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

Was IN gO0Q circumstances ana Tor GnaG
reason took that note in preference to the
| Others he showed me. / did not know the
| initials of Mrs. Strain. When | got the
note took it to Mr.. Murphy to sell it to
him. I told him that it was Mrs. Strain
and that she was good party. Murphy
| had to see what his balance in bank was,
and l went off and came back again. |
bad no reason to doubt what Bodell
| had told me-that it was Mrs. Strain. l
honestly believed it was her and passed
| the note to Murphy as hers. | heard the
statement made by MIR. Whttle with ref
erence to the note. l got a notice from
the Augusta National Bank through the
mail on a Monday on Tuesday. l went
there and Mr.. White called my attention
to note with my endorsement. 1t was
badly written, and didn't know whether
l had written it or not. Mr.. Whitlle said
he doubted the signature and as [
could not recall the transaction, doubted
it too. When Clinedinst came, Mr.. Whittle
said to him, McComb don't think be en-
dorsed this. Clinedinst spoke up and said,
| McComb signed this note before he went
TO the farm. After investigating the mat
ter found had signed this note, ard then
new note was fixed up and that was sent
to Cincinnati. After Clinedinst came into
the bank Mr.. Whittle said to Cunsdinst,
| "This thing must be stopped or [ will
have to report you; don It want to be the
one to report YOU" l remember the con-
versatjon Mr.. Burdette mentions, but not
the names of tie parties he mentions. He
wanted me to go on one OF two Of the
notes and would not go on them because
[ didn't know who the makers were. I
heard the statement made by d. B. Hen
ton about conversations with him. [ sold
him little note of HALLS after he asked
me If l knew of any paper for small
amounts with short time to run. Henton
| is poor man of limited means. | never
| had any conversation with him about the
Newton Patterson no.e-that is, [ meyer
| offered to sell him a note that size-he had
10 means 10 bug such. L might have asked
| him for Information about some notes G.
u B. held; they may have asked mt to ask
l
such to him and [ have no recollection Of
any such conversation about them as Mr.
| Henton relates. One or two nights [ stop
ped in bad weather with Henton at the
W. c. T. U. Coffee House. paid for my
meals. Frequently l went to my farm and
told Henton he could sleep at my house
and take care CT the property, il should
cost him nothing. [ recollect having made
$45 On a land bond, but don't remember
telling Henton about my making SIS and
81 day. G. Il B. had nothing to do with
the land bond. [ did not know prior to Oct.
paper. [ had nothing to do with 1t and
no knowledge Of it. MY intimacy was
more with Clinedjnst than with Bodel. !
charged them nothing for endorsing, but
they sometimes gave me something for it,
[ helped them when they first came to this
town. | saw they were men OF no means
but Industrious and enterprising. Cline
dinst came to me one day and borrowed
$500 or $500 for twelve months. That was
eight years ago. When the notes would
|
and make payment on them. 1t went on
so and | took paper from them frequently.
1 saw nothing wrong about the names.
Sometimes the notes would go over, and
would 60 after Clinedinst and he would
pay them. had very little to do with Be-
dell, who was much on the road. Cline
dinst was the hCme man. [ did no. tell
| Bodell when he gave me the Strain note
| that "There was 40 such person as that. "
! | did not take the note to raise money to
pay note of theirs, as Bodell says, but
because they owed me money. [ never said
to Bodell at any time, us that some more
of your bogus paper % If 1 had thought
any of it was bogus I would not have
| touched it. Henton never told me had
better be careful-that G.. & B. were put
ting out bogus paper. Heuton is not the
sort of man | would go to in this commu-
nifty for information of that kind.
Gross E1ansined by Mr. BTo1ton.-My
| financial condition was good a5 the tirae
sold Murphy the note; could get money
from the bank when l wanted it at per
cent. 1 was y orth $15O 900 or $3.50 at
the time Henton speaks of. After Henton
told me he wanted some papsr-a DAY Or
two alter that-C. & B. told me they had
/ the H all paper and 1 wanted Henton to
get the paper and I took it to him. took
the note endorsed it and sold it to Henton
just to oDlige Henton. received no COM
pensation. I might have had the note in
my possession before that, I am not certain.
| My recollection is now that c. Il B. spoke
to me about having the note and then l
took it to Henton.
Q.-"Why, if you were man of means
at that time and could get money out of
the bank at 6 per cent, were you selling
the note to Murphy at shaver"
Wimess.--I WASN'T hard up but | had
no money by me and let Jerry have it..
He had bought some before. Shaving paper
was not my principal occupation. l was
not mechanic or merchant or laborer. l
shaved paper sometimes. I wanted the
money on the Strain no5e and so I lst
! Murphy have the note. had put my
ready money in real estate. didn't want
to go in The bank because [ didn't want
the bother of getting an endorser. Here
witness repeated his version of the il
tervieW at the Augusta National Bank
detailed by Mr.. White Gid not say
to Clinedinst that This thing has gone
on long enough" Clinedinst said moth
ing about my being paid for 1t. L signed
another note in the bank because the first
note was so badly written I was doubtful
about it: Whittle said to Clinedinst, 81
don't want to be the one to report you.'