The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-16

about So, as near as can recollect. told
him who all were in the store. That there
we are Se> eral darkics in the front part OF the
store bu; none in back part / did not tell
Mr.. Widcman then who | Suspected, but l
suspected Mr.. Sibcrt rs soon as mis"td IL Tor
it in the draw, at all. remembered having
.eft II on the desk. told Mr.. Wideman next
morning l suspected Mr.. Sibert. told MIR.
} Lyou, thought; we had very good evidence.
On SeXamination - Witness thought
about S4lO was lost l suspected Sibrrt ms
T soon as missed the money. and missed the
money as soon as we came back from dinner,
Didn't suspect any other person hut Sinerl.
Mr.. Wideman suspected the negroes. Wnefi
/ went to dinner barred the back door. and
when came back from dinuer 1t was unias-
:, en- III
i When went out of the front door DR.. Ken
nedy was following Inc, and locked him in
tor u moment. and then ocked the door.
Would not have left adishonest man by the
Rcdrect.-We started to dinner once or
twice before we went. The door had heen
barred once before went 10 dinner by Willie
Jay. Can't say that 1t Was barred when we
went to dinner. Negroes were not in the
office when settling. Before ! went to din
ner my brother tried to get So changed, put
could not, and / put 1t in the safe on lhe
money. When i came back from dinner,
and founi the door not barred, l thought
about ,hc money and looked In the safe. ana
saw that that rumped five dollar blu was on
top. uS left it before dinner. l didn't count
The money then. Mr. SiberL had been IN me
office, counting his money at the same table
the money was on.
pen,rd.
Re.dirct- Did not suspect Or. Kennedy.
John +. Widrman, defendant sworn,
On the Goth of December last l went to
Bradley To order 81 900 by telegraph. AS soon
as sent the message l went back to Troy
and ate dinner We went TO the store after
t1Nn
! pled n bale of cotton for Mr.. Cresswell. and
Mr.. PreSSly got 10 the store before ulu. l
went into The store, and got out all OF the
money in the snte. rolled Il up In my I,sn nanE
due bills. and expecting, when ! got through
paying him TO have S2NO or $500 left. l count
cd him Off S235. and saw that there was only
$50 lett. knew then something was wrong,
for we had gotten $1,000 on tile train that
morning, and ent back TO the store and
told of the shortage. did not suspect any
one that evening. Some one in the store sala
there had been o good many negroes IN 5hhC IA,
evening settling with Mr.. Pressly, ana ne
said there was no use talk Ing about tnai.
They have not got 1t. He told me about Sus.
pecting Mr.. Si5rrt next morning. MY nrSt
Impulse was to get out n warrant and nave
Sibert arrested and tried, and came mere 20
Mr.. DeBruhl's office for thai purpose. ne
was away. learned from some lawyers th'lt
there would be very little criminal business
at the February Court. ! went barX n"nne'
and took Mr. Dendy out. having implicit con
fidence in him, and bound him over 10 Secre
cy. told him my first Impulse was 10 nave ",
Sibert arrested and tried and he told ne not
to do that. but to go 10 Mr.. Sibert, anu haVea
private conversation with him: ,,o
The money was taken on Friday ana .ne
! con yersatIon with Dendy, was on Monuay,
I think. And think 1t was two DAYS atler
that when went on to MIR. Sibert ahonG II
| told Dendy I didn't think had evidence 10
him was not after convicting him, but /
wanted my money, and II could settie
the thing outside the court would DO u.
spsr or nhnkng inIaG he had 1 taken the money for
n joke. and would return IT. In iact. ms
actions led me to believe that, and the next
morning he did thing that have En-. not t. seen Zen
office where WAS writing, and he stood tnere
abont five minutes, and statd unit nnisl'
I'd writing and said Mr.. Sibert Is there any
turned around and walked out. The next
day he came in and leaned his elbow with
hand up 10 his head, and Mr.. Presley asked
him If he wanted anything, anu ne saia no
and walked out. Next day he was sitting
on the window-sill. and he said notnlnS.
The next day after that was Christmas. saw
Mr. Sibert down by the depot, and walked
Off after awhile. and he walked Oft with me.
l saw that something was bohcrlng him.
said. Mr.. Sbert walk out behind the depot,
:! I want to see you on private matter. SAID,
! Mr.. Sibert, the evidence we have against you
is very strong that you have our money, and
he ran his hand In his pocket, ana sald
have got but $40. l said we can settle this
matter between US. He said, have not got
it, | said you settle 1t up now and no one
shall ever know It, and said / will give you
until Saturday to return the money. l went
on to the post Office, and after getting my
mail, I started of and tie hailed me, and said,
j | have not got your money. said this thing
can be settled, us have evldenceSutllcientt To
place IL on you. | have not told your nrotn-
ers-in- law about 1t. He said, thank you for
that. After talking awhile said see that
we can't settle It, so suppose IL will have to
90 to court and | went off and left him. That
was about eleven O'Clock Christmas day.
That afternoon Capt. John Lyon and Mr..
Jim Lyon came up, and we talked awhile
very pleasantly, and Captain Lyon said, MIR.
ISibert had told him Of this charge. Captain
Lyon said. ".lohn If had been George ST.
ing money, would have knocked You down,
and | said, well, Captain, that Is just what
expected an innocent man To do.
Captain Lyon tried to get me TO tel ,l nm MN
I did not say to Captain Lyon the next day
that we had positive proOfto convict, Lyon
said can't believe George SiDert VIII steal
said Captain l have positive evidence that
he will. had no reference 10 this case what
ever. | was referring tO.anothcr case enllre-
Ily. deny most emphatically said positive
evidence at the post office. l know captain
l Lyon is honest I'm what he says, but he Is Ia
boring under a amiSapprehensloD. AS TO MT
Solomons, Mr. Jay met at the Railroad
CROSSING and told me Solomons hnd told MN
. That SlberL nau UeeU 10 MIN iIlu lOlu Va
the charge. and that he, (Solonlnns) thought
was mistaken and he thought, ought 10
advertise over my store door for the money
to be brought back. Mr.. Jay said Mr. Solo
mons wanted to see me. and | went on up TO
church where MIR, Solomous was, and he told
ME that Mr.. Sibert had been to hi i'm about
the charge, and that he had advised him, II
he had the money to give 1t up, ana ii ne
didn't have 1t to fight me from hell 10 break
fast.
MIR. Solomons told me he thought had
made a mistake, and said may be II you
would advertise over your store door the per
son would bring the money back. ! SAID
may be it is not too late yet, and | said you
can tell Mr.. Sihert If he has my money. and
will put il under store door, will say nothing
about it, and that will advertise In paper
J thai have got my money, and dld not get
IL from Mr.. Sibert, and SOomOnS Thought that
was good idea and went of, and came back
and told me that he had been advised by MS
br0tser-in-law not 10 colnpron Use.
i AS to Mr.. Cook. ] went To him To see ahont
getting tGe warrant. and he said IL was dam
gerOnS thing to do. and let the matter drop.
did not say to Mr. Cook, would make Mr..
Sibcrt wear stripes. l told Mr.. SoiolnonS
that there WAS II time when l could mah
him wear stripes. l told Mr.. Cook that dld
not have positive evidence, but thought the
circumStan tial evidence. was very strong, l
heard Mr.. Sbcrt was going to sue me ana |
came here and consulted Parker IL McGowaE
and authorized them TO defend me. My reia-
tiUns with Mr. Sibcrt have been the kindGSt
4, Il l,,N.n "A m