The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-13
BETRAYED HIS TRUST.
Erastus Wyman Had Full Charge OF
r.. G. Dunn's Business

New York, June 12.-The court was
crowded this morning when the trial of
Erastus Wiman was begun in earnest.
The trial was opened by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Wellman for the prosec u
ton. He said that Mr.. Wiman was to be
tried for forging the n@me of E.W.Bul-
linger to check for $4,000, drawn Feb
ruary 6, 1885, on the Chemical Bank, by
r. Dun & Co. After telling Row Mr..
Wiman was at first manager of r. G.
Dun & Co. S Canadian branch and then
Of the local department in this city,Ne
man went on to relate that Wiman, gu
February 6, 1898, went to Bookkeeper
Wheeler, of Dun & Co., and asked him
for the check for $4,000 payable to E. VI.
Bullinger; that Bullinger never got the
check, but that WIman depositd it to his
own private account Wiman, he said,
lad uttered forged checks. during the
year previous. The first witness called
was James Harral, cashier for R. G. Dun
x Co., who identified the check in gu es-
tion and said that he had made it under
orders
In the Erastus Wiman trial today,
Augustus H. Wheeler testified that for
seven years prior to February. 1898, he
was booakeeper for R. g. Dun & Co. He
said on December 81, 1891 the balance
was s2866 due Mr.. Wiman. This balance
was not found until after Mr.. Wiman
handed the witness his check for $685.
300. This check Mr.. Wiman told the
witness to hold until he (Wiman) told
him to deposit it. To the witnesses
knowledge the check was never deposit
ed. Wiman had been in the FIRMS debt
24,2g0. At this time the S135, 900 check
was still in the witnesses possession.
The witness never told any one about
the check. On cross-examination Gener-
al Tracy brought out the fact that the
$135, 900 check was entered on the books
open and above board. The witness con-
tinued under cross-examination, that
Mr.. Dun never looked at the books, and
Mr.. Wiman did all the business of the
firm. Wiman's share of the profits had
during the pa st five years averagd about
$50, 600 year. Bookkeeper Kennedy, of
the Central National Bank said the
largest credit MIR. Wiman had at the
bank December 81, 1891, to May %, 1892,
was 500. 294.
Edward Green, expert accountant, tes-
titled that be made an examination of
the books of R. G. Dun e. Co., from
March. 1898. to the following fall.
From January /. 1898. to February 6,
of the same year. Mr.. Green testified
that Mr.. Wiman had drawn from rig.
Dun & Co., s.Sl6,s5 His share of the
profits was 1851. 445,
Alexander Van Ceaf, treasurer of the
Fairbanks & Co., testified he received a
check drawn by r. &C. Dun & Co., from
Wiman, and had drawn a check for the
same amount made payable to Mr.. Wi.
man, and given it to him in exchange
for r. Dun's check.
Daniel L. Ames, the handwriting ex-
pert, testified that the signature of E. W.
Bullinger on the check in question was
spurious. A letter was read byMr. Board.
man for the defence, from Wiman to r. G.
Dun i'll relation to Wiman's overdrawine
the account with R.G: Dun & Co. In
the letter Wiman said he had learned
with rauch surprise that he had over
drawn his account for the first si2
months OF the year s62, 900, he said b.
was very much pressed for money, as hs
was obliged to make many improve
ments IN Staten Island property. H,
expected to sell considerable land on tn,
island he hoped, by fall, and would b,
able to materially reduce the indebted
ness to r. 6. Dun & Co. The court ad
journed until tomorrow.