The sun., 1917-12-28
UNIFORM CLOTH
THEFTS Barred
PurlOincd Olive Drab While
Soldiers Suffered May
Reach 100000.
MANY ARRESTS SLATED
COllusion Of Officials in l.. s.
Quartermaster's Depart
ment Also Alleged.
MANY ARRESTS SLATED

Thefts Of olive drab cloth. intended
Tor uniforms for soldiers of the United
States Army, were unearthed here yes
tcrday and, according TO detectives OF
the bomb squad. the sum involved may
reach $4,000
One man Is under arrest and In the
rombs. 1t is said that hSa.onc IS re.
sponsioie for discrepancy OF s45.0o0
aud that several employees OF the Guar.
termaster's Department. United States
Army, made 1t possible for him to steal
cloth nj time when many OF Uncle
Sans soldiers We're withou: overcoats.
Frank NJ Eoosa. Assistan; United
States District Attorney. said yesterday
that at least five arrests will follow
to-day and that this number may be
doubled. According to Mr.. Roosa. scores
OF cloth sponging houses CT New Yorl,
are implicated in the conspiracy Falsi.
fication OF the books OF the Quarter
masters Department alone made the
thefts possible Two auditors OF this
Department. one stationed in the Army
Building in Whitehall street and the
other in the supply depot. are under
Surveillance and their arrest, according
to Mr.. Roosa, may be looked for to-day
together with many spongers implicated
IN the wholesale plot to rob the Govern
ment and freeze the soldiers
ON November S the army intelligence
bureau reported to the bomb squad that
the Quartermasters Depa rtment OF the
army was being robbed of cloth which
had been sent to sponging houses in
New York for shrinking. All this cloth
was woven in Philadelphia mills and
much OF II was shipped direct from the
mills to the sponging houses. Some OF
Il was shipped 20 the army stores and
from them transferred to the sponginS
concerns.
SpOnging Houses Swallowed.
i Detectives George Barnitz and James
Coy were assigned to the cases and they
at once planted fellow detectives IN
sronEing houses and IN the factories
where the cloth was being manufac-
turcd into uniforms. The frs, lead
came from the Universal Cloth Spone-
ing Company. IA West Twenty-second
street. Of which Louis Davidson Is the
heal The detectives informed the Fed
"ral authorities that Davidson's concern
wAs in reality the clearing house for the
alleged conSpirators and that by watch
Ing the output of cloth from this house
the thettS could be traced.
, Later Il wac learned that quantities
f cloth sent by the Government to
Davidson were being transferred to the
Reliable Sponglng Company, sometimes
known as the Crown Woollen Compa ny,
80 East Eleventh street. The detectives
said that this concern, or its agents,
would marke; the cloth. Several ~ its
salesmen attempted TO sell 1t in good
faith.
The Government in the first instance
paid all the way from sa25 to 50 a ward
for the cloth. The statesmen were told.
the detectives said to sell /, at the best
price obtainable. One OF these statesmen
offered 800 bolts of about sixty yards
each to the Government buyer for sooJ
yard The lot offered was one for
which the Government already had paid
81 yard. When this lot of cloth was
offered to the army buyers they got in
touch at once with the detectives. and
Davidson. to whom the cloth was traced.
was arrested.
Davidson did not seem worried by his
arrest last night When the handcufrs
were clasped about his wrist he Laughed
and joked with the Deputy Marshal
Inquiry to he Continued.
Major Nixon and capt II. r. Looming
of the Quartermaster's Department as.
sisted Mr., Roosa in working UP the
case. Capt. Looming was an Assistant
District Attorney under Gov Whitman
They said that so far $50 bolts of
cloth, valued at $4,000, are missing from
the lots shipped to Davidson. and that
they hope to trace other lots OF even
greater value before their investigation
ends.
Several persons supposed to know
about the plot were before the Federal
authorities yesterday, and 1t was said
Continued on Second Pace.