The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, November 19, 1909, Image 1

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    THE WEATHER Friday fair weather and light westerly wind will prevail, with continued lower temperature, and on Saturday fair.
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Wayne County Organ
5 of the
REPUBLICAN PARTY J
? jt Jt
Semi-Weekly Founded
V; 1908' 3
Weekly Founded, 1844 j
66th YEAR.
HONESDALB, WAYNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1909.
s
NO. 92
PROOFSJILE IIP.
Staggering Evidence of
Frauds by Sugar Trust.
THIRTY INDIGTMENTS ASKED.
Special United States Prosecutor
Stimson Says He Can Convict
Important Trust and Cus
tom House Odoials.
New York, Nov. 18. Henry L. Stlm
son, Bpeclal United States prosecutor
charged with bringing to Justice those
guilty of the gigantic sugar frauds,
deprecates the appointment of a com
mittee of Inquiry by congress at the
coming cession on the ground that It
Is unnecessary and might help the
chief malefactors to escape punish
ment. "Wo have nmplo proof of the
frauds," said Mr. Stimson. "In fact,
the mass of evidence Is amazing. In
dictments will be nsked for thirty
men, some of them Important sugar
trust officials and some of them men
holding lucrative positions In the cus
toms service. The evidence against
them Is sufficient. I am confident to
bring about their conviction on the
charge of conspiracy to defraud the
government."
Henry C. Corsa, a former govern
ment employee who wns assigned to
duty in the custom house as an assist
ant to the sugar samplers working on
the Jersey docks and who met with
many unusual experiences while en
gaged In that capacity, tells a start
ling story of his experiences not only
within the service, but for two years
after he was removed.
Mr. Corsa backs up his story with
originals of letters uddressed to him
by Leslie M. Shaw, former secretary
of the treasury; Charles II. Treat, for
merly collector of Internal revenue
and United States treasurer;
Taylor, assistant se
treasury, and ,80-
cers.
To all of these, be says, he made
known all the details of the sugar
trust's sampling frauds as early as
1002.
One of his duties while he worked
as assistant to the samplers was to
carry a tray of little pots In which
samples had been placed by the sam
plers to a locked vault, where they
were to remain until removed by the
appraisers.
En route he found that the assistant
samplers were actually passing with
their trays through a cellar near the
docks in which was the trust's official
briber. This man would take the pots
of samples In this cellar, dump them
out and refill them from a hogshead
of damp, spoiled sugar kept there for
that purpose.
This was one of the facts made
known to Appraiser Wakeman at the
time he turned In to him $12.50 given
by the man mentioned to him that Is,
slipped by this man into Mr. Corsa's
pocket while he was In the wash
room. That was one of the facts also
that Mr. Corsa knew wns placed In
LESLIE M. SHAW.
Former secretary ot the treasury.J
full detail before Lyman J, Cage,
which he himself In a three hour con.
versation placed before Leslie M.
Shaw, Mr. Gage's successor, and with
which Internal Revenue Collector
Treat was made thoroughly familiar.
Corsa's story is long and detailed.
In effect it is that tbo men carrying
the sugar samples received bribes of
from $12.50 to $25 on each cargo they
handled In order to allow the sugar
trust's agent to "doctor" the samples
before they were locked up. Corsa re
fused to bo a party to the fraud, re
ported the facts to his superiors and
handed tbo bribe money to them. The
sugar trust had Influence enough with
the appraiser to bring about Corsa's
removal without cause alleged, and he
was never able to cet reinstated.
'rtt i-'f 73m
WW
In March. 1002? Corsa put before
Leslie M. Shaw, who was then secre
tary of the treasury, a statement of
the facts of his case. Mr. Shaw con
sented to bear him personally. Corsa
received a letter from Mr. Shaw's sec
retary Inviting him to call at the Fifth
Avenno hotel.
"For three hours he listened to me,"
said Mr. Corsa. "He seemed all sym
pathy. He said at the end of the In
terview as he shook hands with me:
'I'll see you are put back. I could
demand it right now. But things are
working so smoothly between Mr.
Whitehead and myself that I don't
want to break in abruptly upon hlra
and demand It. 'I'll take it up, though,
and I'm sure you will be given the
Justice due you. It's only because of
the flue harmony that I don't do It
now.' "
After waiting for months Corsa
heard through Appraiser Wakeman
that Mr. Shaw's view was practically
that ho could do nothing because his
hands were tied. Mr. Wakeman sent
to Mr. Shaw the money that had been
given Corsa as bribes, nnd this came
back to Mr. Wakeman from Secretary
Shaw with the word that that officer
knew nothing he could do with It.
