The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-08-16
SENT DOWN.
MORTIMER CARR SENT BEFORE THE
SUPERIOR CRIMINAL COURT.
His Bail Fixed at $4,000.

His RaiI Fixed at 500
Mortimer Carr Of the firm OF Carr 4 Laun
charged with obtaining money under false pre-
tenses was yesterday before Judge Smith, of The
First Municipal Police Court, on preliminarJ
| examination.
District Attorney Finney represented the
State, Messrs. Casteanos, Labatt and Clinton
and Judge CuIlom represented the house OF Sc.
ligman, Hellman Co., while Messrs. O. 8. Rice
and O. H. Gutenberg appeared on behalf OF the
defense.
As the failure Of this firm, and the arrest OF
both partners have caused considerable talk,
the evidence will no doubt be read with interest
The first witness placed upon the stand was
Ovide D. Andry, who testified as follows:
I am cashier and book keeper for the firm OF
selligman Hellman Il Go. am acquainted with
the accused | am acquainted with the business
| transaction between my house and the accused,
| which transaction took place on the 9th day OF
February, 1877. On the day previous to the 9Th
Mr.. Hellman wanted some bills OF ladng that
| W. re to arrive.
There were two sets OF bills Of lading that Mr..
Hellman brought into our Office One set of bills
| Of lading were for $50 bales OF cotton purport-
ing to have been shipped on board the ship
Flora, A. Peterson, MASTER with exchange on
| Billing & Lamont for 40 100 rix marks; the other
bill Of lading was for 400 bales OF cot purpor-
& to have been shipped on the bark Rnneberg,
| H. Fredrickson, master, with five bllls OF ex-
| change for 20, ,00n rix marks each all OF which
| { shipped to our New York house, which turned
| out to be forgeries.
Theforged documents, consisting Of bills lading,
drafts, etc, were off red as evidence in court.
| Against these bills OF lading our firm advanced
! the firm Of Carr & Lsun 100000. Some lines Mr.
| Carr and sometimes Mr.. Laun would receive the
checks, for whcn I took receipts.
CHECKS AND RECEIPTS PRODUCED AS EVIDENCE.
Check No. l.. for $4,000; witness could not
| say by whom indorsed.
Check No. 2, for $4,000; do not know by whom
indorsld
Check No. 8, for $4,000; indorsed by Louis
! Laun.
Check No. 4, for $4,000; indorsed by Mortimer
Carr.
Check No. s, for $4,000; indorsed by Mortimer
/ Carr.
Receipt No. /. for $l3, 600; was signed by Louis
Laun for Carr & Laun.
Receipt No. 2 for sae, 600; was signed by Louis
Laun for Carr x Laun.
Receipt No. 8. for 500, 900; was signed by Louis
Laun for Carr Laun.
Receipt No. 4, for $4,000 was signed by Morti-
msF Carr for Carr Laun.
Receipt No. s, for $4,000; was signed by Morti-
mer Carr for Carr & Laun.
| The receipts were handed to me by the parties
| signing them.
On the day the affidavit was sworn out did
| see Mr.. Carr; he was in our Office. There was
4
Mr.. Heman were worried at bills OF lading not
| coming from Mobile. They did not understand
why they did not come. In q conversation 1t was
| agreed that Mr.. Hellman, Carr aud myself should
20 to Mobile on the following Sunday.
Mr.. Carr went over Saturday evening, the 10th
inst. We went over on the following day to ar
| range matters. Mr.. Hellman and myself on ar
rivlng in Mobile found that all OF the cotton OF
We called on Mr.. Miller to see If by the cotton he
had on hand the firm OF Carr x Laun could
not be saved.
After long conversation with Mr.. Miller, we
went over to one of the national banks OF Mobile
to make some arrangement, the same we had
wanted to make with Mr. T. z. Miller. The bank
had something like $250O margin there, which
had been handed over by the firm OF
CARR & LAUN, OF MOBILE.
After leaving the bank we went over to Mr.
Boatner's Office, the agent for the Flora and
Runeborg. The conversation never came up
shout the $50 bales OF cotton. We heard that
bills OF ading had been given him Tor 500 bales
of cotton by the firm of Carr & Laun, Mobile. in
advance to shipment; but these b lis OF lading
had been burnt and destroyed, as they had been
signed previous to Shipment, and as the cotton
was not aboard the boat.
We returned from Mobile Monday or Wednes
day. All these bills Of ladisg were discovered to
be forgeries. Mr.. Carr, when the forged docu-
ments were shown him, said: "This is for
gerry" ''that is forgery" 1 did not hear Mr..
Carr at any time say that he was the one that
handed the bills Of lading to Mr.. Hellman.
Louis lam vas not Ia town whom we returned
from Mobile.
4. Mailer next testified:
was engaged by Louis Laun, OF Carr Laun,
as correspondent and general confidential CLERK
for the firm. The house had, when went there,
a journal, ledger. and all books that are genef-
ally needed TO carry on shat sort OF business.
When opened them found no entries either In
the Journal or ledger. When asked Louis II Lann
about II he said they had no time to write,
but would have 1t done as soon ae time would
permit. Suddenly the order book Kept In my
key to tho drawer but myself and Mr.. Carr:
made inquiries about tho order book MIR. Carr
replied: 81 don't know where IL went to-
Witness then 10 ked at the bills OF exchange
which had been offered as evidence.
Tho exchange document, marked A, was drawn
by mo and signed by Mortimer Carr. The in
structions that got were from Louis Laun. The
bill OF ading is Ia Louis Laun's handwriting:
Tho Ave bills Of exchange, marked u, are signed
by Louis Il. Laun, and he instructed me to draw
them up. The bills OF lading and bills OF ex-
change were brought over to Mr.. Hellman's office
by Mr.. Carr.
Irecognize invoice on page 1913 as corresponding
with the alleged shipment OF 800 bales OF cotton
on tho Runeberg. There is also check book
missing of the State National Bank. Mr.. He'll
man asked Mr.. Carr for this check book. The
books OF the Mobile house and OF this city were
turned over to Mr.. Heilman.
I am a brother Of Louis Laun. l was con-
nected with the firm Of Carr g. Laun from Febru-
ary last. As for the forgery Of bills Of lading.
know nothing. know something OF $50 bales
Of cotton, purported to be shipped on the Flora
and Runeberg. II was when the festival Of Mo-
mus was here.
met Mr.. Hellman at the depot and went with
him to his Office, where we had conversation.
| The day after that went to Mobile. I wrote
letter from Mobile, apprisng Carr. I suppose
copy of that letter is in the books here: fhe let
ter is shown wtness] l also wrote other letters
and sent telegrams.
Question by attornsy-What had occurred in
Mobile to induce you to write letters and send
| telegrams?
A. We needed money, rs our cotton was mort
gagged there. 7 have reference to the 1000 bales.
[ did not get any money from New Orleans;
received telegram telling me to come to New
Orleans, and came here.
T. P. Miller & Co. we're the ones that seized
| our cotton in Mobile. Mr.. Carr was aware OF
the fact, as I had advised him accordingly at the
4 kLo Hi,on 7 inf n