attention.
eTestifying regarding the use of the
wire spring which superseded the bag
of lead, Splitter said that two styles
of spring were used, heavy one first
and then one considerably lighter in
weight
Spitzers testimony regarding the
notwithstanding device of the news.
paper underneath the scale was an alb
solutely new development, and the
jury drank in his every word Heike
listened to Spitzer's testimony with
tense interest.
Robbed Of Millions.
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
result of the federal suit.
did you arrange a system of sig
nal lights in the scalehouses?" sud.
denly asked the prosecutor
Yes, sir" replied Splitter, who then
related that the signals we're used to
warn the weighers of any sudden dan.
ger.
How were the lights worked?"
by switch in my Office" replied
Splitter, who said that the switch was