St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-02


can be done than to condemn to infamy
a fellow man who has been guilty OF no
crime, OF no infringement OF the laws OF
the land.
'Mr. Colon Is not on trial here for
obtaining money under false pretenses
nor for having made statements which
are not true. He is charged with the
crime Of forgery-of fraudulently and
with an intent to deceive, of writing
without authority the name of another
man upon a prOmiss0ry and negotiable
note.
''Now, gentlemen, in order to maintain
that accusation and convict Mr.. COLON
1t Is incumbent upon the state to prove
two things. viz: First, that forgery
was committed; second, that j. Frank
COLON is the man who did IL.
Tho first witness produced by the
state to prove these PROPOSITIONS was j.
L. BlaiSdell, a gentleman well along In
years whose faculties are somewhat inn
paired by age. Now, gentlemen, L ask
you candidly. was his testimony and his
manner in the witness stand OF such a
character as to convince you that he was
clear in his mind and knew what he was
talking about? Did he produce any
memorandum or record showing what
notes he had Endorsed for Mr.. COLON?
instead of being on notes OF MIR. Col
lOm's to the amount of $4,000 his name
was signed on $4,000, then on $780,
900, and finally on 100000 of these
notes, did he do as you would have
done, as any sensible man would do
under those circumStanceS-gO to Mr..
C0liom and demand an explanation of
this strange state of affairs? Not at all!
So far as the evidence in this case shows
he never said one word to Mr.. COLON
about the matter; nor did he ever hint
at forgery until after Mr.. COLON had
turned over to Mr.. Anderson, Mr.. Blais-
delPs son-in-law, every dollars worth OF
property that he had in the WGrld. DO
you suppose that he would demand that
property to the amount of 100000
should be turned over to him to secure
him for the payment of notes aggregat-
ing $4,000 in face values?
mir. Biaisdell was followed by what
is termed expert testimony. Now, gen.
tlemen, what does expert testimony
amount to, and what is it? / mean no
disparagement to the gentlemen who
have testified for the state as experts
when say that they are professional
witnesses. They make business Of
testifying in court. They are men who
have certain theory laid before them
|
maintain it with all their power. / I'M
dertake to say that the expert testi-
mony which has been produced here on
behalf of the state is not such as you
would convict dog uLon.
s'Then we had the testimony OF sew
eral bank officials. One of these wit
nesseS said he could distinguish the al
legged forged signature from those adj
mitted to be genuine if they were placed
side by side 1900 feet away. Maybe he
could, but | doubt it. Did the prosecu-
ton produce here a single bank officer
who is familiar with and accustomed to
Mr. BlaisdelPS signature? No, gentle
men. not one.
"Now, gentlemen, if you have been
convinced in your minds that forgery
has been committed we will undertake
to show you by evidence that cannot be
disputed that such conclusion is err
roneous. We will show you that for
eight years the business relations of
Mr.. Blaisiell and Mr.. COLON have been
intimate and close. Their relations have
been those Of client and attorney, than
which there are few more intimate. We
will show you that the first time Mr..
Blaisdell Endorsed note for Mr.. Col
low was four years ago, when the latter
was building the st. Charles hotel in
this city. While Mr.. COLON is an attor-
ney, he has pushed outside of the close
fitting traces of the profession, as many
others have done. and engaged in other
pursuits. He has done much to build
up this city and enhance the value OF
property of men situated as Mr.. BlaiS-
dell has been. But for such men as j.
Frank Coliom, Mr.. Blaisdell, instead of
being millionaire, as he is, would have
remained farmer, and his land would
not be worth to-day more than $50 per
acre. The monuments OF Mr. Collom's
enterprise and energy dot this city ali
over. No man of his age has built so
many buildings in it.
1--WE will show you that after Mr..
B]aisdell had Endorsed notes for Mr..
COLON amounting to $4,000, Mr.. Col
Iorn voluntarily made and delivered to
him deed to the st. Charles hotel prop
erty as security; that Mr.. Blaisdell car
ried it for months without placing it
upon record, and finally returned it,
saying he did not want it.
I'VE will show you that from that
time Mr.. Blaisdell was never on less
than $40, 600 of Mr.. Collom's paper; that
two years ago that paper amounted
to $4,000. year ago to $165, 900. and in
August last to $227.000 We will show
this by testimony that is beyond dis
pute.
1--WE will show that Mr.. Blaisdell
knew all about the Mr.. Collom's bust
ness enterprises, and encouraged them;
that he never bothered himself about
the amount of the notes, nor did they
cause him any trouble except in a case
or two when Mr.. COLON was sick or alb
sent: that he made Mr.. Colo M Office
place Of almost daily resort; that they
were intimate in business, in pleasure
and in diversion.
s.He will show you that the trouble
arose In the first place from the fact
that there was so much of this paper
out that the banks got nervous about 1t;
that the market was full Of it; that it
was all. or nearly all; made payable at
the Security bank, where both did busi-
ness. In regard ts this last fact, gentle
men. is it reasonable to suppose
that IL Mr.. COLON was in the business
of forging Mr.. BlaiSdelPs name to notes
he would make them all payable at the
bank where Mr.. Blaisdell did business,
aud hus run the daily and hourly risk
OF discovery?
1--WE will show you that Mr.. BlaisdeIl
did not want the Security bank to know
how much paper he had Endorsed for
Mt. COLON, because he wanted to bOr-
row money himself and was afraid that
knOWteuSc WOulu iiurj HIS CTcuib1 GHdb
about II O'Clock on June % Mr.. Blais-
dell came into Mr.. COll0m's Office and
Endorsed two notes for MIR. COLON
which were payable at the Security
bank; that Mr.. COLON took the notes
from pad, went into the room where
Mr.. Blaisdell was and returned in
very short time with them signed and
the ink not yet dry on them; we will
show this fact by three witnesses,
one of whom did not at that
time know Mr.. Blaisdell, but has
since identified him as the man who was
in the office; that on July he signed
more notes, and on July 3 signed twelve
Of these notes, seven of which were pay
able at the Security bank and five of
which were in blank to be used in case
Mr.. COLON could not get the note at the
bank renewed and would have to go
elsewhere to get the money. Mr.. Schultz,
gentleman of established reputation
for integrity in the city, was one of the
men who saw this.
s.Wa will chow Won that since Mr.