The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-08
COURT IN CHURCH.
Further Testimony Heard in the
Trial of Ellis.
Looking for the Short, Stout, Dark Man From
Magee's Office The Treasurer Tells
About the Unpaid Bills.

The trial of Rev. DIR. John W. Ellis be-
fore the Presbytery of San Francisco was
resumed yesterday morning in Calvary
Church. Detective Harper testified that he
had arrested, some time last fall, young
man charged with breaking into and rob-
bling the Central Tabernacle. He had taken
from him lot of papers, which DIR. Ellis
had identified as his own. DIR. Ellis had
not told him that all the papers were re-
covered, but had expressed himself satisfied
and had said that the most important papers
were recovered. This testimony referred to
the loss by the robbery of the receipts for
the bills presented in Dr. Ellis statement.
j. P. Fraser of Fraser & Keefe, painters,
testified that the bill presented to the
church was for S1O27 80, and not for S1058,
the sum which DR.. Ellis had represented to
the Church Trustees the bill was for. DR..
Ellis had written that he, personally, would
be responsible for the bill, but they had
always held the church liable.
THE MAGEE NOTE.
The next testimony taken referred to a
note of S1GO given by DR.. Ellis to Thomas
Magee and assigned by him to one of his
clerks, George Van Dyke. Suit had been
commenced by Van Dyke in the Justices
Court to recover the money, and it is al
legged that DR.. Ellis falsely testified that he,
on the 10Th of January, visited Magee's
office and offered TO paw the money TO
short, stout, dark man." Attorney FL. w.
Bradley identified transcript OF the evil
dence of the suit in question.
w. A. Shattuck testified that such an offer
had not been made to him. though he might
have been absent from the office during part
of the afternoon.
George B. Van Dyke gave similar testi-
mony. Dr. Ellis tried to show his re-
sembauce to the description, but was I'M
able TO draw any admission to that effect
from the witness.
Nearly the whole Of the afternoon session
was taken up by the examination of Hugh
Fraser, the Treasurer of the Central Taber
nacle..
TREASURER FRASER TEsTIFIEs.
His testimony related almost exclusively
to the written statement which DR.. Ellis
made to the Trustees of the financial cOn-
dition of the church and to the discovery
that several bills. which the Trustees under
stood from that statement were paid, had
not been settled. DR.. Ellis statement
showed a balance of SUI IS in his favor.
This was raised by various items to S73S "a;
but from this 1891 30 had for various reasons
10 be deducted, leaving sum of $347 Oh
really due.
Mr. Fraser testified that he paid this sum
to DIR. Ellis on December 4th, and that this
covered the whole of the salary due DR..
Ellis up 20 January 1St. The aggregate OF
the unsettled bills amounted to S593 90 and
DR.. Ellis was indebted to the church for
further sum Of about $50 for oyerchargeS in
the amounts OF bills IN his written state
ment. The Trustees had had 10 suspicion
until January 9th, when the janitor in
formed him that one of the creditors. But
terworth, had presented his bill as unpaid.
Butterworth was invited to meeting of
the Trustees on January 18Th, which met
n FnN nc fffVnt 10 NtTn nm
additional item of S15 to be added to Butter
wOrth's bill and the yestry, still unwilling
to suspect their minister, had voted that this
SIS be given to Ellis. who should settle the
whole amount. The witness saw DR.. Ellis
the next day and, gathering that he had not
the money available, paid the bill himself
and charged it to DR.. Ellis salary account.
GAVE NO INITIATION.
There had been no intImaJion from DR..
Ellis previous to this that the bills had not
been paid. The minutes of the meeting of
December s, 1890, show that DR.. Ellis state
ment of account was ratified. Dr. Ellis
himself was present and heard this.
The suspicious of the Trustees were first
aroused by the ButterwOrth bill. The wit
ness consulted with Hufschmidt, the Presi-
dent of the Trustees, and they agreed to find
out together whether other bills were I'M
paid or not. This investigation led to the
discovery that bills aggTegeting 1898 90 re-
NAMED unpaid. At meeting OF the TruS-
tees held on February 9th, DR.. Ellis agreed
TO pay these bills and was given three weeks
to do so by the board.
DR.. Ellis cross-examined the witness at
some length, with the object of showing
that he was inaccurate in several of his
statements and that his testimony was CON-
sequently unreliable. The most important
admissions he drew from MIR. Fraser were
that in the twenty-three days following his
discovery of the unpaid bills he had fire.
flr Kills aud had cLya1
him question about the bills. The wit
ness said he had determined to say nothing
to Ellis until he had found out the full
amount unpaid. lie had never said word
about the matter to any member of the
presbytery or asked for advice Several
questions on this point were asked by vari-
Gus members of the PTesbytery, and the
witness at last said he might have spoken
to some of the elders. Dir. Ellis evidently
intended to lay stress on this point.
MUST ANSWER YES" OR NO"
Considerable fencing took place between
the witness and DIR. Ellis on question as to
whether the respondent had ever answered
anything but frankly or truthfully any ques-
ton that was put to him about the bills.
The witness wished to explain that he did
net consider be had done so verbally, but
that he regarded his receiving the money
paid him on December oath as piece of de-
ceptiOn. The Moderator held that the ques-
tUn must be answered Eyes" or no." and
the witness eventually replied in the mega
tive.
In redirect examination the witness stated
that DR.. Ellis made his written statement
because the witness had found the $500 bor-
rowed from the banks was not entered in
the books and he wanted to enter the trans
action properly.
Elder Ed Kerr was the next witness, and
testified to admissions made by DR.. Ellis at
meetings of the Judiciary Committee. DIR.
Ellis had not admitted Incorporating the
funds.
Shortly after o'clock the presbytery ad-
journed till 10 80 this morning.