The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-26
MIR. WIMAN DEFENDED
Statement That Puts a Different
Light on the Forgery Story.
Mr.. Boardman Intimates There Is An
linus in the Prosecution of His Client
-NicOlI and Dun Scored.

has for many years been Mr.. Wiman
private counsel, made the following state
ment tonight regarding Mr.. Wiman's
case:
"R. G. Dun G. Co. employed Mr.. Nicoll
as counsel, and he prepared careful state
ment of the case for the press. L have
great respect for Mr. Nicoll, and have
no doubt he believes his statement of facts
correct But ii was inaccurate in many
things. 1t did not state number of the
most important and material facts. The
fundamental differences between Mr.. Wi
mans enemies and friends is that the
former takes no account of the business
relations between Mr.. Wiman on the one
hand and the firm of Dun & Co., Mr.. Dun
individually and the drawers of those
checks on the other hand. Any one would
suppose, on reading Mr.. Nicolrs statement,
that Mr.. Wiman was a cashier or book
keeper Of r. G. Dun & Co., and that he
had no individual business relation of any
kind either with Mr.. Dun or with the
parties in whose favor the checks were
drawn. The fact is that for years Mr..
Wiman has not only been a member of the
firm Of r. G. Dun & Co., but in the con-
duct Of the business he has been the re-
sponsible head of the concern. I suppose
80 per cent. of all the checks drawn by
r. CT. Dun & Co. during that period have
been signed by Mr. Wiman. Probably Mr.
Wiman has made the same percentage of
all of the firms important contracts.
Again, no reference is made in Mr..
NicolPs statement regarding the business
relations between Mr.. Dun and Mr.. Wiman
outside of the firm. 1 have for many years
acted as Mr.. Wiman's private counsel, and
am familiar with all his important outside
business transactions. / cannot recall sin
gle one in which Mr.. Dun was not interested,
and in some of them his interests were larger
than those Of Wiman Mr.. Dun left the
management of everything in his hands,
and their relations in these outside matters
have been as fast and loose as such rela-
tions ever are between brothers and persons
who have the utmost confidence in each
other
Again, no reference is made in Mr..
Nicoll's statement to Mr. Wiman's inti-
mate personal and business relations with
the drawees of the checks described in
the indictments, nor to the admitted fact
that the Endorsement of the drawee named
bear no resemblance at all to their gen.
uine signatures, nor to the admitted fact
that the Endorsements in question were not
used to obtain credit from any third party
but simply for the purpose OF transferring
credits in bank from an account against
which Mr.. Wiman had a perfect right to
draw.
ALLEGED ANIMUS.
at do not care to discuss this case further
in the newspapers, but the above statement
will suffice to call attention to the obvious
emissions and Inaccuracies IN the statement
prepared by Mr. Nicoll and published by
the firm for the apparent purpose Of preju-
dicing Mr. Wiman's case with the public
before he had an opportunity to be heard.
The animus of the Arm and possibly the
reason of the employment of Mr.. Nicol is
also made apparent by the circumstances
connected with Mr.. Wiman's arrest and
what has happened since. There was no
pressing necessity to hasten an arrest which
had been delayed for a year, but Mr.. WI
man arrested the afternoon before
a national holiday. Bail offered by five men
of established reputation In the financial
world, three of them members of the New
York Stock Exchange, who, together, were
prepared to qualify in s2,000,6)O, was refused
he Cheek & Of the easr Of the ne Hank Fan of
seems as If the only thing that would sat-
isfy the assistant district attorney was cash.
and this after the banks had al closed. The
pretense that there is any law which re-
stricts bondsmen TO those who can qualify
on New York city real estate il known by
every well-informed man to be absurd.
Again, simultaneous with the announce
ment that Mr.. Wiman had been indicted
and railroaded into the tombs, carefully
only the matter referred to in the indict-
ment, but also charging other offenses.
Even Mr.. Dun; who is conveniently absent
in California, had his interview ready for
this wasn't enough. So-called friends of
Mr., Wiman made. statements that he will
probably plead guilty and throw himself on
the mercy of the court, or that his counsel
will interpose the defense of insanity. For
managed Mr. Dun's business. He has
handled millions of dollars belonging to the
firm of r. c. Dun & Co. He has probably
signed 80 per cent of all the checks drawn
during DprlOd la
Of thousands of dollars worth of materials
and supplies, made 80 per cent Of the firms
sense of the phrase, up to the actual di-
vision of the profit, about all there was Of
r. G: Dun & Co. When Mr.. Dun brought
Mr.. Wiman from Canada he was making
little or nothing out of the business, but
from the moment Mr.. Wiman took charge
profits steadily increased until Mr.. Dun's
annum
SEEMS HARDLY PROBABLE
"Mr. Wiman's friends and the public gen.
orally, including any fair-minded jury, will,
I think. find 1t hard TO believe that while
Mr.. Wiman was making for himself out Of
the firm from $4,000 to 100000 per annum,
and for Mr.. Dun $3.50. 600 TO si5O,0Oo, he was
scheming to defraud his firm Of about
$4,000 through the forgery Of names in no
way resembling the genuine signatures of
the parties. and where the only purpose
and effect of the transaction was to
transfer credit from one bank account
against which he had the absolute right
10 draw, to another account against which
he had the absolute right to draw.
Tho fact is admitted that Mr. Wiman
has always been foremost in every good
and charitable work. Having given the
public baths to the city of Toronto, his
birth place, expended at least $4,000 In the
unselfsh and public-spirited desire to get
commercial reciprocity with the United
States for the land OF his birth; built up
the r. L. Smith Infirmary. the great Staten
island Hospital; spent his time and money
most unselfshy TO secure legislation aboi-
ishing imprisonment for debt in
accord and without any legal reason for
doing so, a large part OF all the money
which his friends have lost in ventures
which they had gone into on his advice,
supported so many poor families that his
failure was almost public calamity: that
on his own accord, as soon as 1t became
evident ne VS. inSolvent, transferred all OF
his property to Mr.. Dun as security for any
sum which might finally be adjudged due
upon the settlement OF the accounts be-
tween them, including seventy-five thousand
dollars worth of property which had he
longed TO Mrs. Wiman for ten fifteen
years, and which Mr.. Dun. upon reflection,
conveyed to her-all of these facts will tend
TO make the probabilities OF his being a
forger remote TO the vanishing point.
IF these cases are ever brought to trial
the public Will have a chance TO ascertain
the motive which has prompted this pros
ecution, and / shall be SURPRISED II at that
time there are not number OF very esti-
mable gentlemen who. like Macbeth, will
trer1fle in their well-apnointed dining halls
and say with quivering lips, Shake not thy