St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-27
mr. Fish Testifies.

NEW NORK, Oct. 2o.-1ne jury III Tile
ward case was completed this afternoon.
District Attorney Martin opened the case
He said Ward had been indicted for larceny
and he read the statutes covering the crime
While the district attorney was speaking
James d. Fish, with his custodians. entered
the courtroom. He glanced at Ward and
was removed to private room, where he
remained until wanted as witness. The
district attorney said that Ward, on May B.
1884. in this city. presented a check for
ST.. 500 to the Marine bank, drawn against
a check for S75, 600 of the First National
bank. Ward received the money from the
Marine bank. The S75,0 check was
not henored by the First National bank, and
Ward was guilty of grand larceny by prom
ising S11, 900 on it from the Marine bank.
The Jury must remember that Ward was
not on trial for running Gen. Grant and
sending him broken-hearted to the grave. or
for sending to state prison for ten years
gentleman highly connected in banking
circles. but was merely on trial for grand
larceny. James D. Fish was the first wit
ness. He leaned over in his chair and
glared savagely at Ward, who lowered his
ewes. Wards counsel moved that tue jury
be dismissed on account of the statement
of the district attorney regarding Gen.
Grant and MI Fish The motion was de-
MED.
MR.. FISH SAID:
am 66 years old,a convict at Auburn state
prison. to which was sentenced to ten years
at hard labor I saw the check handed to me
on Nav D 1884. 1t was handed to me by the
paying teller on May ), 1884. L directed it
and certified after went to the telephone and
rang up Ward
Question-''Is the prisoner here the Ward
you mean?
E;cb leaning over apain-ssI would like to
see him. Yes, that is the man." Contempt
uously continuing the witness said: II said
over the telephone, Ward, have your check
here for certifcation for S1l,000, against an
uncertified check for ST5,000.' Ward tele-
phoned back it was all right and certified it.
saw Ward on May 5, about
o'clock. He came in Monday morning before
business hours, and asked for the withdrawal
of a certified check for SS1, 600, against which
the former sum drawn had been with
drawn Mr.. John H. Carr, the receiving
teller, was present. and instructed him to
withdraw the check. When the exchanges
came in l found the $4,000 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Ward said was withdrawn, was presented and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 if
would be all right. He was too busy to come
and see me then
on CROSS-EXAMINATION
the witness said he did not know that Ward S
account had been overdrawn on May 5, 1854
TO the amount of 100000. I knew that
Ward often had his personal account over
drawn, but Ward told me the money was de-
posted in the Grant Il Ward account. Or
April u. 1854, l told Ward that it seemed tC
me his affairs were drifting in way 1 could
not very well stand. Mr.. Carr, the seconC
teller had charge of the cash account or
May ). l expected Ward all day, according
to his written promise, to make deposit tc
relieve the $4,000 check which did come in
though he assured me it was withdrawn. We
fCrW ard a the hank that 1aV nntil
o'clock. Ward had promised to raise the
money and l understood he was trying II
borrow it on the 5th of May. l was pressing
him hard for the money, as the bani
needed it in order to get through the clearing
house on Monday morning; on May wrote
Ward: Get in all you can, and hope to set
better days. meant for him to get all the
money he could, and on Monday morning h'
deposited the Vanderbilts' check for S15O.0OO
which was credited to his personal account
do not know that at at the time it was ex
ira hard for Ward to borrow money on the
securities he held; l do not remember eve
soliciting loans for Grant Ward on their sc
curities, though l believe once went TO Sci
igman's; it was because could make better
terms: at that time the Marine bank wa
carrying load for the Erie company aud
wrote Ward that would leave if the banl
was relieved of some of its securities, which
other banks would hardly accept; Ward,
think, became director in January and wa;
one at the time the bank failed; l was mem
Der of the firm of Grant & Ward''
Counsel then read the following letter:
March 90, ISS4.-Private. Office of Jane
D. Fish, Wall street. My Dear Mr. Ward
Life is short, as we have it often quoted t
u.s. This Erie business and some other mat
tiers is altogether to much for me. We carr,
an immense burden that other bank woul
for this company and many of their en-
ployes, and on collaterals that no other ban
would recognize. If the bank cannot be II
leved of some of it, shall leave as sure q
anything in the world. I see no prospect c
things getting better with them Yours.
]. D. FISH.
'ward,'' the witness continued, ''ofte
made deposits as late as $3.50. When I hear
that the SS1, 600 check had been used, thong
Ward had assured me that it had been will
drawn, rang him up on the phone e,and sal
sharply: Ward, how is this? That SS1, ,0(
has been used He replied: I cannot III
derstand it. but it will be all right I b'
leved Ward to be an honorable truthfl
man. one to whom trusted everything ha
in the world and on Monday, May 3, I e1
pected Ward to raise large sum, as muc
as 100000 or S500,0 He had been tryin
to raise money for ten days before that
AT this point the witness was excuse
until tomorrow to allow counsel for the dt
fense to examine the books of the banl
Benjamin Fish. a brother of the prepiou
witness, testified:
tIOD Nov snd < T WAS having TELLER of RI