Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1909 — PEOPLE OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PEOPLE OF THE DAY

Discovered Sugar Frauds. Richard Parr, chief of the weighers' division of the New York customs house, who is credited with ferreting out the sugar weighing frauds which have developed into a national scandal, is said to be slated for advancement In the service. Mr. Parr, It is said. Is regarded as the one man in the customs service who has the particular understanding of the methods of the sugar trust and other Importers who have defrauded the government which Collector Loeb considers necessary at this crisis of affairs In the customs house. Mr. Parr started In nearly six years ago getting

evidence against the sugar trust, and there is not a trick of the trust that he does not know. Collector Loeb has always held Mr. Parr in the bighest regard and has been anxious, it is said, to give substantial reward for the work he has done in uncovering the evidence upon which the United States district attorney has proceeded in his criminal prosecutions of sugar trust employees and upon which the collector has been guided in ridding his office of “undesirables.” Mr. Parr is a native of New Yorkstate and has been in the customs service for a number of years.

Impecunious Lauder.

Harry Lauder, a man who is never to be trifled with in such matters, had an experience with a small grafter not so very long since. He was in the smoking compartment of a Pullman. A “britber Scot” asked him for a match to light his pipe. Lauder selected one precious match and handed it cautiously to the requester, who produced a pipe, an empty one, and then began feeling in his pockets somewhat ostentatiously for his tobacco pouch. Lauder looked on cannily. “Why, man,” said the other, “I've lost me tobacco.” “Then you’ll no be wanting the match,” said Lauder, grasping eagerly for what he came near losing.

When Twain Wes Funny.

At Mark Twain’s dinner table one day there was a party of guests, for whom Mark was doing his best in the way of entertaining. A lady turned to the daughter of the humorist, then a little girl, and said, “Your father is a very funny man.” “Yes,” responded the child, “when we have company.”

Former Sugar Trust Official.

James F. Bendernagel, recently indicted by the federal grand jury at New York for complicity in the alleged sugar weighing frauds, was formerly general superintendent of the American Sugar company’s refinery in Brooklyn. Mr. Bendernagel was arrested on the charge of conspiracy to defraud the government by means of false

weighing of sugar importations. His first indictment was quashed, but the federal grand jury immediately found a new indictment Mr. Bendernagel has been superintendent of the sugar trust’s refineries in Brooklyn for thir-ty-five years and has been in charge of that institution’s activities at the port of New York for that time. It has been estimated that during the period of his control of affairs that duties aggregating millions of dollars have been diverted from tbe government b> means of short weighing.

RICHARD PARR.

JAMES F. BENDERNAGEL.