Evening star., 1915-01-01
Every Branch Of the District Govern,
ment Has Succeeded in Effort to
Make improvements During
Busy Year.

charged with larceny, II with assaults
and II with forgery.
Four local laundrymen entered pleas
OF nolo contendre to an Indictment
charging a conspiracy to defraud the
! Cnited States by agreeing on the prices
70 De bid for the service of cleaning
towels for use In various departments
of the the government. Fines aggregating
1000 and T. w. Mckenzie, C. F. Sewers
and T. q. Marshall each $3.50.
One OF the most important fndict-
ments returned by the grand jury dur
commission merchants with conspiring
to raise the price of foodstufts. At the
outbreak of the European conflict COM
piaint was made to the Department Of
the pretext for boosting the price Of
foods. President Wilson directed an
inquiry, and Assistant United States
Attorney Hawken laid the matter be-
fore the grand jury and the indictments
Testimony before the Wright investi-
eating committee of the House Of Rep
resentatives caused the lodging with
the grand jury of a charge of en-
e. Ambrose. who had been receiver of
the First Cooperative Building Asso-
citation Of Georgetown. Two tndict-
ments were returned against the law
y,+eh yer charging that aoo he had had misappro,
estate.
Four other lawyers were indicted
during the year on charges OF using
Creed M. Fulton and Michael W. sulli-
van are on bail awaiting trial on these
charges. David Rothschild has never
been located. Two bankers were also
indicted i1ti for enlightenment and larceny
made against J. William Henry and
BENJAMIN W. Woodruff, formerly trad
ing as Lewis johnson & Co.
Returned 47o Indictments.
During the year the grand jury re-
turned 470 indictments. Charges were
ignored by the grand jurors In twenty
five cases.
Litigation was on the decline in 1914.
Only 500 suits in equity were begun, as
compared with sa4 in 1913. Suits at
1:0S2 in 1914. There were only 120 me-
chanics' liens filed this year. as against
226 in the preceding year. There were
ten less bankruptcy proceedings filed
this year: District Court broceedings
like numbered ffty-five. John r.
Young, clerk of the court, also pre-
pared the papers for 242 applications
for final naturalization and 343 declara-
tions of intention to become citizens.
Dan Cupid will remember the year
1914 with satisfaction, since the rec
ord shows that while applications for
divorce fell off the number of marriage
licenses broke the record. The highest
number of licenses ever issued in the
clerks Office before 1914 was 4,1SO. in
1912. During the past twelve months
licenses to marry have been issued to
1905 couples.
A new record for days total of
papers filed was established in 1914 in
the Office Of the recorder Of deeds.
November 80. the day before the pres
ent war revenue bill became operative.
saw 226 papers offered for record. This
total was forty-six in advance of the
number Of papers ever before received
in one day. Acting Recorder Dutton
reports that 22.550 papers were re-
corded during the past twelve months
Personal property valued at $685.
1885 was appraised during the year
by the office of the register of wills.
A total of COL wills were fled Letters
of administration or testamentary pa
pers were issued In s52 cases. There
were 132 applications for guardians
received in the Office in 1914.