Miss Electra Havemeyer, daughter
of the late Henry O. Havemeyer, has
Just been appointed one of the execu
tors of her father's $20,000,000 estate.
This fortune was made by him as head
of the American Sugar Refining com
pany. The members of H. O. Havemeyer's
family are still among the heaviest
holders of the American Sugar Refln
ing company stock.
Evidence that the customs frauds
extended to more than sugar is con-
HENRY L. STIMSON.
Special government prosecutor.!
talned in a statement made by Bern
hardt Teodor, formerly a special em
ployee of the treasury department.
Mr. Tcodor's revelations Indicate as
extensive a system of undorwelghing
In the importation of lemons for sev
eral years down to 1003, when he was
appointed to investigate the condi
tions, as had been the practice in the
sugdr trust's scheme of defrauding the
government by false weights.
The scheme wns to all Intents nnd
purposes the same and was carried
out by precisely the same connivance
between the importers and the govern
ment weighers ns has been shown to
have existed between the sugar trust
nnd the customs men charged with the
weighing of sugar.
Mr. Teodor figures the total loss to
the United States government by the
underwelghlng of lemons during the
seven years from 1898 to 1004 inclu
sive at close to $1,000,000.
UPTON Will CHALLENGE.
Says He Will Arrange a Race For 1911
if N. Y. Y. C. It Willing.
Now York, Nov. 18. Before sailing
for England on the Lusltunla, Sir
Thomas Llpton said:
"You may state positively for me
without any qualification that I shall
challenge for the America's cup for
the fourth time. I will challenge for
a race to be sailed In 1011. I am as
sured, though, that the challenge,
which will be sent In proper form
through a club of which I am a mem
ber, will have fair nnd proper consid
eration, nnd I am confident that It will
be accepted by the New York Yacht
club.
"Tho cballengo will be for a yacht of
tho largest slzo allowed according to
tho rules of tho club and the condi
tlons of the deed of gift, and, I believe
that tho members of the New York
Yacht club are fair minded sportsmen
and will agree with me that tho chal
lenge that I will send la for the best
that there is in tbo sport of yachting."
MAES HAS A SNOWSTORM.
Fall Reported by Dr. Lowell Is Much
Earlier Than Usual,
Flagstaff, Ariz., Nov. 18. Director
Lowell of tho observatory here reports
tho first antarctic snow fall of tho sea
son on Mars. Two patches appeared
at latitude 02.72, longitude 100.10.
This Is exceptionally early for the
first Martian antarctic snow.
lt TRUST PROBE
Revelations In Letter Book
Produced at Trial.
HIGHER ADVANGE NOT "SAFE.'
"We Have Not Gone as Far as We
Wished," President Schoonmaker
Wrote to Oler Concerning
Increase In Prices.
New York, Nov. 18. The letter file
book of the American Ice company
was brought Into requisition by the
prosecution In the trial of the com
pany for violation of the antlmonopoly
law when the bearing was resumed
before Justice Wheeler in the supreme
court. One letter sent by President
Schoonmaker to Wesley M. Oler in
June, 1003, referred to the advance
ments made n tho price of ice that
summer.
"We have not gone ns far as we
wished, but It Is not safe to go any
further Just now."
In the same letter reference Is niado
to John N. Briggs, tho ice man, who
testified yesterday that be bad chased
Charles W. Morse for two weeks with
u gun. lu this connection the letter
said:
"It doesn't seem possible to do any
thing with Briggs on prices. He Is nl
ways referring to his great losses In
the stock of the American Ice com
pany. Ho does not do reasonable
things, but flics off the handle. My
idea is that you ignore him and let
him give his ice away if he wants to
The newspapers are beginning to howl
here, nnd there have been several re
quests for interviews, but have been
denied In a dignified way. I send you
a newspaper clipping showing Jerome's
attitude."
In another letter to Mr. Oler, Mr.
Schoonmaker wrote: "If we could get
a dock in Jersey City and open a
bridge we could use It as a lever on
tui "trade, tratilt?"tttfuld have to be
done quietly. We will give them all
they want to attend to."
Mr. Schoonmaker deplored the fact
that the New Jersey Ice company,
which was supposed to carry the
American trade in these towns, was
unprogresslve and its president, Oren
Dennett, nn Inactive manager.
"We will have to shake up Old Man
Dennett," the letter went on. "We
can't stand any more nonsense from
the Mountain Ice company crowd.
Dennett will sit up, and it will tear up
tho old man pretty well if we start in
there, but that don't mean anything
in dollars and cents to this company.
We will get 10 to 1 when the time
comes to throw up hands."
