The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-11-08
A Letter From J. G. Fraker.


find, on reading your editorial, and from
letters received from friends, that nay plea to
the indictments against me is misunderstood d.
1t was understood by me and my attorney
that could select such items as l acknowl-
edged TO be true and answer 10 them, leav-
ing cut the rest. With this understanding l
prepared statement which / desired to
make at the time answered to the charges.
On my arrival at the court house, and while
the court was in waiting, found that there
was Misunderstanding. The prosecuting
attorney then said that he wanted me to
answer to the ch argc OF embezzlsment, leav-
ing out the other two charges of aiding and
abetting tho bookkeeper and cashier in max
ing false entries in the books of the bank.
refused to answer TO the charge OF embezzle-
ment. told him that was not guilty OF
that charge, but that it was true that / did
assist in the making OF certain entries in the
bookkeeper's and cashiers books. 1t was
then agreed that as there were many items
charged which denied, that all the indict-
ments should be considered as consolidated
in one, so far as they referred to my case,
and that should enter general plea to
them, and then could set forth in my ans
wer before the court what was true and
what not true, which did. then prepared
a statement in answer TO all these charges
which was made before the court four days
stterward, and which has been published in
your paper. Therefore it is not true that
acknowledged TO the charge Of embezzlement
as my statement shows Again ! did not in
ducc others 10 20 beyond lie limits pra-
,cribed 10y law. as you stale it. by public
statement shows that did u9t hold out any
Inducements or offer any Arguments to per-
-uade any OF my associates 20 violate any
conscientious scrgples inst they might have
had 10 the making OF any OF these enirios.
ON the contrary, these entries were made by
a mutual understanding, and as freely rs any
other entries. The theory Of the prosecution
was. st first, that there must have been some
IDdueemeHt offered By NE 10 procure the
making OF these entries; but lney abandoned
that theory. This view OF the case is alike
discTeditable TO me and my associates. | did
not refer 10 my leaving home, or running
away, as you have it. ia a single sentence. Il
certainly requires the most fertile and bril-
liant Imagination to have drawn any such
conclusion from it. violated no law in go
ing away from home when did, and there
were no charges before the court requiring
me to make any reference TO that mstter. In
the generosity of my heart thought 1 could
better bear the ignominy in public esteem,
even for those who had cruelty wronged me
by their statements since the failure of the
bank, until these matters are more fully un.
derstood, as they will be in the future, than
to add feathers weight against them, by
parading their false statements before the
court and the country at the time Of their
trials. / therefore did not refer to this mat
ter in any part of my statement. As TO
whether pursued the wiscst course or no I
may be a matter OF difference OF opinion.
Some OF my friends think did not. l hope
your fair dealing will do me the justice to a.
low your readers to see my explanations.
Very respectfully.
J. g. FRAZER.
II was the farthest from our desires to mis-
represent Sir. Fraker in our remarks two
weeks ago, in which assertion we think |
majority of our readers will bear us out
"Embezzement' bong one of the charges |
and all the charges having been consolidated, |
we wore led into the view cfthe case given, |
and not from any desire or intention to pref |
udice his cause with the public or his old |
friends and acc uaintances. In his statement /
before the court Mr.. Fraker used this lam
guage: There are times in the lives of the
sicutest mon when in iminent peril and
danger of life and property they quail ana
become weak and feeble And again
"That in trials and misiertunes the judgment
becomes weak and feeble and his acts arc
more like panic stricken soldier than that
of brave man." These expressions Were
taken by us as illusions to his absence from
his home.-rED. EAGLE.