New Britain herald., 1919-05-09
SOLDIERS' SHOES
 FAXED, IS CHARGE
Workmen and Inspectors Testify
 in Boston Scandal

Boston. May 9.-Evidence that middle soIes on some of the Army shoes manufactured by the A. J. Bates company, of Webster, were slit down the center and spread out to make them flush with the outer soles was introduced at the trial of Frank I. Sears. vice-president and general man. ager of the company, in the federal court Sears is charged with bribery, consDiracv to bribe and conspiracy to defraud the government in connection with the manufacture of marching shoes for the Army.
 Fred R. McAvOy, of Brockton. fore man of the making and sole-fastening room at the Bates factory from De- cember, 1917, to March, 1918, and George E. Cunniff, of East Weym outh formerly a government inspector at the factory, testified regarding the slit soles. Cunniff said that after he dis covered this defect, Thomas Sherwood, one of the factory foremen, came to his room and told him that if he would close his eyes to the situation for a. few days Sherwood would see that there was no more sitting of middle soles In cross examination, n the slit soles.
 Timothy H. Honen, of Marlboro, a counter and middle sole inspector at the Bates factory, testified that he re- ceived $75 from Foreman Sherwood getting the money in $25 instalments, but that the gifts did not influence his judgment in any way.
 Chester F. Tirrell, of Webster, for mer superintendent of the Bates fac- ] tory, testified that from S5 to 100 pairs 1 of soles were split every day. Tirrell was unable to remember conversa- tions with Sears, but when asked if Sears ever told him these are the only soles we've got and they've got 1 to go,' he said he did not recall that 1 Sears made such a statement.
 1 In cross examination, Tiddell said l he had no feeling whatever against 1 Sears. He admitted that he had been l discharged from his position as super I intendent, but denied having said he 1 would give 8 good deal of his life to see Sears in jail. The splitting of ! soles continued after he had called 1t | to the attention of the chief inspector | and a factory foreman, he said, but l he admitted that he had never direct ed the foremen to discontinue 1t. The government rested its case and | Thomas L. Walsh, of counsel for Sears, opened for the defense at the ] afternoon session.
 ! Orders to live ilp to governm ent 1 specifications and not allow anything
 to leave the factory that was not ab-
 solutely correct were given by Sears,
 said Stephen G. Sullivan, superin-
 tendent of the factory, who was the first witness for the defense.
 Sullivan testified regarding the ton pairs of shoes introduced as a gov
 ernment exhibit which John w. Far l ley, a government inspector at the Bates factory, declared were unfit for
 use. He admitted faults in the soles
 of some of them, but in many cases
 declared the leather was all right the
 defect being in workmanship. One
 pair with a slit inner sole, Sullivan
 asserted, was all right, and in another
 instance he declared the inner sole 1 would outwear the shoe
 The superintendent declared that l Inspector Farley called his attention l to split inner soles, and he assuret
 Farley that there would be no more
 He discharged @ cobbler subseuuentl, { for splitting soles, he said, and iron
 that time on never saw a split sole II
 the Bates factory. All sole ieathe
 was inspected and stamped by Il gov
 ernment inspector before being uaed
 he testified. None of the shoes in tn
 government exhibit had any harmful ! defect, Sullivan testified.