Another letter, written by Schoon
maker lu December, 1003, referred to
a suit which Augustus C. Sprague
had brought for the recovery of $100
a mouth for services In addition to
his salary as a clerk. In tho early
exhibits In the trial Sprague appears
as the intermediary through whom the
American purchased Independent ice
concerns.
"We doubt if Mr. Morso is willing to
lot Sprague go on with this suit,"
wrote Mr. Schoonmaker. "If the cover
Is ever lifted off this pot there will bo
a very bad smell."
On Sept. 2, 1005, President Oler
wrote, "Everything seems to be com
ing our way, anil all the 'lfs' of tr
American Ice company have been ob
Uterated from my mind."
Writing to the late Charles T. Bar
ney in 1005, when he was with tho
Knickerbocker Trust company, Oler
said: "We are making all kinds of
deals with the least expenditure of
money. We do not purchase outright,
but try to have them keep money in
vested so that they will keep an inter
est in our success."
In December, 1005, ho wrote to tho
Boston mauager: "Everything la mov
lug our way In Greater New York,
Wo have innde deals of all kinds, and
no two contracts aro alike, but each
suited to the circumstance. Our coun
sel, Mr. Adams, says it would take a
Philadelphia lawyer to keep track,
Tho problem has been solved, and tho
future looks good for the company."
Tho Jury was Interested in entries
in the cash books, which showed three
different prices were charged different
customers on the same day. In one
instance n customer got 350 pounds of
ice for 50 cents, and a minute later
another customer paid $1.50 for 800
pounds.
Diet Refuses Money For War Purposes,
Asks Constitutional Action.
St. Petersburg, Nov. 18. Tho Finnish
diet has unanimously refused to grant
Russia's demand for $1,000,000 for war
purposes.
It has passed a resolution asking the
czar to haro the military question set
tied constitutionally.
It is expected in many quarters that
this will lead to the dissolution of the
Slot
DYNAMITE WRECKS CHURCH.
Part of Explosive Fails to Go Off, Sav
ing Priest's Home.
Clinton, Ind., Nov. 18. The Sacred
Heart Catholic church In this town
wns wrecked by dynamite, about $10,
000 damage being done.
Tho Rev. Father Maher, formerly
chaplain nt St. Mary of the Woods,
has been priest in charge for the last
six years, and through his efforts the
church was built last summer.
Tho dissatisfaction of some members
of the church with tho pastor because
he Insisted on building the church Is
suggested as a possible motive for the
crime.
Tho home of the priest ndjolns the
church, and thirty sticks of dynamite
were set In the tower next to his
house, all of which failed to explode.
Ed Jones, an ex-patrolman, daringly
cut a smoking fuse attached to this
pile of sticks.
A pile of fifteen qticks and several
other scattered bunches of dynamite
were found elsewhere in tho front of
the structure.
Windows were blown from four or
five neighboring houses, and pieces of
stone were hurled across the street
CASTRO TO LIVE WITH US.
Deposed President Relinquishes Alt
Claims on Venezuela.
Madrid, Nov. 18. Genernl Ciprlano
Castro, the deposed president of Vene
zuela, announces through tho Express
Z?,t 6
i
V
GENERAL CIPRIANO CASTRO.
that he formally relinquishes nil claim
to the dictatorship lie formerly held
over the South American republic,
He declares that after recovering his i
health In Europe he will go to the ,
United States to live. He Is said to j
have a fortune of $15,000,000 invested i
In the bonds of European powers.
DUCHESS C0NSUEL0 ILL.
Dowager of Manchester Attended
by
Her Sisters and Two Nurses.
London, Nov. 18. There is consid
erable anxiety concerning tho condi
tion of Consuelo, Dowager Duchess ot
Manchester. Her health has been bad
for some time, and she has had a seri
ous relapse.
Her sisters nud two nurses are nt
tending her.
Mae Wood to Face Charges.
Julesburg, Colo., Nov. 18. Mne O.
Wood, charged with perjury in con
nection with her claim that she is the
wife of Senator Thomas O. Piatt, left
here for New York to face her ac
cuser. She declared that sho would
prove her innocence by demonstrating
the authenticity of her marriage.
Weather Probabilities.
Fair; colder; diminishing northwest
erly wlnds! ,
TRUST COMPANY CLOSED.
Philadelphia Concern Alleged to Have
Made Unwise Loans.
Philadelphia, Nov. 18. Because It Is
understood the American Trust com
pany of Philadelphia accepted as col
lateral security for a loan bonds of a
coal company the value of which is
uncertain the bank has been closed by
order of State Commissioner of Bank
ing AVilliam H. Smith.
