New Britain herald., 1916-02-23
NARCOTIC DRUGLAW
 YIOLATORS IN COURT
.HeaVy Fines Meted Out by Judge
 Edwin s. Thomas Today
THREATENS JAIL TERMS
Post Office Officials Also Assessed For Not Conforming to Regulations Re- garding Keeping of Their Ac- counts.

garding Keeping of Their Ac-
 counts.
 New Haven, Feb. 23.-The search of federal agents for violators of the mar cotic drug laws has had results which were evident in the United States dis frict court today. Several physicians and druggists were fined for failure to register their sales or for carlessness in keeping records of their prescrip tions for narcotic drugs. After Clar- ence F. Hotchkiss, a druggist of Derby had been fined S75 and costs for fail ure to properly record transac ctions, Judge F. s. Thomas said he desired it to be understiod that persons convict ed ''wer playing with fire if they dis regarded the warming" He said that there would be jail sentences for sec ond convictions. United States Attor- ney Spellacy recommended fine of $I00 but counsel for Hotchkiss made a~.plea for his client and the amount was made Q smaller figure.
 WateryilIe Doctor Fined $1OO.
 Dr. Joseph S. Holroyd, a physician Df Watervil1e, was charged with failure to keep records of sales of narcotic drugs after properly purchasing the name. Holroyd said he had been careless. MT. SpeIlacy said that in some measure this might have been due to the defendants habits. A fine of $100 and costs was given and the @arning of a jail sentence repeated.
 Wanted ''to ExpIain.''
 Dr. A. s. Gale, a veterinary surgeon of Hartford, who appeared to be near ly blind when be was in the court room, was led to the bar. MT. Spell lacy explained that Gale had used con- siderable drugs and had failed to keep records, saying that he claimed to have used these in collie cures while the l government believed that he had dis | pensed it to habituaI users. Clark | Pickett had difficulty in getting Gale to say whether he was guilty or not guilty as he wished Ito explair1'' Ow- ing to his age and limited practice MT. Spellacy recommended a $1 fine and reprimand by the court and Judge TAomas imposed this.
 Used Dope Himself.
 Dr. Edward E. Rowen, of Stam- ford, a widely known physician, was
 
 tablets which had been obtained on prescriptions in other persons names. Dr. Rowell declared that he had never dispensed the drugs, but in his office he might have given patients a tablet His own failure to record disposition of tablets was due to the fact that | since an operation had been per formed on him he occasionally used a l narcotic to ease agOpizing pain.
 The court gave fne of $50.
 RefiIled Prescriptions.
 Frank Smith, manager of drug l company at Willimantic, was charged | with refilling a prescription for nar- cotics in violation of the law. He was | fined $50 after the court had re- minded him that a small fine was not ! to be mistaken for leniency.
 A. l.. Embrey, a druggist of Stam- 1 ford, who is said to have filled pre- scriptions for Dr. Rowell, was fined 1 $50 for failure to record sales.
 Feeder Federoff, who altered his | naturalization first paper in order to get position in Bridgeport and who has been in jail for three months, was fined $50 without costs. Marion Postmaster Fined.
 Herbert w. Neal postmaster at Ma rion in Southington was fined $50 for violation of the postal laws in that he deposited $75 of postal funds to his ewn account one day intending to send a check to Hartford the next day to balance his funds. The postal inspec- tor dropped in that day and found the money had been wrongly deposited. Neal told the court that he never had stolen dollar or had any intent to embezzle. He simply deposited with his own funds money that should have been kept separate although it was only for an overnight period.
 !. Husband and Wife Fined
 Maria and Myron w. Tucker who keep the post office in Middlefield in their home the wife being postrnis- tress were charged the latter with se- curing S439.32 by overcancellations in two year period and the husband 1 with en1bezzlement of postal funds in that he used postal orders his wife is- sued to pay bills balancing the account monthly with his own money. Mrs. | Tucker today made good the money ,overdrawn on cancellation accounts. Tucker said he did not realize that borrowing postal funds was wrong when the accounts were properly bal | anced at the end or the month. MrS Tucker said she did not know that in drawing her salary through cancella- ] %tiorss she had made excessive claims Mr. Spellacy said he could not under stand why the couple had done this | as both had bank accounts and prop 1 crty. Fines of $900 each were given.
 Myra J. Bushnell for g years post | mistress at Westbrook was charged 1 with embedding $358.07 although the | shortage had been made good. Bonds | men sent letter in her behalf sug- gHting that if there was a shortage it |