The Portland daily press., 1894-12-21
TRIAL OF PRESIDENT PUTNAM,
For the Alleged Wreckang of the National
Granite State Bank.

Concord. N. H, December 20.-The trial of
Warren F. Putnam, late president and
alleged wrecker of the National Granite
State bank of Exeter, begun in the United
States Circuit court today. The district
attorney moved to amend the indictment by
inserting the words ''of Exeter after
"Granite State National bank" in each
count. Counsel for Putnam, formally OBJ
jceted to the allow ance of the addition, be-
cause the cor porate Lame of the bank was
shown by the certificate of the comptroller
of the city is the National Granite State
bank of Exeter, while in the indictment it
is simply the National Granite State
bank" second. the addition is to form and
not substance, and under the Constitution
of the United States no change can be
made. Judge Aldrich said that no addition
should be made. and the case should proceed
without it: ruling that the certificate of the
comptroller would be admitted debne. 1t
will be open to the government to show
there is no other bank of that name, and for
the respondent to show others of the same
name so he might be misled. The court
might rule it was variance that could be
covered by evidence or otherwise, and the
question of variance might be submitted to
the Judge. The trial could proceed as be-
fore the ruling was made, as the counsel
for the prisoner could be seasonably ap-
praised before The amendment was allowed
The trial proceeded and unimportant evil
den ce was offered.
This afternoon, Charles E. Byington, the
former cashier of the National Granite
State bank of Exeter, testified that Put
nam acted as clerk of the corporation part
of the time, we'll as president. Putnam
drew two drafts for $1,000 each, and several
smaller ones, in all aggregating $30.000 on
the National Bank of Redemption of Bos-
ION Putnam said that the two $1,000 drafts
were to meet the debt of the bank to the
Farmers Loan and Trust company Of New
York 1t was customary to receive recon
ciIiation'' sheets from Boston sem1-monthly
showing the financial accounts between the
banks. The reconciliation" sheet was due
fine middle OF April, 1888, and did not reach
the bank until the middle of may and they
was brought by Putnam that was due last
April was received May l. and delivered by
the vice president OF the National Bank of
Redemption, who reported an over draft of
$50, 900. In company with one of the direc-
TORS, he went to Putnams house the same
evening and asked about the two drafts for
$4,000, and he declined to explain except at
a full meeting of the board The full board
met May &c. 1888, and Putnam offered to
make the bank whole for overdrafts by de-
worth Electric railroad. worth $l8, 600, bonds
of the Lexington Hydraulio Manufacturing
company worth $4,000 and $4,000 on deposit
Putnam's account was settled by crediting
him with these items. The same evening
he he told Putnam he was dissatisfied with the
said. s'you know what you can do. YOU can
get OUT He thereupon resigned and gave
up the keys. About an hour later. on the
advice of the directors he went to the house
and got the keys again. When he surren-
dered the keys to Putnam the time lock on
the safe was not set, but on returning to
the bank, the same night it was set. few
l,eavenworth Electric railroad bonds we've
ton lIa the witness aditted that it Was nothing
unusual for Mr.. Putnam to take securities
from the safe and carry them to Boston to
raise money on them as collateral.