Evening star., 1946-05-06
Change Plea
In Artificial
Limb Trust Suit
Won't Fight Case,
But Accept Sentence;
Ten to Go to Trial

len to 10 to Trial
Thirty-three companies and &c
individuals in the artificial limb
antitrust trial today changed their
pleas OF not guilty and pleaded nolo
contendere to charges of violating
the Sherman Antitrust Act,
Federal Judge Bower Broaddus of
oklahoma, sitting temporarily in
District Court, accepted the new
pieaS-meaning the defendants do
not admit but do not contest the
charges-and said that sentences
would be passed within a month to
six weeks.
seven other firms and three indi-
Vlduals, also charged in an indict-
ment returned by District grand
jury last November with conspiracy
to Tx unreasonably high prices of
artlnclal limbs, informed the court
they were ready to go to trial and
Justlce Broaddus set Wednesday as
the trial date.
among the firms that will go on
trlal is j. E. Hanger, Inc, of Della
ware, which has its main office here
at 22l G street NV.
Counsel for the Association of
Artificial Limb Manufacturers of
America, one of the defendants.
SAID the group had adopted a reso-
luton authorizing a plea of nolo
contendere but that the actual plea
would not be made until he receives
written authorization.
Counsel Voices Misgivings.
Hammond E. Caffetz, attorney for
most of the defendant companies
which entered nolo contendere pleas,
told the court the pleas were filed
with considerable misgivings on
my part"
Mr.. Chaffetz said the defendants
were waving their rights to a trial
reluctantly and in the case OF
many OF the defendants against
their own wishes and only through
acqulsencence in the advice of their
counsel, based not on the merits of
the charges contained in the in
dlctment but on practical considera-
tions."
The attorney declared that the
more than SO defendants he rep
resents are engaged in essentially
local businesses and there is little
connection between them. Conse-
quently, he said, it is difficult for
him to bring all of them together
to fight the conspiracy charge. Mr.
Chaffetz asserted that the conspiracy
case presented by the Justice De-
partment ''is the most extreme that
has ever been attempted-so ex-
treme, in fact, as to present a
serious civil liberties problem"
The court was told that the COM
pan1es are for the most part one
man businesses and that many of
the defendants had neither the time
nor money to fight the charges.
Investigation Desired.
"Your honor will understand that
we are not pleading guilty and
throwing ourselves on the mercy of
the court" he declared. I'VE are
not running away from a disclo-
sure of the facts. On the contrary
it is our wish and hope that the
court will investigate all the facts
and circumstances surrounding the
charges made in this case"
The firms pleading nolo conten-
dere today are: Amsterdam Bros,
Inc, New York City; Bardach-
Schoene Co., Inc, Illinois; Boston
Artificial Limb Co., Inc; the Colum-
bus Artificial Limb Co., Ohio; Doer-
finger Artificial Limb Co., Wiscon-
sin; John N. Eschen Co.. Inc, New
York; Feick Bros. Co., Inc, Penn
syRania; Fidelity Medical Supply
Co., Ohio; c. A. Frees, Inc, Massa-
chusetts; Gaines Orthopedic Appli-
ances, Inc, Colorado.
]. E. Hanger, Inc, of Georgia ;
j. E. Hanger, Inc, Pennsylvania
c. H. Hittenberger Co., California /;
the Thomas w. Klopp Co., Inc,
OF Ohio; Edward Koeber & Co.,
Illinois; the Marks Artificial Limb
Co., Inc, New York, N. Y; Martin
Halstead Co., Inc, Michigan; Nc
Mullen & Reynolds Co., Massa-
chusetts; Merrick Hopkins, Illinois
Georges r. E. Milligan Co., Inc.
California; Minneapolis Artificial
Limb Co.; Pomeroy Co., Inc, New
York; j. F. Rowley, Inc, Illinois;
Standard Artificial Limb Co., Inc.
Missouri; United Limb & Brace
Co, Inc, Massachusetts: Universal
Artificial Limb Co., Inc, Illinois;
chester B. Winn, Inc, New York;
c. H. Bennington Manufacturing
Co., Inc, New York; Chicago Stump
SOCK, Inc; c. H. Davies Co., Penn
sylvanla; the John j. McCann Co..
New Jersey; the Miracle Artificial
Arm Co., Illinois, and the Ohio Will
low Wood Co.
individuals Pleading.
The individuals pleading nole
contendere were Clyde A. Aungel
OF Phoenix, Ariz; John F. Barg.
hausen of Pittsburgh; Joseph Bro
din, Chicago; Charles G.. Dorsch
New York City; Guy E. Forster
0AAStA4Aoo VI, oCSl sc II. STlSh, FlIUS-
burgh; Rich C. Greene, Erie, Pa.
A. P. Gruman, Minneapolis; Ches.
ter c. Haddan, Denver; Rudolf E
Huck, San Francisco; ]. Blaine
Korrady, Chicago; Oliver Leigh
Cleveland: Martin ]. Nowak, Chi.
cago; Andrew j. Pope, Pittsburgh
Victor N. Robillard, Boston; Albert
T. Rowley, Pittsburgh; Frank o
Peterson, Detroit; Walter R. Sievers
New York; Joseph A. Spievak
youngstown, Ohio; David E. Stolte
New York City; Ray B. Troutman
Minneapolis; j. j.. Vollmer, Lo.
Angeles; Lawrence G.. Weis Chi.
cago; James c. Wood, Toledo; Viii.
liam E. Arbogast, Mount Sterling
Ohio; William Didier, Racine, Wis:
William E. Isle, Kansas City, Mo.
George NJ Morris, Kansas City, Mo-
Max Ross, Peoria, ILL.,, and Pau
Spracklen, San Leandro, Calf.
Besides the Hanger concern o1
Delaware the firms which will &c