New-York tribune., 1911-12-28
GEORGE GRAHAM RICE
IS ARRESTED AGAIN
Witness Committed for Con-
tempt-Two Men Held in TonbS
as Material Witnesses.
MORE ARRESTS EXPECTED
Bribery Charges in Scheftels
Case Said to Involve Tammany
Politicians-Grand Jury Con-
tinues It's Investigation.

tinues It's Investigation.
The alleged attempt to bribe juror
IN the Scheftels case. now on trial in the
y,ited States Circuit Court. for which
George ]. Byrne. a theatrical agent was
.rd;cted last week. was followed yester-
5sv by the arrest Of George Graham
p,ce chief defendant in the case, who
vas at liberty under bail of $4,000.
Rice whose real name is Simon jacob
15erzig. was remanded in custody of the
marshal and taken to the Tombs where
h, will remain at least until the federal
e,and Jury. which is investigating the
euoced plot 10 reach the jury i'll the
scbeftels case. has presented its findinG
Edward Wilson. who refused to TESTIFY
before the grand jury as to his knoWl-
e6pc Of the alleged plot was sent to the
Ton,bs for contempt Of court, and John
Ahlbcrs and George II. Decker were
s.ut 10 the same prison TO be held as
material witnesses in the bribery case.
UImors OF more indictments for at
tcmptcd bribery Of the Scheftels jury
were. current Yesterday i'm che Federal
Building and it was said number If
Tammany politicians would be shown TO
b. connected with the plot TO secure "a
sufficient number of jurors 20 stand out
acainSt a conviction.
"a i.. frlg
been Boo progress. interrupted his vaCa-
tion at his home i'm Norwich, y. Y, and
cane TO this city to have Rice ar
rsigncd before him. Judge Ray ad-
jcurncd the Scheftcls trial on December
80 until January :.
H.nkel Serves Bench Warrant.
George Graham Rice was arrested at
o'clock Yesterday afternoon by Marshal
Henkol and Joseph A. Baker, an agent OF
The Department Ct Justice. He was
leaving the Office Of his counsel, George
Myers, at 40. 100 Broadway, when the
marshal took him into custody on u
bench warrant.
When the prisoner was arraigned be-
fore Judge Ray his counsel strove in
vain TO find out Why their client was
subjected to the unusual procedure OF
being, deprived Of his liberty after his
trial had continued nine weeks and
there had been not the least indication
that he might fee from the. jurisdiction
of The court. Ernest L. Baldwin, Louis
J Vorhaus and George Myers consulted
hastily, and Mr. Baldwin argued the
ease OH behalf Of the defence.
Judge Ray declined to make any COM
ment from the bench or 10 indicate his
reasons for committing Rice to jail He
gave the order of the court, and his only
answer 10 the requests Of counsel for
Rice was to repeat the order. Judge
Ray said:
IN the opinion of this court the in
terests OF justice demand that pending
The trial now in progress the defendant,
George Graham Rice, be committed to
the custody Of the marshal
Mr. Baldwin said he demanded TO have
Rice admitted to bail i'm accordance with
his constitutional rights, but Judge Ray
simply repeated his order
Officials Ordered Not to Talk.
Godthwaite II. Dorr, Abel l. Smith
and w H. Pitkin. assistant United
States attorneys in the case, declined to
discuss IT, While the grand jury is in
yestigating the alleged bribery plot par
tculsrly strict orders have bee issued
10 al the federal officers not to discuss
the case. so that an absolute secrecy has
been preserved as TO the present state Of
affairs
The trial Of George Graham Rice and
the other members Of the firm of 3. II.
Scheftels & CO.. charged with stock
swndling and misuse Of the mails, be-
gan on October =.
Frederick S Dale, Juror no. &, on De-
ccmber rs reported TO Judge Ray that
he had been approached with promise
Of 81 900 at the end Of the trial if he
held out against conviction Of the de-
fenddnts. An investigation was made,
and the grand jury returned an indict-
ont against George J. Byrne on De-
cember %.
Byrne was arrested the following day,
and the disclosure of the alleged bribery
halted the trial. All Of the defendants
denied omphaticslly through their coun-
sci that they had the least knowledge of
The attempt 10 approach the jury, and
denied that they were even acquainted
with Byrne. They raised the cry that
tho same Wall Street interests which
had instigatcd the government TO raid
the Schcftels firm on September -, 1910
had now tried 10 discrcdit the defence.
4 motion was made by the defence TO
have Judge Ray declare mistrial be-
Cause Of the unfortunate occurrence.
Judge Ray declined 10 do this, and the
Trial went on.
P0Yc EIMn TREASURE TR0VE