The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-21
JuggIed Army Clothes Contract
at Expense of Govt.
Eight of Men Under Charge Are
Uniform Manufacturers.
CRAFT IN CLOTH CLIPPINGS
Make Only 10 Uniforms Instead
of 12 per Bolt of Cloth.
Quartermaster Clerk Made Such
Conspiracy Possible.

New York, Feb 21.-An alleged
countrywide plot involving illegal
profiteering in army clothes at ex
pense of the government was disclosed
here today with the Indictment by the
federal grand jury of II men, on
charges of fraud. Investigations which
will extend to other cities, federal
authorities here believe will show the
government has suffered to the ex-
tent of s5,00o,000 but at the same
time it was stated the Indictment to-
day would serve to terminate further
conspiring and save the government
from millions more in losses
Eight of the defendants are manu-
facturers of army uniforms.
Profiteering is made possible, it was
explained. by methods in which the
cloth is cut From material which
the government estimated would pro-
vide dozen uniforms, the manufac-
turers would cut ten or less, and the
excess cloth, known to the trade as
clippings would be reso1d.
Clippings Per Cent Instead of B.
Some of the defendants, Lieut..
George D. Barnitz of the New York
police force said, represented to the
government that their clippings
tually they amounted to per cent
Owing to the alleged activity of "a
civilian clerk in the army in connec-
ton with the purporred plot it was
easy for concealment to be effected
So bold were some of the defendants
according to Investigators, that boHs
OF stolen cloth were displayed openly
in windows in the 5obbing district
Clippings were sold to manufac-
turers in Chicago. st. Louis and
Greenviiie. Ill, and large quantities of
the cloth have been recovered at those
! places, it was announced. The man
ufacturers purchased innocentfy a-ti
VIII not be prosecuted. Clothinr
houses in other western cities also
nave obtained cloth not knowing if
was solen, the investigators said. and
this has not yet been recovered.
Manufacturers Kept Cloth.
| The indictments are based upon evil
dence gathered by the federal district
attorneys office in connection with the
arrest about two months ago of Louis
davidson, head of the Universal Cloth
Shrinking and Refinishing Works here
! DAVIDSON is one of those accused
together with Hyman Horwitz and his
son Benjamin, in business as Horwitz
Muskowitz: Barnet Tietz of B.
T1etz & Co, Jacob Weinstein and his
son; Abraham Pursch and Leon Le-
vine of Pursch & Levine, Barney Rob
inson and Morris Alewitz, shippine
clerks in the employ of the New York
Manufacturers' Co., all of this city
d
IN the quartermaster's office here The
manufacturers are accused of having
received and retained army cloth
Robinson and Alewitz are charged
with perjury before the grand jur,
and Janowsky is alleged to have de.
stroyed government receipts so as to
! conceal thefts of the cloth
Stole 1000 Bolts of Cloth.
FRANK M. Roosa, United States as
sistant district attorney in charge OF
the prosecution, said that because the
inquiry was incomplete he could not
announce yet the extent of the frauds
but thai Barnitz's estimates of the
losses did not seem at all out of pro-
portion inaSmuch the frauds affect
army contracts thruout the country
the Indictment against Davidson con-
ta1ns sixteen counts and charges him
specifically with stealing two thousand
bolts of army cloth valued at $4,000
All the defendants except Pursch
Levine and Janowsky surrendered to
a United States commissioner and
were released under bonds ranging
from s2,500 to $1,000 for examination
later.