Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-26
LOAN SHARK TRIALS
TO BEGIN TUESDAY
Corporation Counsel Decides
Today to Go on With
Prosecution.

Z; Trials Of nearly thousand pending
Z loan shark cases are to be begun in
the District branch of the Police Court
before Judge Pugh next Tuesday. As
EAST as one is finished another will be
taken up until all the cases are cleared
up.
!. The decision to bring the cases to trial
sat that time was made today by Cor
:poration Counsel Syme after conference
with Police Court officials. Several cases
-were set for trial last week, but at that
thine it was announced by Assistant Cor
.poration Counsel Roger Whiteford that a
compromise agreement in the cases was
Foeing drawn up between the officials of
:the corporation counsels office and the
attorneys for the 'loan shark" men.
Il BY the agreement most Of the defend
,ants were to plead guilty to the charge
and were to be fined 500 for the first Of
tense, 500 for a second offense, with a
thirty-day Imprisonment to be imposed on
.ithe manager of the company, and SEN
.ltence suspended. 1t was also stipulated
5it is declared, that the companies were to
accept only three-fourths Of the principal
of the loan from the borrowers, when the
rate of interest had been illegal.
Z No Cases Set.
= At the hearing last week Judge Pugh
4ordered the jury to be called for today
ssand said he would hear the loan shark"
ceases. This morning. however. after the
jury had been called 1t was found that
no cases had been set for trial Later
Corporation Counsel SWINE appeared in
court. Mr. Syme stated to Judge Pugh
that it was understood that the defend
ants would agree to sign certain stipu-
iationS drawn up by his assistants and
Tor that reason no cases had been placed
on the docket of the court for today
Upon his request Judge Pugh then set
next Tuesday as the time for hearing
me cases, and Mr.. Syme ordered Messrs.
Whiteford and Williams to place cases
on the docket for that time.
Il have been trying to get the Dor
rowers all of the financial return pos
slble," said Mr.. Syme today to a Star
reporter, and in many cases the loan
people have refunded the money or ac-
cepted three-fourths payment Of the
loan. but in the other cases the loan
people seem to be baking, and I have
decided now that they viii be broug ht
10 trial
'-They have been fooling long enough
over these cases and it looks as if II has
an been done for the purpose of delaying
the cases in court"
To Sign Agreements.
MT. Syme said that II the defendants
Will sign an agreement which has been
prepared by his assistants and which is
similar to the compromise suggested
earlier, they can enter pleas of guilty
when the cases are called for trial next
Tuesday and recommendations will be
made to the court to carry out the COM
promise This agreement Is to be sent
this afternoon to the Office of Attorney
Wilton j. Lambert, counsel for a number
of the loan companies. and it is expected
the defendants will sign it.
Attorney Lambert said that 1t is prob
able his clients will sign the agree
ment, although he did not know just
what the exact wording Of the agree
ment was. He said that II 1T was not
satisfactory. however, the cases would
be tried. and also stated that he is now
ready to try any of the cases.
II the agreement is reached between
the corporation counsel and the de-
PENDANTS and the cases are not tried
before juries in the court, it is stated
that approximately $4,000 will be
saved by the government. Preparation
of the cases, 1t Is declared, has already
cost the District considerable money.