The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-04
DEFENSE READY
TO GIVE MORSE
TESTIMONY
HWIH|
Counsel Have Decided on Com
pIete RebuttaI Of Gov
eminent Evidence.

Tomorrow will see the Government
Morse conspiracy case which has
been on trial in Criminal Court No.
1, Justice Stafford presiding, for
nearly eleven weeks, ana submit its
final evidence seeking to establish
that Charles w. Morse, his three
sons and four others are guilty OF
conspiracy to defraud the Govern
ment in wartime shipping contracts
Counsel for the defense have
definitely decided on a course of
procedure, including thorough and
complete rebuttal of the testimony
offered in evidence by the Govern
ment. It is expected that the de-
tense will take about four weeks to
present its side Of the case and will
put on the witness stand q number
Of men prominently known in the
political and business world.
Judge John Barton Payne, Will
liam G.. McAdoo, Gen. sG. w.
Goethals, Charles Schwab and others
have been requested by counsel for
the defense to be ready to appear at
moments notice to testify. The
dispositions taken of Judge Payne be.
/ fore he went to Mexico as a member
pointed by President Harding, will
time.
The Government did not disap-
point the defense when the former
finished its case yesterday afternoon
and offered in evidence e. confess
sion OF Philip Reinhardt, former
auditor Of the Emergency Fleet
Corporation, stationed at the plant of
the Virginia Shipbuilding Company
at Alexandria, Va. The defense was
aware OF the confession and every
detail connected Herewith before it
was sprung by the Government as
its last and biggest trump card.
Every effort was made by counsel
for the defense, including Attorney
F. G. Dawson, representing Rein.
hardt, to exclude the discriminating
evidence and prevent it from reach
ing the jury which had been asked
to retire by Justice Stafford while
the question OF the. admissibility of
the paper was argued, the court
finally deciding that it should go to
the jury with instructions to apply
the contents of the paper only to
Reinhardt.
The confession, dated March 8,
bore the signature Of Reinhardt, who
stated that it was a voluntary act
on his part. Reinhardt discloses In
the confession, which was read to
the jury by Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral Turner, that he had received
cash and other favors from officials
of the Virginia company and that In
return he signed vouchers without
examining them as required by law.
He. is also alleged to have said In
the confession that he knew he was
dOingL wrong but that he could not
help realizing that he was in the
power of the Virginia company.
Reinhardt, in the paper, is said to
have stated that on one occasion
he was pressed for cash and that
he asked Wallace, plant manager,
for a loan of $40 which the latter
refused to take when repayment was
offered, saying that employees of
the Government ought to be
favored" Reinhardt confesses to &C.
cepting brief case, valued at $40
from the Virginia company; a trip
to Canada, costing the Virginia COM
pany about $3.50, and firewood and
electrical goods valued at IS. In ad-
dition to this Reinhardt said he re-
NSANSN AAAOhOJ at NAAAOA CAAL dE'
gregating approximately $3.50. He
confessed he knew at the time he
was doing wrong and that he was
playing right into the hands Of the
Virginia company" as he had to
audit their vouchers which he did
without giving them a careful audit.
''This grating on my part through
B. w. Morse was when he first re-
quested Wilcox to put me on the
payroll for 49," says Reinhardt,
::from that time on 1 received ap.
proximately the amount of $780,"
but closer inspection showed 1t
| to be a group Of laborers for
/ the brick yard"