Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-07-08
The Murkri1le Gmqnirer.
YORKVILLE. S. G.. {:
THURSDAY MORNING. JULY s. 1880
A SENSATION IN COLUMBIA.

SENSAIlON IN COLOMbAA.
The Columbia Register of Friday contain
ed the particulars of a startling discovery
which had but recently been made in the
Office of Commissi ner Colt, who is charged
with the settlement of the bonded debt of the
State in accordance with the decision Of the
Supreme Court Of the State, and also with
the funding of the bills of the Bank of the
State under recent act of the Legislature.
Commissioner Colt had reason to suspect
Alexander G. Laughlin, his principal clerk,
and expert in examining and cancelling the
bills Of the Bank of the State, with unlawful
ly appropriating t. his own use the said bills,
and accordingly, on Thursday morning last,
made an affidavit before Trial Justice Flick
ling charging Alexander c. Laughlin with
grand larceny. The affidavit cited the dates
and amounts of bills which it had been dis
covered were missing.
A preliminary hearing was had before
Trial Justice Fickling at II o'clock Friday.
The accused was represented by Messrs. Wal
lace, McMaster and ex-Judge Melton, and
the State by AttorneyGeneral Youmans.
The case was opened by Commissioner Colt,
the first and only witness sworn, who testi'
fed in substance that he is special commits
sioner under the Act to settle the debt OF
the State in accordance with the decision
of the Supreme Court and of the Act to pro-
vide for funding bills of the Bank of the
State in consolidated bonds or stock. The
latter Act provided for an expert to examine
the bills presented, and determine between
their validity or invalidity. 1t was imposs-
BILE for him to examine them all in person,
because the elimination of the tainted from
the spurious orcounterfeit bills was involved.
Witness was unable to distinguish between
the two. Under the provisions of the Act he
employed Alexander G. Laughlin so to ex
anime these bills Did not know how long it
would take to make the examination. His
object was to obtain an expert residing near
the Capitol. Laughlin was employed upon
the recommendation of Col. F. w. McMaster,
who spoke of him as an expert who had long
been cashier of the Exchange Bank of Co.
lumbia and who was familiar with bank
bills. Laughlin had enjoyed the confidence
of the board of directors. Employed him
some time in February or March last, after
the extra session of the Legislature. His
duties we're to examine packages of bills pre-
sented for funding and count them, separa
ting genuine from the spurious bills, and to
cancel them after examination, put them up
in packages, seal and certify upon the face
of each package the amount of bills found
valid also the amount found invalid. The
packages were tied up in brown paper, and
all the corners sealed with wax and stamped
with a seal specially made for the purpose.
Upon the first intimation that things were
going wrong (about the 2sth of June) it was
not convenient to make an examination, but
witness afterwards made an examination in
the presence of the treasurer and Mr.. Martin
dale. Upon the count the witness did not
find the bills to correspond with the amount
certified on the face Of the package. The
package said to contain s2,0l535 was found
to contain only S1,616l0. He found moth.
ing further Mr.. Colt stated that six hun
dred thousand dollars of bills had been
counted, sealed and certified, for which only
about 100000 in bonds had been issued. To
recount the bills, which had been counted by
Laughlin, would require fully three weeks
and would not involve an examination into
the genuineness of the bills.
In the cross examination by defendants at
torney, Mr.. Colt Sc id that Laughlin had no
regular assistant III his work. The cancel.
ling of the bills was done by machinery,
Adam Green, the colored messenger, being gen.
orally employed in this service. Up tothe 9th
of June, witness had two assistants in his
office, Lee Hagood and H. M. Davidson.
The latter kept the key of the safe. Laugh.
lin counted the bills, and the custom was to
put the packages in the safe. Witness was
sometimes absent during the counting and
cancellation of the bills.
This ended the testimony. Governor Simp-
son, Treasurer Leaphart, and Chief Clerk
Martindale, of the treasury department, were
present in court, and were offered to defend
ants attorneys for examination. Defendants
counsel declined to examine them.
The Attorney General argued that the
case was one of great Importance, involving
the validity of over 100000 of bills. That
a bond of $4,000 would be mockery Of
Justice. He asked tlat the court would fix
the bond at not less than 100000.
After further ar ument the Court decided
to fix the bail at $4,000 for the appearance
of the defendant at the July term of the Ses.
sions Court, and Gen. Wallace gave his
parole for the appearance Of the accused until
II o'clock the following Saturday morning.
Pei ing this time, clerks had been count
ing the bills of the Bank of the State, and
additional discoveries were made, necessitating
a re.examination and reconsideration of the
case Accordingly, when the accused ap-
peared before Trial Justice Fickling on Satur-
day, second warrant, sworn out by Com
missioner Colt, was read. The warrant charg-
ed grand larceny, the specific count being
that the accused had feloniously distracted
bills of the Bank Of the State amounting in
face value to the sum of $l50,0O0 and Of the
real value OF $4,000.
Commissioner Colt was re-examned, and
he said that since Mr. Laughlin's appoint
ment as clerk, there have been presented for
funding, in the aggregate, about 100000 of