The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-14
CALLS ITSELF
GOOD TRUST"
American Sugar Refining Co.
on the Defensive
SOME PAPERS ARE MISSING
Documents Which Are Important for the
Government Cannot Be Found on Files
of the Corporation at the
Present Time.
SOME PAPERS ARE MISSING

New York, March l4.-iSeores of let
tiers and documents by which the gov
eminent hopes to prove, in large meas
ure its criminal charges in the SO called
sugar trust conspiracy case, have dis
appeared from the files Of the American
Sugar Refining company and the records
of the individual defendants, according
| to evidence adduced at the trial yester-
! ay. None Of these documents has been
| found, and the district attorney fears
! that they will never be brought TO light.
William I'll. Whiteside. who called him
self dummy secretary OF the Cham
pion Construction company, and who
had a similar position in the Majestic
APARTMENT House company, was the first
witness called yesterday in the trial of
John L. Parsons, Washington B, Thorn
as and other sugar trust insiders.
Whiteside was questioned by Henry A.
Wose, United States district attorney,
about the business of these companies,
but he said he knew little. Asked for
several papers which he had been sub
pmnaed to bring with him, he said lie
had not been able to find them. White
side insisted he was only a dummy
secretary" which term he explained as
being secretary only in name He
admitted signing the company's papers |
as secretary of the company He also /
attested tn the signature of Thomas |
d. Harmed on several documents He |
was still secretary of the Majestic Apart
ment company, he said.
Among the books and documents which /
he was instructed to bring to court were /
the minute and stock books of the Cham |
pion Construction company, builders Of /
the Pennsylvania Sugar Refining com
panys plant at Philadelphia similar +
records of the Majestic Apartment House
company; contract between the con
struction and refinery companies, COW
ering the construction OF the refinery.
and letters from Thomas B. Harmed to
Adolph Segal
Whitesde testified that Thomas b.
Harmed, who with John f. Parsons.
Washington b. Thomas, George II. Fraz-
Ter, and Arthur Bonner is a defendant
in the case on indictments charging yio-
latIon Of the criminal clause of the anti
t3N~I INWy Was u ibtHItE Ni4NEE OI LH4t
company, which is now out
OF existence. Mr.. Harmed, he said, also
had intimate business relations with
Adolph Segal, owner Of the Majestic
Apartment house.
did you look for these papersyn
asked the district attorney.
@Yes"
"Where?'
Everywhere | thought they might
BE- found"
did you ask Mr.. Harmed for Them
No"
Did you ask Mr.. segaf for thcm2"
"No."
"0r anyone else?'
"No" /,
"Then / ask the court" said the dis.
trict attorney, ito instruct Mr.. White
side to go back to Philadelphia and ,
search for those papers. and II neces-
sary, demand them of their CUSTODIAN"
Judge Hand so instructed the wit
ness.
The Duties of Dummy"
De Lancey Nicoll Of counsel for the
iefense, then asked the witness more :
questions about what were the duties !
md prerogatives of a dummy Dur
ng this examination came the following !
dialogue: /.
Nicoll-"You mean that Adolph Segal
ust gave Whiteside papers to sign, and 9
Nhteside signed them2" 7
Whiteside "Whiteside looked first I
,ver the paper to see that ii did not =
concern him personally and then White G
side signed it."
Shortly after this the district attor- j
ley entered IN objection to one of Nj Y
OILS questions, Nicoll maintained he {
vas merely trying to help out the dis d
riot attorney.
Don't YOU worry about helping the
district attorney" was the retort. che
an take care Of himself"
Nicoll asked the witness if he was
director Of the Pennsylvania Sugar
Refining company. He said he did not
emember Judge Hand finally ruled 7
hat this line of testimony could not
e pursued. The Pennsylvania Rein
ng company could not be considered in
his connection. Nicoll went back to
he notes. One of these was for 1865
90 for which Segal put up $50 bonds of
he Pennsylvania company as collateral :,
Fhiteside signed many notes, he did I
ot know how many He did not know II
rithn a million dollars how much these a
otes aggregated u
You just signed these notes as an :
mploye of Segars?"
yes" q
"of course, YOU had implicit faith in a
i'm. But don't you know you take a u
hance signing notes like thatY' 8
There was general laugh. a. y
William Thorn Kissel, son and execu- 81
5r of Gustav Kissel took the stand. =
lie said he had his fathers memorandum
{ the Segal loan of S1250,O00 at his
flee. He brought copies of the CORE