Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-01-20

COl0 him aDOuC Tue G40. L Chu o@J ho'
much of &. s. BIS paper l endorsed
When they went away from here the Ia
bilities they left Oh me were large ldere
counsel said that of the paper, one man haa
$4,000 another 81 900, another 81 GU,
another 81 800, another 500 total 81 900,
all with McComb's endorsement L
don't know how much of this amount
pleaded non est fac!um TO in a civil suit.
am no kin to either Clnedinst or Bodel
[ endorsed their notes because they were
Industrious, aud enterprising men and L
saw nothing wrong in them. l have en-
dorsed for men before without charging.
l had several times a lien On G. & BIS
stock, but it was never put on record. L
have paid none OF the G. Il B. notes [ en-
dorsed, since they left. l can't give the
aggregate of the presents G. u B. gave me,
sometim IS they would give ne 81 or
81 80, something like that. The notes
that no makers could be found for didn't
raise a suspicion of forgery in my mind,
had several NOES that I didn'G know ex-
actly where the parties were. HentOn
never told me that he thought g. Il B.
were forging. did say to Burdette that
some notes were not promptly paid Wilkes
did not tell me that great many of the
makers Of the notes I was endorser on,
sold to him, couldn't be found or that he
had written to all the makers of the notes
he held and couldn'5 find them. Burdette
told me he couldn't find the makers of two
notes be held. Mr.. John W. Fauver did
not tell me the note thought was his, was
forgery of his name. Don't recollect a
man coming up here from Fishersviile and
making row about note endorsed by
me and drawn by Clinedlnst Il Bodell and
denouncing it as forgery. found out the
Strain note was forgery IN February,
just before they left. CIinedinst up and
told me about it and said they had been
doing that sort of thing fifteen months. l
had had the greatest confidence in Charlie
Clinedinst. He was always prompt i'll re-
paying money he borrowed. I have said 1
would be very glad if Charlie Clinedinst
would come back here; that he could set
me straight. After Charlie was arrested I
had no money to help to bring him back.
l have not supplied Clinedinst with coun-
sci since be came back. l did not propose
to Bodell to insure and burn his place; such
a thing never came into my mind.
1 did not appropriate to my own use the
proceeds of the Strain no 9 entrusted to
| me to meet a MOTEL kept the money be-
cause they owed me money. don't know
| that they consulted counsel to compel me
| to return that money. George La7man
never came to town to see me about a note
| had endorsed with his name forged to it
in 1856. Mr.. Trout asked me one day where
party of that name lived. told him,
Koiner' Store. I met Lagmap afterwards
and told Layman, Trout wanted to see
him; that lie had land bond, Or some
| thing of that sort. After wards Mr.. Trout
said the thing was all right and that was
the end Of it. At the settlement Henton
| testified about G. & B. owed me about
$780,
By Mr.. Cochran-I have not shaved
much paper since I bought the BroWnlee
| farm March 18th, 1884. [ had not the
money to do it with. had to borrow some
money to finish paying for it. Witness
here named several parties who he had en-
dorsed for without charging them for
| doing it. G. & B. had repositories at sew
eral places where they kept their work for
sale and got in notes from various quar-
| tiers.
By Mr.. Brarton I didn't know that for
year before October, 1885. their firm was
in bad odor with the banks and theirpaper
was being hawked about the streets.
J.F. TANNEHILL
sworn. Have known prisoner well for fif-
teen years. Always regarded him as an
honest, truthful man. He has endorsed
for me frequently and never charged me
for it and without being under any obli-
cations to do it.
JAMES BUMGARDNER, JR.,
sworn. Have known McComb from boy
hood. His reputation as man of truth
and veracity up to the time of this occur
renee was high. Have heard him criti-
cised as a ''paper,shaver, but 1 have
never heard of any transaction of his up
to the date of this charge, that was ques-
toned for integrity. His education has
been limited and he Is man of dull INTEL
lect, and can't express his ideas very
clearly.
Bu DR.. BraGton-I cannot say how
much his reputation has been affected since
the charges, now pending, were brought
against HIM.
Q.-What is Mr.. McComb's reputation
in the community noao?
Counsel for prisoner excepted, were
overrnled. and saved the point. The
Court held that a prisoner being a witness
for himself and giving evidence, is subject
to all the rules of treatment that apply to
other witnesses and has no immunity by
reason of being the accused party.l
Witness continuinq.-I know of no
change in the general opinion Of the nris-
oner's truthfulness except that arising out
Of this accusation.
1t was now agreed by counsel that all
questions of character Of the prisoner
should only include up to the time Of the
present accusation.l
WM.A BURNETT,
sWorn-Known McCcmb for twenty years,
as citizen and neighbor- Up to this accu-
sation his reputation for truth and inte-
| gritty was good. Meyer heard it questioned
in the community. Had same opinion of
his attainments as Capt Bumgardner.
| JOHN NJ. KINNEY,
sworn-Haye known prisoner for fourteen
years. His reputation for truth and hon.
esty, prior to this charge, was as good as
any mans IN the community.
John p ENGT EMAN.