Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-05
ard FOundGuilty.
The Jury Renders a Verdict of
Larceny in the First
Degree.
The Penalty is Ten Years With.
in the Discretion of
the Court.

Inc WOfk Ol SECURING jury 1Of the
trial of Ferdinand Ward was com
pleted On Monday and the examina,
ton of witnesses began on Tuesday.
James D. Fish was the first witness
called Mr. Fish said: II am 66
years old, a convict st Auburn state
prison, to which [ was sentenced for
ten years at hard labor. I saw the
check handed 10 me on May 5, 1884
It was handed me by the paying tel
Ter. I directed it certified after went
to the telephone and rang up Ward"
Question. Is the priseaer here the
Ward you mean? Mr.. Fish, would
like to see him. Yes, that is the man
| (contemptu0usly). [ said over the
telephone: "Ward, I have your
check here for certifcation for S71, 800
against an uncertifed check for $75,-
000." Ward telephoned back it was
Ward on May 5, about o'clock. He
came in Monday morning before bus
mess hours and asked for the with>
drawal Of q certified $50, 900 check, as
an $81, 600 check against which the
former sum had been drawn had been
withdraw. Mr.. John H. Carr, the
receiving teller was present, and [ in
structed him to withdraw the check.
When the exchanges came IN, / saw
| the $81, 900 check which Ward said
was withdrawn was presented and
paid by the bank. [ rang Ward up
and told him. He said it was strange
but that it would be all right he was
too busy to come and see ne then.
Benjamin Fish, a brother Of the
previous witness, testified: "Oa May
8 and 5 [ was paying teller of the
Marine bank. On May 5 [ received
this 81, 800 check over the counter
for certifcation. [ passed it to the
receiving teller, who showed me
non certified check for $75, 900 depos-
800 check to the president, who tele-
phoned to Ward, and I heard Wards
reply over the phone. When I re-
ceived the $4,000 on Monday, May
6, took it to president Fish, who tel
ephoned Ward again and received a
reply that it would be all right.
Ward listened attentively as he
read off the amount made by himself
and the frra to Grant 6 Ward. Some
of the deposits ranged in the region of
hundreds of thousands. General
Tracy demanded that certain books be
produced, and they not being at hand
he asked for time to examine them.
I don't propose to delay this case
was the answer of the judge, and you
will have t0get the books the best way
you can. Paying Teller Fish testified
that on April 26, 1884, Grant & Ward
had a balance of $4,000, and on the
morning of May End, the balance was
So, CAS-, 001, on May 2nd Ward was
raising money for the bank and he
managed to make Deposit By con-
sent the counsel sheets from which
these statements were given by the
witness were admitted as evidence
thereby excluding testamentary evi-
dence in regard to the overpaid drafts,
Grant & Ward had two accounts one
special and the other general. Ward
besides had an individual account and
drew against the three. Sheets of
these accounts were also admitted as
evidence Ward had spoken to the
witness about the purposes Of the
special account, but the testimony on
this point was ruled out and the wit
ness excused.
Samuel d. Cornell, the book-keeper
of the First National bank, then tes-
titled. His testimony was of the same
general character as that of Paying
Teller Fish.
Ex-President Fish was then called
and his cross examiD alton was resum~
ed. Il do not know" he said, show
many letters I received from Ward on
May list. It was not true that nay
bank was in financial difficulty since
January 1882, and that Ward had
kept helping to save it. We pressed
Ward to return to us the money which
he and his firm had borrowed"
Fish continued, ''On May 5th had
no doubt but that we could have got
gen relief from the other banks had
the government contracts been true,
as [ believed them to be. A refusal
to certify to Grant Sc Wards checks
would have caused run on US, which
would have broken them up and then
our bank would be forced down. i
am now staying at the Military Hill
hotel and [ believe the district attor<
ney resides there also. We have had
frequent talks together but not much
about the case"
The examination of Fish then end
ed.
Two other witnesses were examined
briefly, but failed to discover any
thing new. The prosecution then
rested.
THE TESTIMONY of VIM. WARNER
was called to the stand for the defense.
He testified that he knew Ward and
recognized the check for $40, 900,
which he had received in the ordinary
course OF business. After certifcaS
ton by the Marine bank it was de-
posted in the American Exchange
bank.
In the cross examination Warner
said he had received the check in
Wards private Office, and at the time
had with nina the obligations which
the money was due. The amount was
the profit on certain Investments
which were due Grant & Ward on
the government contracts. The wit
ness could not remember the form of