St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-13
WIMAN IS ON THE RACK.
7HE NOTED Ex-cfPI7ALis7 ON TRIAL
FOR FORGERE
CHARGES BY n. q. DUN q co

sehts the butiinRer ana F'alr-
banks Checks as Evidence
Against Him Much Mystery
About Wiman's Arrears-His
WorthlessCheck For $I35,OOO
NEW YORK. June 12-Erastus Wi
mans trial upon the charge OF forgery
Is fairly under way in the court of oyer
and terminer. Judge Ingraham presid-
Ing. District Attorney Wellman pre-
sented the case for the prosecution at
the opening of court. After detailing
the connection Of Mr.. Wiman with RIG.
Dun Il Co., first as manager for the
Canadian branch, and then of the local
department in this city. Mr.. Wellman
went on to relate that Wiman. on Feb.
6. 1898. went to Bookkeeper Wheeler. of
Il. q. Dun u Co.. asked him for check
for $1,000, payable to E. w. Bullinger;
that Bullinger never got the check, but
that Wiman deposited it in his own
bank TO his own private account. "The
question in the minds of the jurymen
will be. did Mr. Wiman know that the
signature of E. W. Bullinger was forged
when he uttered the check?" said Mr..
Wellman. "We can show that he did. tor
the law allows US to show that Mr..
WIman had uttered forged checks dur
ing the year previous.
"A year before he uttered anotherBul-
linger check. Then he uttered checks
drawn to the order of j. NJ. Fairbanks
to the amount of $4,000 and $4,000"
Gen. Tracy interrupted at this point,
and requested that the court order the
district attorney to confine himself to
the case in question.
'And as to that" said the general.
tive concede that Mr.. Wlman wrote the
! name OF Bullinger on the
BACK OF THIS CHECK.
and deposited it to his own account.
Commercial law justified him in so do
ing"
Justice Ingraham allowed Gen. Ira
cy to continue. cautioning the jury
that it must not consider what Mr..
Weliman said to be evidence, unless
these facts should be subsequently
brought forward as testimony.
MIR. Wellman then went on to explain
what motive Mr.. Wiman had in obtain
ing such comparatively small amounts
as $1,000 by forgery when he was re-
ceiving from R. G. Dun & Co., s75, 900
year. 1t was because, said Mr.. Well
man, he was at that time indebted to
r. G. Dun & Co. to the extent of $751;
600. Not that the books of the business
showed this. This was only shown by
the investigation of the books for sew
eral years back. Then it was learned
that during these years Mr.. Wiman had
been in the habit of coming to the
Office before any one else, taking
checks which arrived by mail. in
dorsing them and putting them in
the bank to his personal account.
When at the close of a year the
bookkeeper told him that he could not
make the accounts of the business bal
ance by $685. 900, Mr.. Wiman gave him
personal check for that amount on a
bank where he had money, and told him
not to use it until he OViman) told him
to do So; and thus it went on for four
teen months, Mr.. Wiman's
rasss.-s .. WORTHLESS CHECK
covering on the books his shortage of
$l35. 900. ,4.-t.--
The first witness was James Harral,
cashier for r. q. Dun & Co. He idenii-
fed the check in question and said that
he made 1t under orders from Wlman.
who had come to him and said that they
must owe Bullinger some money and
that he had better draw check for
S.. 900, which he did. He also identified
the signature on the back of the Bull
linger checks as that OF Mr.. Wiman.
On the croSS-examination Gen. Tracy
tried to show tibet Mr. Wiman had been
in the habit of drawing nearly all the
checks for the concern.
The next witness was Edward W.
Bullinger, the publisher of railway
guide.
MIR. Bullinger said that all his bust
ness relations with K. G. Dun & Co.
had been through Erastus Wiman. At
the period under consideration, MI
BuIlinger saiu. the firm of K. e. Dun d
Co. owed him $4,000.
Mr.. Wellman handed Mr.. Bullinger
the $1,000 check, and asked if the sig
nature, E. W. Bullinger. was his.
Witness said it was not: that the
writing was not at all like his own. LII
answer to Mr.. Wellman's questions, the
witness said that he never authorized
Mr.. Wiman to use his name to any in
Strument.
Augustus H. Wheeler. a public ac-
couniant, said that for seven years prior
TO February. 1893. lie had been book
keeper for r. G. Dun & Co.
Mr.. Weliman wanted to know how
wIMAN's ACCOUNT
with R. G. Dun Il Co. had stood On Dec.
Is. 1891.
The witness said there was balance
of -, $685. 80 due Mr.. Wiman. This bal
ance was not found. however, until
Mr.. Wiman had handed witness his
check for S135.OOO. This check Mr..
Wiman told the witness to hold until be
(Mr. Wiman) told him to deposit it. 10
the witnesses knowledge the check had
never been deposited.
Mr.. Wlman was in the firms debt to
the extent of 1924, 290.54.
still i'll the witness possession. Wit
ness had never told any one about the
check.
Gen. Tracy brought out the fact that
the S135, 900 check mad been entered on
the books. The whole transaction, he
said. was perfectly open and above
board. Any one could have seen the
whole thing by Looking over the books
There had beer absolutely no attempt
at concealment made. The witness
said that Mr.. Dun never looked at the
DoohS. anu MI. w iuidii always IFaUS-
acted all the business OF the firm.
: When Mr.. Wellnan asked witness
about his salary, with view to show
ing that Wiman had secretly increased
it from $1,000 to $4,000, Gen. Tracy or
jected and was sustained. Witness,
however. stated that he was always
under the impression that it was the
firm which had given him the
INCREASE OF SALARY.
Edward Creole, an expert accountant
employed by X. G. Dun & Co., testified
that on March l, 1892, he started to make
all examination of the books of the
firm. MIR. Wellman wanted witness to
tell the amount of money due to r. G.
Dun & Co. from Erastus Wiman, and
which the latter had not charged him.
self with.
Gen. Tracy objected. and the court