Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-26
the NAVY VOUCHER CASES.
The Trial Of Joha w. Drew Bexuu
To-day

TIE CORRESPONDING CASES AGAINST KrRKwoop AND
cARRrGAN NoLLE PRossKD-rKsrINoSY OFFERED BIT
THE GOVERNMENT To-DAY-rRE ALLEGED FALSE
CLAIMS FOR DRUGS AND MKDIcINDs-DR WALES
UNDER CRoss-ExAMrHATIoN.
To-day in the Criminal Court the cases against
John ". Drew, indicted with Daniel Carr1gan and
E c. Kirkwocd, for violating sections 54ls-2l and
IS, revised statutes, in presenting fraudulent
claims on the bureau OF medicine and surgery,
Navy department. aggregating S. ssl were called,
Messrs c. 8. Moore and A. b Williams for the de-
PENDANT
The district attorney entered nolle pros as 70
Cargan and Kirkwood on the last series OF indict-
ments, and nolle pressed the nrss and third
these Indictments be consolidated with the Old
series, 1887 to 1880. This order was made and
the DEFENDANT excepted The trial OF Mr. Drew
then proceeded
Before the jury was questioned, Nj. Moore OBJ
jected to statement By the district attorney that
this case similar to the Others that have been
tried. The following jury was selected: John A.
Bayly, Richard H. Langley, Wm Edw. Cumber-
land. John c. c. Snyder, Henry McDade. Win. n.
Thomas, JAS. L. ODonnell. Shadrach Dulaney, r
Carter Ballantyne, G. b Harrison, Richard Allen
and VIM. II. S. Frfdley.
Mr.. Coyle made brief opening for the govern
ment setting forth the various bills covered by the
Indictment alleged to be fraudulent. The first
transaction that the accused had with the bureau
OF medicine and surgery, he said, was In its tncep-
ton honest. Having legitimate OH against the
bureau he had raised Ii an even thousand dollars
From that time TO this, Mr.. Coyle declared, they
expected to show That all his transactions with the
bureau had been tainted with fraud
1--WE have no opening statement to make" said
Mr. Moore. except to say that you won't show
anything Of the Sort
THE TESTIMONY.
The first witness called was Mr.. John Cook, OF
the fourth auditors office, who identified the ac-
counts in question as having passed through his
Office. The first voucher for se1O IS being part OF
the accounts OF Pay Inspector James A. Smith was
ruled out, as It was not set down In the indict-
ment- The other three vouchers, aggregating
S.. 422 81, were parts OF the accounts OF Pay In
spector Richard Washington.
The district attorney wanted to offer evidence to
show, as he claimed the intention OF Mr.. Drew 10
prove that the first bill he presented was for s2
Tor medicines actually furnished that this had
been raised to 81 ,2 by his confederates In the bu
reau. and subsequently the name OF Philip 8.
Wales was forged TO the certificate.
The court suggested that the district attorney
hrst confne his efforts to proving what was set
out In the Indictment
Francis v Walker, chief clerk OF the navy pay
accounted for by Pay Director Washington to Mr.
Drew, and also that the signatures OF Drew and OF
Surgeon General Wales were genuine.
Mr.. WILLIAMS OBJECTED
to the Introduction of these vouchers to support
the charges In the old series of indictments They
were introduced as genuine papers, while under
the first count in each OF the old series Of ind1ct-
mentS the bills In question and these appended
certlncates were set out as false and forged. The
only other count In the Indictment merely set out
the count as a false and fictitious claim, without
any certificate attached.
The district attorney said that all the govern
ment had to do to sustain the Indictment was to
show that the paper was either false or forged.
They proposed to show that the paper was utterly
false.
After considerable discussion Judge wylie said
he would rule that this evidence was not applica-
bic at all to the old indictments, and that they
should conf1ne their attention to the new lndict-
mentS.
The district attorney said that in view of what
ne he s 10 ppoy the was aIpcah6le
the papers were forged. 1t was just as much a
forgery to write something over signature after a
he proposed to prove that something was written
over the signature.
JUDGE wYL1E SAID
that that was different thing. At present, how
ever, as the court was advised, 1t ruled that the
paper was not admissible under the old ind.ct-
mentS, but was admissible under the second count
OF the new series OF indictments.
