The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-02-05
TAKEN BY THE TWELVE.
JOE lAHnsrelN's COTTON CASE.
The Deiiberstise Dozen, Known ~ tho
Jury, Weighing the Law and the
Evidence - They seek Light
aud are Dlsagreeing.

O'Clock yesterday evening" After DelnF
out for two hours, the jury Informed the
court that some of their number were
In doubt as 10 the testimony Of
Mr.. w. l.. Griggs, Of Oliver IL Gnggs,
the banking firm through which
the fraudulent bills Of lading were me-
gotiated, aud requested that Mr., Griggs
repeat his testimony ON the point ~ 10
whether or not his firm was swIndled
by Lnhnstein In the transaction, Mr.. |
Griggs was then sent for, and when he
appeared the Jury submitted 10 the
court, i'm writing, tho question; "rhe |
jury would like To know II W. l.. Griggs
stated In his testimony whether he was
swindled or nOtg" In response, Mr..
Griggs said: al do not think
that exact question was asked mo.
That Is my recollection. II that exact
question was asked mo do not remem-
Dor It," The jury thon retired to their
room, At g:jO o'clock they returned
and reported that they were unable 10
agree, wherenpon court was aulourneu
until o'clock this morning, ana the
jury ordered locked up. Concluding
argument for the defense was made yes
terday morning by Col. w. L.. Craw-
ford, in an able and eloquent effort.
IIe reviewed NJ length the salient
points In the case. lilo was
followed by County Attorney Clint
in what is considered the most power
full effort mado by him In any case. He
refuted the charge made by tho defense
that the prosecution was instlgatod and
maintained by the railroad corporation,
and In n minute manner aud with great
force laid before the jury the details of
the conspiracy and Of the participation
of Lahnstein in 1t.
IL Is believed the jury stand ton TO two
or nine TO three In favor of conviction.
These cotton cases have attracted
greater attention and have excited pub
lie Interest TO greater extent than any
others which have occurred for many
years, and brief synopsis of the con-
spiracy leading up 10 the execution of
tho plot may not DO inopportune ut this
time.
In the spring of 1888 +. Baum and
Morgan Cammack conceived the plan
of making "big stake" by means Of
tho issuance offraudulent bills OF ladinS
for cotton. r.. ID. Easton was a. that time
cashier of the Texas IL Pacific Railroad
company at Dallas. To further the
scheme it was proposed that Eas-
either he or Cammack, who had previ-
ously been in the employ OF that COM
pany, should try TO secure an appoint
ment as agent at some station where
considerable shipments OF cotton were
made. Easton was approached by
Baum and Cammack, and yielded n
ready acquiesance in the scheme which
was represented to be fruitful of great
results. In the summer of lSs3 Il yacan-
cy occurred in the agency of the Texas
IL Pacific ut Sherman. Easton
applied for it. He had been for years
clerk in the Dallas Office
and at the time was cashier. Ho was
regarded as an efficient, responsible and
capable man. His application for the
sherman agency was favorably con
| sidered, anu lie was given the appoint
ment. During all this time the con-
spiracy was developing, and when tho
cotton season opened the plans of tho
conspirators, Baum, Cammack and Eas-
ton, were fully matured, bat another
man was needed. Baum was to prepare
the bills of lading, Easton was To sign
them as agent, but some one must nego-
| tiate them. LahnEtein was deciued upon
as the man, and he was taken in. He
had been in the cotton buying business
| for years in Dallas, and was well and
| favSrably known, and had standing
with the banks. The finishing touches
were then put on. Lahnstein went to
the bank of oliver Il Griggs, in Dallas,
considerable IN the way of cotton
buying that season, and wanted
to give them his business.
| This was in the latter part of Septem-
| Der. Easton then furnished to Baum a
supply OF the printed bills of lading for
cotton shipments used by the Texas u
Pacific railway company. These bills
oflading were filled in by Baum, taken
by him To Sherman for Easton to sign
and number, then brought back to Dali
las by Baum and handed to Lain
stein, who took them to the bank
of oliver 81 Griggs, drew bills
of exchange against them and
received the money on them. This
proceeding continued until fifteen bills
Of lading, aggregating25 900 bales or cot,
ton were negotiated, the sum realized
on them being about Sll2,000. AS he re-
ceived money on each bill of lading me-
gotiated, Lahnstein would divide with
Baum their share of the money, and
Baum would take to Easton the share OF
Easton and Cammack. On the 9th of
November, 1883, Easton, who was in
daily fear of detection, left Sherman on
the pretext of going to Galveston TO
see the general freight agent of the com
panv, having previously shipped to
Uammack at Emporia, Kansas, nearly
all of the money, including his own
share, received from Baum. After
week had elapsed, suspicion was
aroused on account Of Easton's absence.
J lnyeSLlP'lLlOu lOlOWtu, ANU ~ was
found that he had not been to Calves
ton, ana no trail of his whereabouts
could be ascertained. Experts were
called to Sherman, and on
examination of Easton's accounts,
showed a shortage in his
accounts of some $4,000, which amount
he was supposed to have taken at the
time of his leaving. Just about this
| time inquiries began to pour i'll about
cotton alleged to have been shipped, but
the books Of the company showed no
such shipments. Then the whole trans
action became known. Detectives went
to work on the case, and after long
chase Cammack and Easton were appre-
hended and arrested by Detective Thos.
Furlong, of the Missouri Pacific system,
and his men, at Ocean Springs, Missls-
sippi, brought to Dallas and lodged in
Jail. In the meantime Baum and Lain
stein had bean arrested. They were
soon after released on bail. Cammack
and Easton still remained in jail. Late
in the spring Cammack turned states
evidence, gave away the whole conspir-
acv and was released on bail. Shortly
afterwards he left Dallas under pre-
tense of going to New Orleans, but in
reality was bound for some foreign
port, safe beyond the pale
of the law. He was pursued by officers,
and, finding the chase hot one, volun-
tarily returned, and was again placed
in jail. He was subsequently, released,
and has not since attempted to leave
Dallas. Last fall Baum was placed on
trial, but owing to some defect in the
Indictment it was quashed and the re-
naming cases went over. In the course
of couple OF months thereafter he dis
appeared, and when his case was
called at the present term OF
court he was non est, ana
his bail was declared forfeited.
| To-, NJ INN had haar r.