Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-03-16

me that Mofett s Greek was the postoffice
l found there was John A. Runkle al
| Moffett's Creek, but no John T. Runkle
Clinedinst paid me check of Mr.. Bailey
with the money he gave me. and 1t proved
to be all right.
Juror Zirkle Is the signature of Nc
Comb on this note genuine i?
Witness-McComb said it was on his
list of genuine notes. He did not dispute
the signature.
john Z. Wilson, saCorn-I am Deputy
Sheriff of Rockbridge ard live in the
Baths neighborhood. about 10 miles from
Greek. Am pretty well acquainted with
the county but know of no such man as
John 7. Runkle. in the county.
L. 7. Watson, sWorn-Have been Com
missioner of the Revenue for Walker i
Creek District, in Rockbrdge. for thir
teen years. Am well acquainted in The
county and very well acquainted in my
own district. There is no such man as
| l. i
never heard of one in the county.
By Mr.. Cochran-There are six revenue
districts in the county. l was constable
for ten years and resided near Goshen.
John A. Runkle, sUorn-Have ben liv-
ing near Brownsburg. Rockbridge. for five
| years. There is no John Z. Runkle up
there. Runkle is rare name. only know
of our family and one other man of that
name. | gave Clinedinst Il BJdell small
note-for $50 SIX years ago, for a second
hand buggy, and slnce that time have had
no transactions with them Of any kind. l
was born and raised near Middlebrook, in
Augusta, and The members of my family
in Augusta are brothers and my father. [
live s miles from Moffett's Creek. Mr..
Robertson 8 first letter to John T. Runkle
sent to Moffett's Greek, was sent by the
postmaster there to my postoffice, thinking
it might be for me. Ny postmaster sent it
out to me. 1 opened it but paid no atten.
ton to It. Then his second letter reached
me the same way. 1 did not open that,
but put the first letter with it and sent
both back to him with the explanation
that | was not the man. 1 lived IN the
Middlebrook neighborhood, in Augusta,
thirty-f five years. I know of no John I.
Runkle in Rockbridge. or anywhere else.
Col. Hazel J. Williams, sworn.-I lived
in the Meffatt's Creek nelghborhood for
twenty-one years. Afterwards moved to
near Greenville in Augusta. and have lived
there since 1875. Never heard Of } ohm
7. Runkle.
s III. Wakes, swcrn.-Am resident
+, Of Stanton.
@ by Commonwealth AttorneY.-Have
you within six months prior to February
18th, 1887, received from Charles E.
Cllnedinst, for value. any negotiable notes
payable to Clinedinst & Bodell and by
them endorsed, the makers OF which notes
you have failed to find after enquiry, and
if so please say when and where you re-
ceived them and what has become Of the
notes?
Mr.. Cochran for the defense objected.
He held that it brought more than one
case into this trial.
Mr.. Braxton SAID the court had already
ruled IN the McComb trial that this evil
dence was admissible. The guilty knowl-
edge IN the utterance of forged paper is
best proven by the fact that the utterer
has already issued similar paper.
Mr. Cochran held that this applied to
bank notes where the coincidence of the
repeated utterance Of paper printed from
the same plate was strong presumptive
evidence Of guilty knowledge, but it did
not apply to commercial paper.
Judge Grattan held that the repeated re-
currence Of unbound signers of commercial
paper uttered by the same party, had the
same weight affecting guilty knowledge
as the coincidence of notes from the same
plate, and directed the witness to answer
the question.
MIR. Cochran excepted.
Witness.-I have. Ireceived such notes
from Clinedinst. They were taken up by
James K. McComb and Charles E Cline
dinst. They were both together and took
the notes away out of my office. The
notes were as follows:-of r. M. Mcclure,
of Kerr's Creek, Rockbridge, for 1925; of
' A. FL. Lackey, of the same place, for $125;
of g. M. Hull, of Colllerstown. Rock
bridge, for $1l5, and of L. D. Gibson, of
Timber Ridge. Rockbridge, for $l20.
got all these from Clinedinst They are
payable to Cllnedinst Il Bodell and en-
do1sed by J. X. McComb. L never found
Of bo Of fri d
to find them by writing to the postmasters
there, but could hear of none of them. /
| got them from Clnedinst and paid him
for them. he always said he knew the
sgners and knew them 10 be reliable
that he had sold them buggies aud that it
was business paper. At first the notes
| got from Clinediust were promptly paid
Then they went to protest. told Cline
dinst could not lind the men. He said
they hadn't sold their crops,or Bodell was
going out there and would see them. l
saw MeComb and told him l had been to
see CiineGinst L. Bodeii about these notes
that had been protested and l wanted
item paid. McComb and Clinedinst came
up TO my office together that evening.
said you come to pay those notes? They
replied that they didn't have the money
then, but could give me two notes taking
up all four Of the notes | have named
The two notes were drawn up and Nc
Comb said to Clinedirst You sign those
! notes. l said to McComb, mo sir, yos
sign them" McComb then signed then
and Clinedinst endorsed them. They then
took up all the four other notes and went
cut. That was just before October &c h
| 1857. It was after Octobsr LIST.
Cross EXAMINED by Mr.. Cochran
| began buving Daner from Ciiuedjnst g