Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-05-08

Alfred briggs and John Magill, both
former employees of the California
Loading Company at Old Bridge and
later employees of the government
when the plant was taken over, were
this morning freed under bonds of
$4,000 each to await the next session
of the United States District Court
at Trenton, charged with having
stolen two car loads of lumber. val
ued at $1,000 from the plant.
A man named Masse, former gov
ernment inspector at the plant, who Is
implicated in the charges, has been
arrested and released under habeas
corpus proceedings. The men were
arratgned before U. s. Commissioners
John A. Delaney yesterday, when they
pwere committed to the county jail.
This morning at New Brunswick, Mr..
Delaney allowed the men freedom un-
der bonds.
While the case has been known of
for several weeks, on the advise of Of
ficers at the Morgan General Ord
nance Depot, which now controls the
California project. nothing has been
mentioned with regard to 1t, as so
little was known.
briggs was the plant superintend-
ent at the California operation and
Magill was shipping clerk. MaSse
was the chief government Inspector.
The charges develop the fact that
Masse implicated the other two in the
theft Of the lumber which was sent
10 O farm owned by him in this coun-
ty The lumber is alleged to have
been stolen and shipped to his farm
on two occasions, the first car on
March "a and the second on April IA.
Practically all of the stolen material
has been recovered and returned 10
California n1ant
It is understood that the two men
who have been arraigned were acting
as agents of Masse in the robbery, and
ere paid by him.
Their arrest on April IA, was very
quiet and secret. The men were TAX
en- first to the lookup at Morgan
where they spent five days and then
where they were confined. Under
guard theyshave been at South Am
boy and at Old Bridge several
times. The u. s. secret service has
been working on the case for several
weeks, or since the theft of the first
car.
Masse is now free. writ of habeas
corpus having been allowed him. The
u. S. authorities are awaiting the de-
termination of the writ of habeas
corpus before they can proceed
against him. He Is represented by
O'Gorman. Battle and Vanderveer.
one the strongest legal firms In New
York City. Walter Sedamf of New
Brunswick represents Magill and
briggs.
The charges against the men are
sensational in the extreme, as all held
important positions at the govern
ment plant. briggs as plant superin-
tendent had supervision over the en-
fire project Masse was the chief gov,
ernment inspector, in whose hands
was the governments interest at the
plant Magill. as shipping agent. ap-
parently passed the cars through to
Masses farm, where. it is understood,
lumber was found stored. and build
ing was practically complete, Dullt Qt|
the stolen materials.
The men were brought to this city
yesterday afternoon in charge or gov
ernment operatives. They were ar
raigned before Mr.. Delaney at his
office in the American building and ar
ter hearing the charges against them
he committed them to the county
Jail at New Brunswick where they
spent the night. This morning they
were admitted to bail to bonds OF
s2.500 each, which are returnable at
the opening of the U. s. District court
at Trenton on September 3.
The arrests at Old Bridge were
made by Richard J.. Jackson. a Sec
ret service agent who had been inves-
tigating the case for several days.
While the arrest was known of on
April Is Major Dove. at the Morgan
depot. said that he could and would
say nothing about the case and would
advise that publication OF the facts
be restrained until there was some