The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-26
MOONSHINE BUTTER
MAKERS CONFESS
Six Plead Guilty to $780, 900
OleO Fraud Of Oetjen
Company.
ALL FINED-TOTAL $4,000

After they had pleaded guilty yester-
day to o~leomarsarine frauds in which
they are said to have cheated the Gov
eminent Of Si.boo.ooo. Charles r. Nolte
and Fred d. oet5en were fined $4,000
zach by Judge Augustus N. Hand in the
United States District Court.
Noite Is president and oet1en 10 secre-
tary Of the Fred d. OetJen Company
Of 33s Washington street. one Of tho
biggest concerns engaged In the manu-
featuring Of ladled and adulterated but
ter In the city. Up to recently. II is
said, the concern controlled SIS per cent.
OF tho ladled butter business In the
city.
Four OF the FIRMS trusted employees.
who knew OF the surreptitious sale OF
oleomargarine. also pleaded guilty to
wholesaling the fake butter. George
Hermes was fined 1000: Frank James.
1000 Paul wittmer. $500. and Joseph
Lishtenstern. $500.
Through the fines and other measures
the Government recovered a trine more
than 800. 900 OF the 81 100000 II is sale
to have lost through the frauds. OetJen
and Nolte paid $40. 900 in settlement OF
the OWL suit brought against them by
the Government to recover some OF the
duties and the Internal Revenue officers
confscated about $4,000 worth OF the
oleomargarine. which can be sold under
it's right name by the Government.
Blue prints and Photographs produced
in court yesterday by Assistant United
I States Attorney Emilio Yaselli showed
! the most remarkable 'moonshire" butter
plant ever conducted within the knowl-
edge OF the Federal authorities. The
work OF mixing the oleo with equa. por-
tons OF ladled butter was carried on
with 30 much secrecy that an but the
few trusted employees who pleaded
guilty were kept In ignorance of the
Illicit busin ess done by the firm. II took
the Internal Revenue officers seven years
TO discover the violation and then the
disclosure was made through a sheer
accident.
Two OF the Officers were passing in
the vicinity OF the Oetjen Company's
Ave story building on Washington stree,
late one night and noticed a truck stand.
ing outside with several barrels marked
ol~eomargarine. Working adroitly from
this clue they discovered the presence
of a blind chamber on the fourth floor
back OF the churn room. A huge hear
OF empty barrels was always piled W
in front of this chamber so as to allay
the suspicion OF any one who happened
to stray " there.
1t was seldom. however. that any one
got up that far. The ordinary employees
were forbidden TO trespass on the fourtf
floor. They were not required 10 70
up that far in the course OF their duty
as two large tubes. communicating witt
the bottom OF the churn, shot the butte,
down TO the third floor.
Paul Wittmer. who mixed the butter
and oleomargarine, had a little peep
hole In the door OF the mixing room
through which he could inspect any ont
coming up the stairs. Another lookou
was constantly established on the mez
canine floor in a little room wher,
Joseph Lichtenstern. the truckman, haC
his desk. Through a small window
Lichtenstern kept an eye on the entrance
TO the building. II a stranger entere,
those IN the mixing room knew OF /
Immediately.
Thu Fred D. Oetjen Company ha'
been manufacturing oleomargar!ne. ac
cording 10 Prosecutor Yaselli. prac
tically since II was established In 1905
The company did a business OF abou
$3.50, 600 a year and on one occas!o,
Oetjen and Nolte split $50, 900 rs thei
share of the profits OF the business TO
two years.
During busy months the frm used n
many as 100 barrels OF o!eo oil. Llch
tenstern always went alone with tn
truck TO ge- the oil and upon his return
always halted the truck around tn
corner while he r~ecornoitred to see tina
all OF the employees not In the secre
were out OF the building.