The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-05-12
THE holland CASE.
A Special Venire Summoned and
The Case Attracting Much
Attention.
Governor Francis Testifies to the
Finding of Two Drafts of
Banker Flemming.

Jefferson City, Mo-, May g. Spec
ial. The trial of Ex-state Treasurer
Ed L. holland was commenced in the
Cole county circuit court at 9 a. m.
to day. A special venire of thirty.
five jurors was summoned and after
the defense had waived formal ar
raignmeut and entered a plea of mot
guilty." the examination of the
jurors was commenced. After the
venire had dwindIed down to twenty
four, half dozen or more being re-
jected on account of having formed
opinions of the case from reading
newspapers reports, both sides an
nounced their readiness to select the
! jury from the panel. The court then
adjourned until 1:30 p. m. The case is
now attracting wide spread interest
and the court room was packed this
morning. The selecting of the jury
will occupy nearly all the afternoon,
and the hour will be late when the
first witness is put on the stand. The
first indictment is for embezzlement.
The jury is entirely composed of
farmers.
Jefereon City, Mo-. May Z.
Especial The trial of the holland
case was resumed at 8 o'clock this
morning by the further examination
of Gevenor Francis. The defendants
attorneys objected to certain state.
ments of the Union National Bank of
Kansas City, state depository, as not
fully identified as being found in the
treasurer's office when the governor
began his examination of the depart
ment.
A long wrangle over the law point
involved followed and Judge Burgess
ruled that the statements We're ad-
missible as evidence. The jury was
Withdrawn from the court room
during the discussion of
the competency of the evidence and
Governor Francis explained to the
court that on the 18th day of Febru-
airy he wrote to all the state depos-
itors, the Union National Bank in
cluded, notifying them that they
had failed to comply with the law re.
quiring them to mako statements
monthly of his accounts with the
state and calling their attention to
the provisions of the statute imposing
a penalty of 1000 for each failure
to do SO. One of the replies he re-
ceived was from the Union National
bank and was to the effect that the
statements had been made regularly
each month by the bank. These
statements the treasurer had failed to
file in his office, or as the law re.
quired, the duplicate in the Office of
the auditor.
When the jury returned the COVER
nor testified to finding in the vaults
Of the treasury, when he took charge,
two drafts of j. S. Fleming, banker
of Jefferson City, on the Laclede bank
of st. Louis, one for $4,000 and one
for $4,000, Mr.. Fleming rendered
him package of $40, 900 in currency
which he turned over to the examin.
ing committee after it was appointed
and they turned the drafts over to
him and he sent them 10 Fleming. He
also found numerous due bills from
the clerks about the capitol. These
due bills or "snakes" were afterwards
made good. The shortage in the cash
was found to be s11S.3S, which was
represented in the safe by an empty
envelope.
The governor was examined at
length by Governor johnson, but
nothing new was brought out in con.
nection with the defalcation. 1t was
1870 when the governor retired from
the stand.
Mr.. P. T. Miller, bookkeeper in |
the treasurer's office under Mr.. No
land testified to the condition in |
which the books were found, and ex-
planned the method by which the
checks yVera raisad