New-York tribune., 1910-01-15
INDICT c. R. HEIKE
SUGAR OFFICIAL ONE
OF SIX NAMED.
Secretary of Company Is 4c-
cused zcith Others of Con-
spracy and OUert Acts.

You don't begin the construction of a
building with the ridge pole Henry l.
Stimson. special prosecutor for the gov
ernment in the sugar fraud cases. said
last autumn when there was criticism
because none of the men higher up in
the American Sugar Refining Company
had been indicted. The ridge pole" in
the proceedings was reached yesterday.
when the federal grand jury handed
down a blanket indictment against
Charles R. Heike. secretary and treas
urer OF the New York company and sec
retary of the holding company OF New
Jersey. and five others.
The report on Thursday that action
would be taken soon, as published ex-
clusively in The Tribune. was verified
soon after noon. when winfred T. Deni-
son, one of Mr.. Stimson's assistants.
went before Judge Hough, in the United
States Circuit Court. with the grand jury
which handed up the papers. In addition
10 Mr. Heike, the following were re
indicted:
Ernest ". Gerbracht former general
superintendent of the Havemeyer & FL
der refinery; James r BendernageI, for
mer cashier of the same place, who was
tried. but the jury disagreed, and two
former checkers, Jean NJ. Voelker and
James F. Halligan. jr. Harry ". Walker.
assistant superintendent of the docks.
was Included in the charges made by the
grand jury. making six men in all men
toned in the instrument
There are six counts in the indictment,
four mentioning specific acts and two
charging conspiracy. In addition. four
teen overt acts are mentioned. and the
whole embraces occurrences on the docks
and at NO III Wall street, the main Of
flee of the company. within the year 1907.
in November of which Richard Parr
made his raid at the scales which re-
suited in the uncovering of the frauds
MR.. HEIKE's STANDING.
Mr.. Heike has spent the greater part
of his life in the company. He was not
a director, but has been secretary for
many years and was especially close to-
the late H. o. Havemeyer and others of
the Havemeyer family when they were
in active control of the affairs of tine
company. He is a director of one of the
short lines of railroad controlled by the
concern in Butler County, Mo.
At the meeting in Jersey City on
Wednesday Mr.. Heike sat at the right
hand of Washington B. Thomas. who
succeeded Mr.. Havemeyer as president
He was cheerful and affabIe The report
of the board of directors TO the stock
holders was signed by him In il was
the following paragraph:
No attempt whatever has been made
to shield any one. and your board has no
reason to believe and does not believe
that any executive officer or director of
this company had any knowledge of or
participation in this fraudulent under
weighing"
Counsel for the government have fire.
quently acknowledged that Mr.. Thomas
and other officers of the company were
working in sympathy with the investi-
gators, giving them every aid possible
and expressing a desire TO have the
whole underweighing frauds thoroughly
cleared UP. James NJ Beck. the new
general counsel for the company. was in
Philadelphia yesterday. The day before
he said that il would not be possible TO
say whether or not he would be asked to
defend an officer OF the company. If one
were indicted.
MAY WAIT ON APPEAL.
Mr.. Heike and Mr.. Walker may be ar
raigned this morning. although there
was talk last evening OF putting this
part of the proceedings over until Mon
day. when Henry F. Cochrane, counsel
for the four convicted former checkers
of the company. will appear before the
United States Circuit Court of Appeals.
II the court should decide TO consider
an appeal he will ask that the men now
on Blackwel's Island serving a SEN
tence of one year be released on bail.
The other indicted men are under
bond now. and this may be deemed suf-
hcient by the court One OF the men
convicted. Oliver Splitter. former super
intendent of the williamsburg docks. is
recovering from an operation He will
DC sentenced some time in February. IL
was said last evening that Mr. Heike
and those mentioned with him in the in
dictment would be tried in February or
early in March.
The indictment includes the six men
in the four counts first mentioned,
charging false entries of cargoes re-
Continued second page. 4