Mr.. Coyle then introduced the bills, certificates
and checks in evidence He asked TO have Dr.. Van
Rypen read the bills. remarking that they were in
"dog Latin or apothecary'o latin"
There's no use going over all that dog Latin, "
said the court.
Mr.. CoyIe then stated 4 summary OF what the
bills showed they being bills for carbOc acid qui-
nine and other drugs and chemicals. The first, dated
May 9TH 1882, footed up 97s 49, the second dated
December 10th, 1881, aggregated 1854 On, ana the
third, dated August 18th, 1888, amounted to
81 609S9. To these were appended the required GER
tcates by Philip S. Wales. chief OF bureau OF med
1cine and surgery. Mr.. Coyle presented also the
checks identified by Mr.. Walker with which the
bills were paid.
OTHER TESTIMONY.
Mr. Bagg. bookkeeper In the navy pay ONCE. tes-
titled to having paid one OF the bills I'm question.
George A. Matthews, Who was messenger In the
navy pay Office from 1867 to 1884, testified TO having
seen Mr.. Drew present bills for goods to the Office
and to having on one occasion, In 1852 or 1885, car
mt toSv
$3.50 and $1,000
EDWARD K. True, paying teller of the Treasury,
testified to having paid The check OF August 90
1883, to Nj. Drew in person AS to the other checks
he had no recollection. AS the other checks bore
the Endorsement only OF j. w. Drew, the payee, he
was positive that they were likewise paid to Mr..
Drew.
W. D. McKelden, Of the cash room, Treasury. was
called, and asked as TO whether he remembered
identifying MIR. Drew on any occasion, but he had
no recollection Of such an occurrence
Mr.. Charles r. Campbell identified Mr. Drew's
signature to the checks in question and Mr. Drews
handwriting In other papers to be offered In evil
dence He said he had seen Mr. Drew write bis
name once to check and had seen his writing.
Joseph w. Howard, who was for q time employed
by Mr.. Drew, also testified to Mr.. Drew'S signatures
on the checks and his handwriting in the bills In
question.
A recess was then taken.
AFTER TIE RECESS.
Mr.. Charles l. Jones, OF the Treasurer'S Office,
was called to testify as to the payment OF one of
the checks to Mr.. Drew, but had no Independent
recollection OF making such payment aside from the
handwriting on the check showing that he had
probably paid IL.
Dr. P. s. Wales, q. S. n, was called as a witness
for the prosecution, and testified TO the routine OF
the bureau OF medicine and surgery in ordering
goods and making out vouchers for payment. He
remembered that Mr.. Drew competed once success
fully for contract for supplying goods. This con-
tract amounted TO about 81 600 He had seen Mr..
Drew at the of1ice at that time: There was no law
for purchasing goods except by contract. but in
cases of emergency the bureau authorized such
purchases to small amounts
When the bills and vouchers were presented to the
witness Mr.. Moore objected to the introduction OF
these bills, and made an argument urging that
there was variance between the proof offered and
the Indictment
Judge Wyie overruled the objection.
The witness said he had never contracted With
Drew for the goods named in the bills, and such
goods had never, to his knowledge been delivered.
II delivered they would have gone to the naval
laboratory in Brooklyn. He had never knowingly
approved these bills Witness signatures on the
vouchers might be genuine, but II so, they o-
tanned by fraud He explained how such fraud
might be committed by FASTING portion OF bill
on after his signature had been obtained, or by
ture was obtained, or as the vouchers were
signed in triplicate and the witness examined only
the top one, by introducing the fraudulent bill, or
blank bill, underneath. The bills in question were
exceed $50 IJ was witness habit to examine the
large bills carefully, but the smaller bills he glanced
at only casually. In answer to q question by the
court, the witness said 1t not his custom eX-
anime these trip!icateS. Once when one OF them
dropped to the floor he saw 1t was blank, and called
| the attention OF Carrigan, who was arranging the
papers for his signature, to this fact Carrigan
said that he intended to I'LL it up afterwards. and
had left 1t blank, he was in hurry to get up the
mall The witness did not suspect anything at the