National Republican., 1878-05-16
CHARLIE M0ULT0N'S TRIAL
The Broken Financier Brought Into
Court.
The story of an Attempt at Infation which
Did Not succecd-The Testimony for the
Government Closed - Tho Defense
Claim There were No Forgeriss.

Tho trial Of Charles II. Moulton was COM
menccd in tho Criminal Court yesterday
before Justice Wylie. It will be remem-
bcred that the accused, who was q promi.
nent real estate broker in this city at
| ono time, met with rcversos, and in the
| destruction of his business, being pressed by
demands that he could not satisfy, rcsorted to
certain practices that has brought about the
present proceedings against him. Distrct-
Attorney Wels,and his assistant, II. II. Wells,
| ir., appeared for the Government, and General
| Sol Henkle, and James T. Rcdington, for tho
defense. There are two indictments against
the accused, and the first one called, and for
| which he WAS put on trial, was the charge OF
| forgery, wherein he Is alleged, on the 18th Of
| August, 1875, to have made, under counterfeit
| note for SIS, payable twcnty-one months after
date, signed by Louis Edwards, prejudicial to
the rights OF Milton Ford. and uttered the
same. jury was obtained without much
trouble.
The Government stated that they proposed
| to prove that In the year 1874 Louis Edwards
executed n deed of trust upon picco of prop.
orty aud gave the defendant fifty notes of SIS
each that some of them were paid ut matur-
ity, but Mr.. Moulton duplicated tho notes and
negotiated the same with Milton Ford.
The defense reserved their opening.
BY mutual consent the deed of trust and
original fifty notes were admitted In evidence;
also that in January, 1873, the defendant
| wrote the name of Louis Edwards on the note
described in tho indictment, together with
| twcnty-nine other, but that Edwards made
his mark to the same. Tho notes were made
| payable monthly.
Louis Edwards, colorcd, testified that his
first acquaintance with the defendant, Moulton,
was when the witness house was sold. Mcssrs.
| MOulton and johnson bought 1t in, and the
former wrote him u note to come to his Office
Hc bought the property back, and gave
FIFTY NOTES OF EiuHTEEN DOLLARS
each, payable monthly. The witness could
not read Or write, but thought the note shown
him was one of those made by him. lie took
up twenty-five Of the notes. He never exc
cutcd any notes to Moulton except tho first
fifty. lie never saw any Of the other notes
until after Moulton went away. Milton Ford
sent for the witness to come and see him, and
told him that he had several of his notes due
and over due. He said he could not under
stand these were not on the same paper rs
those he had given. Mr.. Ford replied that
the paper might have run out and they used
different kind
lie paid Mr.. Ford $50. Afterward Mr.
kimblll came to him with lot OF notes. lie
did not know what to make Of it as everybody
seemed to be getting his notes Mr. Kimball
told him not to pay any more Of them and ho
did not. Tho first fifty notes, all that he
signed, were witnessed by Justice Weaver.
Crosse examined:
Mcssrs. Johnson, Weaver, and Moulton, the
witness, and his wifo were prcsout when the
notes were made. They Were payable to
Moulton and Johnson. The notes were signed
at Squire Weaver's office. Squire Weaver
J filled them up, made the signature, and the
witness made his mark. He signed the deed
Of trust also-Moulton promised that when he
got 1t recorded hc would give it back to tho
witness, but that was never done. lie did not
| ran oh nv nu tn Ia N
about the notes and that Mr.. Moulton wished
him to pay them more promptly, or being In the
Office in the summer of 1874, and that Mr..
} MoultOn wished the witness to make a new
series Of notes.
Milton Ford, an elderly gentleman, testified
that he first saw the notes August II, 1873, In
Mr.. MoutOn's office. lie loaned Mr. MOultOn
800 aud took the notes rs security for the re-
payment OF tho money. He took up twelve OF
the notes, and Mr.. Edwards paid one. lie then
related the transaction between Edwards aud
himself, and how 1t happened that the former
i only paid him one note on the discovery OF
the existence of second series. lie had a
conversation with Mr.. MOulton after lie came
back the first time, aud was assured that the
matter was all right, and ho would see that
the witness was paid.
Cross-cxamncd.-He told Mr.. Moulton that
Edwards claimed the notes to bo fOrgeries, but
Mr. Moulton said
| THEY NEiE ALL
and would be paid. He generally took tn,
u notes to MoutOn's Office, and Mr.. Moultor
Z either paid them or arranged for their pay
; ment. He supposed that the decd of trus
accompanied the notes. but he never found it
and did not think it was put in the envelope
. with the other papers.
: !. G.. Kinball esq, testified to lengthy nc
u quaintance with the accused. After he won
away the first time these notes fell into hi
hands through client. He wrote to Mr.. Ed
! wards who came to the Office. He went HON,
I and brought all the notes of the first issue tina
|. he possessed, and after examination the wit
y ness told him not to pay any more OF them
J, His client brought eightcon or twenty unpait
= notes; but he finally saw the entre number
and there were thirty.two unpaid notes. Al
!. of these were secured by deed of trust.
Cross. examined Edwards first came to SCI
him in November 1876, and at that time saiC
=. that he had paid the note Of the second serie
= to Milton Ford.
e John II. McDaniels testified that he receive,
:, tho notes about q month before Mr.. Muultoi
. went away Ms collateral for the note of the lat
ter. The notes were placed In the hands o
;, Lawyer Kmball for collection. He obtaiue,
u u the money on some and failed on Others Tn
y balance were sold to Mr.. Maysc, and that wa
y tho way he got his money back.
William Mayso testified to his connection
:, with the notes. He owned, at different times
. twenty nine of them, and had in his posses
y y sion the entire fifty.
y Cross exsmined-He took the notes fiou
u Mr. Moulton after his return for loan O
y $50. He subsequently, bOu hit ton more at
70 public sale fourteen from Mr.. McDAniels
= and the remaining twenty y-ons'irom Edward
himself.
Mr.. L. e. Weaver, justice of the peace, test
fed to the signing aud acknowledgment of til
docd of trust.
Tho Government here rested, and the cou
adjourned for the day.
10 Death of Prominent Mason.
" The remains Of John Robin Mcdaniel WI
q died suddenly last Tuesday evening" were sci
10 to Lynchburg, Va, for interment last nigh
hi via the Virginia Midland Railroad. The d
II I dan