One of the officers of the Department of Justice who conducted the suit, and who inclined to the side of mercy in the matter, nevertheless writes: "Heike is a beautiful illustration of mental and moral obscuration in the business life of an otherwise valuable member of society.

Heike had an ample share in the guidance of the affairs of the American Sugar Company, and we are apt to have a foreshortened picture of his responsibility, because he operated from the easy coign of vantage of executive remoteness.

It is difficult to say to what extent he did, directly or indirectly, profit by the sordid practices of his company.
But the social damage of an individual in his position may be just as deep, whether merely the zest of the game or hard cash be his dominant motive." I have coupled the cases of the big banker and the Sugar Trust official and the case of the man convicted of a criminal assault on a woman.

All of the criminals were released from penitentiary sentences on grounds of ill health.

The offenses were typical of the worst crimes committed at the two ends of the social scale.