Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1903 — Alleged Frauds In Importing Horses [ARTICLE]

Alleged Frauds In Importing Horses

The Inter Ocean recently published fttilr tieleoh arginig the com mission daring the past ten years of giant frands in the importation and sale of oommon horses as blooded and pedigreed stock. r The charges, which are made by Wm. Penn Nixon, oolleotor of customs and former; editor of the Inter Ocean, are contained in an offioial report made by him to the ' departments of agriculture and the .treasury. it is Stated that through the operations of a Chicago man who 1 oailed himself the. American Peroheron Horse Breeder’s, association an elaborate system of bogtts pedigrees has been employed under which several thousand hordes were imported daring the past year alone and sold to confiding customers for fancy prices, the government being also defranded ont of the 30 per oent duty that should be paid on oommon animals but is waived on imported stock, for breeding purposes where three generations of ancestors are shown, • 8. D. Thompson is the man named as being at the head of the fraudulent enterprise by whioh fhorse breeders and the government Jjave baen victimized to the extent of many thousands of dollars. The report says that his business is to gather up short-bred stook in Europe, manufacture the requisite genealogical trees, import the animals above named and sell them to breeders as high-grade horses. „ .

The matter will be investigated by the officials of the department and if the report is confirmed the animals will be traced and duties collected. Thompson and his associates deny the allegations in toto and make counter charges of persecution for private and persoual reasons. -v