Bridgeton pioneer., 1891-01-29
BRIDGETON, N. ], THURSDAY, JANUARY 29 1891

Mrs. Smith, caused the arrest of Mr.
and Mrs. Stevens.
George Wainwright, the stage driver
was next sworn. He ident fed the
check which was drawn in Mr.. Riiey's
handwriting. At the time Mr.. Riley
gave the witness the check, there was
no signature attached. The check
which was first given Mr.. Wainwright
for which this one is substitute, was
received from Mrs Lulu Stevens. The
check was made out by Mr.. Riley, the
stage driver delivered to Mrs. Stevens
at night and was returned the next
morning as signed by mark with E.
Lummis Smith as witness. The check
was then cashed by Mr.. Wainwright,
who demanded payment at the bank
| by order of Mrs. Stevens. The money
was delivered back to that lady.
The son of Mrs. Smith, E. Lumml.
Smith, was the next witness. He is an
uncle of Ephraim Stevens. He said
he had charge of his mothers business
transactions. The witness said he did
not sign the check that had been
shown as having Mrs. Smiths sigma
ture upon it. In fact, be positively de
clared he had never seen the check un-
til shown him by Cashier Riley. Mr..
Smith said further that he usually
signed his name ''Ephraim L Smith"
He presented check to the bank in
November which had been signed by
his mother, and found the funds of his
mother exhausted.
On cross-examination the witness
said that was not his signature, and
Mr.. Ware said well, you write your
name for me-" ''All right" replied
Mr. Smith. Mr.. Logue objected and
the Court wsuld not permit it.
Mrs. Rhoda B. Smith the grand
mother of the accused young man,
was sworn. Mrs Smith is a very old
lady-eighty-eight years old she said
and it was with great difficulty that
she got upon the stand, SO feeble is she.
Her story was slowly told, and some.
/ what disconnected, but she denied
that she had signed the checks in ques
tion, nor authorized anybody else to
40 SO. She declared that she never
authorized Ephraim Stevens and Lulu
Stevens to sign checks for her.
Mr.. Ware cross-examined this ole
lady at great length. He attempted
| fn choxr tho mind Of tho xrit
almost gone, and he met with consider
able success from the fact that the
witness failed to remember great
many things which the counsel init
mated had happened. One thing Mrs
Smith remembered. Mr.. Ware asked
her if she did not have Mrs. Stevens
buy her some bed ticking, and she
answered emphatically no. Then Mr.
Ware asked her if she did not sen6
down to Mrs. Stevens for some bee
ticking and the lady answered no
but somebody threw some bed ticking
in my shed when I was away from
home.n
At the conclusion of this testimony
the state rested the case. Mr.. Ware
for the defense asked the court to di
rect that there was no case against
Mr.. Stevens, which the COURT did, an
Mr.. Ware opened the defense for Mrs
Stevens.
Mrs. Lulu Stevens was called first
She placed the babe in her sisters
arms and took the oath. She said that
she had always been made sort of er
rand woman of her grandmother. The
$2G check, Mrs. Stevens said, she ha6
had drawn up by gentleman named
Robinson. for her grandmother. This
check she gave to Mrs. Smith, and re-
turned it that night, and the following
morning she gave it to Mr.. Vain
wright. This check was returned with
one from the bank, and she gave both
checks to Mrs. Smith, and the next
morning the good check was returned
to the bank and the $40 came back,
and the witness gave it to her grand
mother. Mrs Stevens said that hel
grandmother was feeble and very ab
sent minded.
When Mr.. Logue began the cross
examination, he asked some hard cues
tions. He interrogated her concern
ing several checks which were shown
to have been drawn payable to the
witness and her husband. Several OF
these checks, Mrs. Stevens said. she
drew herself, and some her husband
drew. All of them, she claimed, had
been signed by her grandmother Mrs.
Stevens said that the check she drew,
which was afterward substituted by
the one made out by Mr.. Riley, was
drawn for $15. The substitute called
for $50. Why this difference, Mrs.
Stevens was not able to say.
She said that the grandmother had
loaned Mr.. and Mrs. Stevens consider