State Bank Examiner A. L. Taber
was appointed temporary receiver.
It is said the securities of doubtful
value amounted to over $400,000.
COLLEGE DROPS FOOTBALL.
Action of Georgetown University Due
to Death of Player.
AVashlngton, Nov. 18. Tho faculty
of Georgetown university has decided
"that tho game of football shall bo
discontinued by tho Athletic associa
tion until such a time when the rules
can be so framed as to exclude all pos
sibility of danger to life and limb."
This action was prompted by the
death of Archer Christian, left half
back of tho University of Virginia, In
tho game on tho Georgetown field.
It Is understood that the Virginia
legislature will pass a law prohibiting
the same of football.
FEARS Fi ASTOIl
Government Aids Search For
His Yacht Nourmahal.
WIRELESS STATIONS NOTIFIED
Vessel Not Heard From Since She
Left Jamaica For Nearby Port
of San Juan Thirteen
Days Ago.
New York, Nov. 18. John Jacob As
ter's yacht Nourmahal is still missing.
No news of the vessel has been re
ceived since she put out from Kings
ton, Jamaica, on Nov. 5, bound for the
nearby port of San Juan, in Porto
Rico.
Since then n disastrous hurricane
has swept over Jamaica and Haiti.
The United States government is
earnestly trying to locate the Nourma
hal. Captain Worth G. Ross of the
revenue cutter service hns wired the
commander of the cutter Algonquin,
Stationed in Porto Rlcan waters, to try
to locate Astor's yacht by wireless and
report at once.
The United Wireless company has
sent notices to the fifteen stations ly
ing to the southward of this port, a
string extending from New York to
Cape Hatteras, Charleston, Savannah,
Tampa, Jacksonville, Key AA'est, Gal
veston nnd Guantannmo, Cuba. The
company also sent messages to eight
steamships now in West Indian wa
ters which are equipped with wireless.
The messages told that the Nourma
hal had put out from Kingston, bound
for Porto Rico, and asked that any
news of the vessel bo promptly sent to
tho main olllce of the wireless coin
i pany in this city.
I No news of the yacht has been re
ceived. Tho vessel is not luted witn
wireless, but If she had come to her
undoing on a reef or shoal, as the Hig
glus yacht Varuna did at Madeira, in
ull probability tho. wireless. haln
would have discovered It and sent the
news to'thls city.
Although the AVest Indian, cable is
broken off Turk's Island and no direct
communication can be had with Porto
Itlco, it Is certain that Colonel Astor's
yacht was not nble to make that is
land, as the steamship Caracas of the
Red D line from San Juan for La
Guayra, the Pouce of the New York
nnd Porto Itlco line, now lying in
Mayaguez harbor, and the Carolina,
from jjan Juan for New York, are all
without news of the Nourmahal.
The Tagus of the Royal Mail Steam
Packet company, which arrived lu
Kingston, nnd the Atrato of the same
line, which left Jamaica for Colon,
have both reported no news.
There is hope that tho S. V. Lucken
back of the Insular line, which is
cruising around Porto Rico and will
leave San Juan for New York later,
may bring some Information, but more
reliance Is placed on the Relay of the
Mexican Telegraph company, which
has gone to mend the cnble at Turk's
Island and has a powerful wireless
outfit
The Nourmahal was built In 1884 by
Harlan & Hollingsworth at AVllmlug
ton, Del. Her designer was Gustav
Hlllman. Her length is 250 feet, and
she draws 18.(5. She Is driven by com
pound Inverted two cylinder engines
nud cnrrles four small cannon and a
veritable arsenal of rllles, revolvers
nnd cutlasses. Her crew numbers forty-six
officers und men.
Mrs. John Jacob Astor, who recently
obtained n divorce, Is on the Lusltnnln
on her way to Europe, where she will
pass the winter.
Her son A'lncent Is on the Nourma
hal with his father.
FIRED VOLLEY INTO MOB.
Two Killed, Many Wounded In Polit
ical Riot In Italian Town.
Rome, Nov. 18. Two persons were
killed nud many others wounded In a
political row at Montemllone. Thcro
had been a political fight at this place,
and a mob assaulted the town hall,
which was defended by a forco of
carabineers.
The mob throw stones nt tho cara
bineers, and five of the latter were in
jured. Tho soldiers were almost over
powered before they used their fire
arms on the crowd.
After they had discharged a volley
into tho crowd of rioters two of tho
latter were found dead nnd many oth
era were seriously wounded.
THREE HUNTERS HILLED.
Young Man Reports Death of His Fa
ther and Two Brothers.
