Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-02

a Belief Inst Funds are Hidden Some.
where-W hat the Prosecution Hoped
- find

20 Find.
From the Mem York Times
hetsct that Ferdinand Ward intends
70 fight hard in the courts for new trial
raises tae question in the minds Of great
many people as to where an the money
comes from that he is spending so lavish
~ Ia his attempts to ovade the legal pen
atty Of his enormous swndIing opera
tions. Ward mas repeatedly asserted
since he has been undcr arrest that the
failure Of Grant Il Ward left BIN poor
man, dependent upon ms friends to pur-
chase even the small comforts that
money will buy in a debtors prison. But
because W ard said so IL was not neces-
sRry that every body should believe him,
and as a matter Of fact very lew people
did believe him. When Ward saw that
criminal prosecution was inevitable ne
hired the best lawyers he could get 20 d9-
fend him, and nothing mat money could
do to bring about hls acquittal was left
untried. II the defense had put Ward on
as witness the District Attorney felt
confident of getting his legal shovel under
some OF the hidden gold.
Assistant District Attorney Nic0ll was
tying up the blg buudleOf Grant s. Wards
checks that have been tOted around from
lawyers office 10 referee s Office. and from
court TO court ever since the failure when
a Times reporter asked him yesterday
whether, in preparing for the recent trial,
anything had been discovered TO warrant
the belief that Ward WAS yet rich man.
"Certainly there has" was the reply.
81 am convinced that Ward has hidden
away from Sl.0C0,u00 to $1,000. 600 and !
know that Receiver Johnston believes the
same thing"
"What evidence did you find OF ity'
H. H.. -
we found some Of the Generals personal
checks drawn ia favor Of Grant n Ward,
Endorsed by Ward for the firm, and yet
not the slightest reference to them Is to
be found on the books OF the firm. Ward
simply went 20 the bank and got the
money. Once in his possession, it would
not be avery hard task for him to put it
where his creditors could not find it.
Ward systematically and shametully
sUindled Gen. Grant. | was not unin-
tentOnally done, the result Of an exceed
lngly unfortunate combination Of circum-
stances, but u was a deliberate swindle.
] am convinced, too, that in large meas
are Fish was Wards dupe to the last.
The money that Ward invested in real
estate jointly with Mir. Fish was only
part OF the sWindling scheme, done with
view Of Strengthening Fish's confidence"
''Were there other checks OF the firm
that Ward raised money on that do not
appear on the BOOKS besides those you
found among Gen. Grants papersY'
"Ihere was plenty Of evidence of that
kind, and if W ard had gone on the wit
ness stand there would have beeen some
interesting Developments. We should
have confronted him with checks OF the
1rm that he cashcd, which do not appear
on the firms books, and ask him 10 give
some account of the money. He is
most unmitIgated liar and sWindler. We
have now more damaging evidence
against him than was embodied in the in
dictment under which he was tried
There IS quite enough OF it to keep this
Office busy with him, If necessary, until
the term OF the present incumbeDts ex-
pre-. ! want to say that 10 no man does
the public owe more In bringing Fish and
Ward 10 justice than to Receiver John
stou. lie has assisted this office as ener-
Eeucally as be did Mr.. Root in the other
trial. and I am sure that no man is better
pleased than he to see Ward get his
deserts.'
Had there been need for it, the Dlose-
cution could have put in evidence proof
on proof Of the rascally dOings OF Ferdi-
nand Ward, which would have gone far
enough even TO have convicted MIN OF tue
meanest petty thievery. There was for
some time serious debate in the District
Attorneys office as to the ACCESSIBILITY Of
introducing testimony to show certain
characteristic pieces of knavery upon
Wards part, but the prosecution finally
decided that scarcely a 1.-THE OF their
abundance was necessary. In this way
1t was that story was not 8 NOrn to
which was yesterday recited to a COM
pany Of personal friends by one of the
lawyers to whose efforts Wards convic-
ton was due.
As not infrequently happened when
NJ fah Il "a h.ff
ticed most successfully, Gen. Grant en-
tertained the fellow at his home one night
where party of family friends We're as
sembied. Some Of the young men present
Joined IN social game OF poker. and the
General, not taking part in the game, pro-
posed that as they were without "chips"
they should use for that purpose COINS
that half filled a vase upon his library
mantel. This vase was one of his most
valued gifts from the Emperor of Japan,
Us unique design combining displays OF
gold, silver, and copper. IL was OF
rare beauty; its intrinsic worth
was Of consequence. The coins
that 1t contained We're five and ten
dollar gold pieces, Gen. Grant and Col.
Fred were at this time directors in num-
Der Of railway and other corporations
where IL is the custom to nav with gold
piece each director for attendance at meet
1ngs. This Us the rule IN most corpora
tons known IN Wall street. and the coins
which father and son together collected IN
tins way were amounting 20 a snug little
Income when they proposed TO give them
70 Mrs. Grant for a fund OF her own. so,
uniformly, whenever they went home
from directory meeting each took into
the library the gold coin aud dropped il
into the handsome japanese vase. over
5000 was IN this improvised bank when
Ferdinand Ward, clad In his hypocrisy,
stole In TO make one Of a friendly com
pany.
While the party amused themselves in
the library over their cards Mrs Grant
sat IN her rocker in another room not far
on. As soon as the game was over Ward
rushed % her. He had heard the story of
the directors fees, and the use that the
home people were putting IL 10. Ii was
very pretty plan, he said, but he was so
much afraid that Mrs Grant was running
a risk OF losing ID through the thleyery of
some servant or intruder IN she persisted
an leaving 80 exposed In the vase on the
mantel. Mrs. Grant tried 90 calm his
fears. All her servants were honest. she
said. But burglars, burglarsl persisted
Ferdinand Ward. Then, by that insinu-
ating manner which at one time seemed
capable Of all sorts OF victories, lac won
Mrs. Grants consent 10 let him take II
down town for 'safer Investment" That
night, before he went into the street, he
had poured the contents OF that Japanese
fufn