The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1913-07-11
The McReynOIds McNab Sensation

I
Justice was more or less susceptible to
the corupting influence Of special
privilege, IS very discouraging. Since
the advent Of the new administration,
the American people have been hope
ful that the practice Of granting special
privilege because Of wealth or partisan
influence was a thing Of the past. but
It seems not. To what extent Attor-
ney-General McReynolds is culpable OF
the democratic administration respon-
sible, is yet to be determined.
The Western Fuel Company fraud
is very similar to the Sugar trust scan
dial of the late republican administra-
ton. In the latter instance the United
States customs weighers had been
bribed by the Sugar trust so that the
Federal government was swindled out
Of SO. 000,000 on imports. The guilty
weighers were sent to the penitentiary
for terms varying from nine TO eighteen
months Imprisonment, but the trust
officials, on the advice Of Attorney
General WIckersham, were permitted
to return $4,000, 900 OF the S8,000,-
600 stolen and no criminal prosecu-
ton was brought against them. In
the affair Of the Western Fuel Com
pany, it appears that the eight officers
Of that concern had bribed the Gus
toms weighers and Japanese carriers SO
as to avoid the payment of 81, 900, 900
customs duties, due on consignments
of coal. After being indicted, two OF
the officers, Sidney Smith and Robert
Bruce, made a trip to Washington and
prevailed on Attorney-General Nc
Reynolds to instruct Attorney McNab
to indefinitely postpone the trial Of six
of the alleged criminals and to refrain
from taking any action at all against
them.
Summarized, the Caminetti-D Digs
White Slave affair is as follows: Drew
Caminetti and Maury Digs are two
wealthy middle-aged men of Sacra-
meuto, the husbands of wives with
whom they are living and the fathers
each Of two or more children. Last
winter, under fictitious names and by
the aid Of wine suppers, motor rides
and other seductive influences, these
individuals succeeded in gaining the
confidence and engaging the affections
OF two high school girls, Martha War
rington and Lola Norris, each under
nineteen years old.
When the foolish girls discovered
that they had been deceived as to the
names OF their admirers and become
entangled into a love affair with two
married men, they sought an interview
for the purpose of confronting and ac-
cusing their deceivers. This proved
fatal mistake. The men confessed
their faults, pleaded great affection in
extenuation and begged the girls to
accompany them to Reno, where they
proposed to divorce their wives and
marry their afinities. At first the girls
did not approve Of the plan but sug-
gested instead thereof that the men go
alone to Reno and they, the girls,
would wait for them in Sacramento.
But the men heightened the young
women by falsely stating that there
were warrants out for all four Of the
parties concerned, sworn to by their
deserted and outraged wives. By this
latter argument the girls were prevailed
upon to 60 with the men, which. OF
course, proved their ruin.
Within q week after the arrival Of
the party at Reno they were found by
the parents of the children, arrested
and returned to California, the men
charged with violating the provisions
of the Mann White Slave Traffic Act
and the women held as witnesses. All
were released on bail bonds. A few
weeks after they secured their freedom
from Jail the girls were approached by
the attorney for the seducers and i'm
portuned to perjur themselves in the
coming trial, so that there could be no
conviction under the charges preferred.
Because Of this latter crime Attorney
McNab deemed it highly necessary TO
proceed Immediately to trial Of the
cases, fearing that delay would cause