Marquette, Mich., Nov. 18. Walter
Dodds of AVatertown, N. Y., arrived
here and reported that his father and
two brothers wero killed while hunt
ing deer near Channlng. All three
were obot dead.
TRAIN UNDJ .'WO RIVERS.
Pennsylvania Of
Through
Now York, Ni
'ig of the
through the
Make First Trip
Tunnels.
..With the pass
passenger train
tylvanla railroad
Harrison, N. J.,
CQ
tunnels today
under the north river, under Manhat
tan lslnnd nnd under the East river to
Long Island City was accomplished
the most Important achievement In
American railroading since the com
pletion of the steel highways which
Joined the Atlantic with tho Pacific
seaboard.
A special train left Philadelphia,
proceeded across New Jersey to the
tunnel terminals at Harrison, plunged
into the tunnels, stopped at the huge
new Pennsylvania railroad station In
Manhattan and then went on through
the tunnel to the terminus in Long
Island City.
In the special train were President
James McCrea, A'ice President Samuel
Ilea and the directors of the road.
The train bearing the high officials
of the road and invited guests stopped
at the new terminal of the four tun
nels at Harrison for the party to In
spect the work there. The train pro
ceeded slowly nnd stopped at many
points along the route to allow the of
ficials to thoroughly Inspect the work,
that has cost close to $160,000,000.
DUEL WIPES OUT FAMILY.
Father, Mother and Child Killed In
Prearranged Fight.
Pioneer, La., Nov. 18. A whole fam
ily is dead as the result of a duel
fought here between Clarence Comp
ton and Sylvester and Albert Owen.
Compton, his wife nnd his little daugh
ter were all killed.
Tho Owens, are sons of n Methodist
preacher. They rode to Compton's
house nnd demanded an apology for
nn unkind remark about the preach
er's daughter. "You little boys run
along," scoffed Compton. "AVhy," ho
challenged, "I'll take two guns, fight
you both nt the same time and shoot
your heads off."
Tho Owen boys Jumped at the chal
lenge. Compton secured two automat
ic revolvers. Twenty paces were
measured off, the word was given, and
the three opened fire.
Compton's wife and her little daugh
ter" dusheVl" frolh'6''hou8e, nnd Mrs".
Compton throw her arms about ber
husband's neck. Her cry, "Stop, Clar
ence!" had hardly sounded when she
fell mortnlly wounded, nnd her child
dropped dead. Compton fell over his
wife's body with three bullet holes
through his lungs.
WILL FORCE CHILE TO PAY.
United States Withdraws Minister Be
cause of Delay In Claim Settlement.
AVashlngton, Nov. 18. Thomas O.
Dawson, American minister to Chile,
left Santiago for tho United States by
way of Brazil. His departure was au
thorized by tho state department after
fruitless efforts had been made to ob
tain a settlement of the Alsop claim.
Tho Chilean government has several
times admitted the validity of the
claim nnd lias promised to pay It.
but has never made any practical
move to do so. The state department
is not at all pleased with tho attitude
of tho Chilean government, and no
minister will be appointed to succeed
Mr. Dawson until it adopts n more
suitable attitude.
' The Alsop claim has been pending
for twenty-flvo years. It grew out of
a sum of money advanced by an Amer
ican concern to tho Peruvian govern
ment which was to be secured by tho
revenues collected nt the custom house
nt Arlca. ,
HIGGINS PARTY SAFE.
Doubt About Saving the Varuna,
Ashore on Madeira.
Funchal, Madeira, Nov. 18. Eugene
Hlgglns' splendid steam yacht Varu
na, big as a small liner and fitted as
luxuriously as any pleasure craft in
tho world, will probably be destroyed
by the seas that are pounding her an
she lies on tho rocks of tho northwest
coast of the Island.
Mr. Hlgglns and his guests and most
of the yacht's crow reached shore in
small boats after the yacht struck and
made their way to villages, where they
wero cared for.
Two tugs were sent to tho yacht In
expectation of hauling her off. A part
of the crow stayed In the neighbor
hood of the wreck to assist tho wreck
ers If they found it possible to save
the Varuna.
MERCY FOR MAOFADDEIi.
President Lets Physical Culturlst Off
With a Fine and No Imprisonment.
AVashlngton, Nov. 18. President Taft
has extended executive clemency to
Bernard MacFadden, editor of a mag
azine devoted to physical culture, who
was convicted on n charge of sending
indecent printed matter through the
malls and sentenced by United States
District Judge Lulnlng at Trenton, N.
J., to two years in prison and to pay
a fine of $2,00q.
Oil the payment of the flno the pris
on sentence will bo waived. Mac
Fadden has been out on ball.