Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1918-07-27
INDICTMENTS
ARE SET ASIDE
Judge Haight Rules Out Find
Ina of Federal Grand Jury
Against Lumber Firms.
GROUSE WAS INDICTED
PerrIne & BuckeIeW and Boyn-
ton Lumber Co. Also Charged
With Defrauding Govt.
GROUSE WAS INDICTED

Indictments handed down yesterday
by the federal grand jury sitting at
Newark, charging Ira II. Grouse OF
this city, the Boynton Lumber Com
pany of Sewaren and Perrine & Buck
Aiew, Inc, of Jamesburg, and hve
other concerns with immense profit
eering in the purchase, transporta-
ton and sale of lumber through
fraudulent means, was set aside by
Judge Thomas G.. Haight, following
their presentation by Edward q.
Grosscup, foreman of the jury yester-
day.
Alderman-a at-Large Grouse, who is
in the lumber business in this city and
one of the indicted men, could not be
reached this morning for a statement
with regard to the charges and the
indictments.
Gorham L. Boynton. of the Boyn-
ton Lumber Company, stated this
morning when connections were Sc
cured on the telephone, that some
time ago government oh1cials asked
them to make statement or all
Transactions that were made and this
was done. Nothing was heard from
the statement and 1t was understood
that nothing would come of 1t. The
first notice of any trouble whatever
concerning the transactions was that
received by him this morning In the
papers.
burg concern, which operates at Gatz-
mar avenue In that borough, said this
morning that he had not been off1ci-
ally notified of the indictment, and ex-
cept for newspaper information
know nothing of II. He called atten-
ton to the fact that Judge Haight
had set aside the indictments. Mr..
Perrine said that II the firm had in
any way violated the laws or been
guilty of any offense 1t ha6 done 80
unwittingiy and without the knowl--
edge of himself or any one connected
with the firm.
United states District Attorney
Lynch issued the following state
mcnt:
ssI3y reason OF r7imors OF fraudulent
transportation of lumber during the
time when 1t was necessary to put an
embargo upon the transportation OF
commodities over the railroads, ana
especially during the time when the
railroads were under the control OF
the government by act of congress,
an investigation was conducted ana
presented to the grand jury, and as
result the indictments were handed
down yesterday.
"The indictments charge the re-
ceipt by the lumber companies and
their officers of discrimination and
q concession by the deVlce OF having
the lumber consigned to an army
oficer without having the authority
OF anybody connected with the Unit
ed States government to do so, and
thereby causing the railroad compa-
MES to transport lumber through en-
bargoed territory. 1t Is alleged that
by the use of that method of getting
the lumber through the dealers were
able not only to sell lumber where
others could not, but also were able
to eat q higher price from the gov
ernnsent."
The indictments were sealed and
their contents for that reason could
not be entirely ascertained. The
statement of the district alter
ney, however, is taken as con-
tanning the meat of the charges.
by which 1t Is said. hundreds OF thous-
ands of dollars were made by the deal
ers throughout fraudulent means, at
the expense Of the government.
The army officers are said to have
been innocent of any connection with
the cases at all and TO have been free
of any hand in the affair.