Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-16
Frank Aldrioh in the Prisoner Dock
Today.
JUDGE COLE DENIES SIGNATURES
Large Number of Notes Produced
In Court.
SOME ADMITTED GENUINE

Frank Aldrich, late District sealer Of
weights and measures was called upon this
morning to answer before Judge McComas,
In Criminal Court No. /, one Of the two
Indictments returned against him. charging
him with having forged the name OF Judge
c. c. Cole to numerous promissory notes.
The defendant was represented by MessTs.
Samuel ID. Truitt and Philip Walker. Dis
trict Attorney Birney and his assistant,
Mr.. Tracy L. Jefords, representing the
government. The accused man, looking to
be in the best of health and spirits. was
Joined by his wife and two other ladies'
soon after being brought into the court
room. The prisoners father-in-law also
sat beside him. Little time was con-
sumed in selecting a jury, the twelve men
being accepted after two or three Of the
regular panel had been challenged by the
defense. The jury, as finally selected. were
as follows: W. A. E1isson, Chas. A. Krouse,
Fredk Rogerson. Chas. L. Gaiieher, Daniel
I. Botson, Louis Edel, A. Geary johnson,
Winter b. Miffieton, Dorsey b. Myers,
Samuel McMonigle, Jacob Burch and John
s. Hayes. The court room was greatly
crowded. many of the prisoners friends and
acquaintance being present.
District Attorney Birney. in opening the
case to the jury. briefly explained that the
prisoner was charged with forging the name
of Judge Cole to some seventeen notes, rum
ming from $40 to $50 in amount. the pro-
ceeds of which he converted to his own use,
Mr.. Truitt, in reply. said that to every
story there were two sides. The defense
expected to show. he said that Judge Cole
signed every one Of the alleged forged notes
The case was one of more than ordinary
interest. for both Judge Cole and the
cused were men of high character. and the
question for the jury to decide would be
which OF them was mistaken. Friendly re-
lations had always existed between them.
nd ffv1ttn faaftA
Truitt, TO the present time. Judge Cole had
Endorsed very many notes for the accused.
explained MIR. Truitt in the course of their
relations. and the defense would endeavor
to show that Judge Cole could not remen-
Der whether he bad or had not signed the
alleged forged notes. The proceeds of the
notes in question. said Mr.. Truitt, were not
applied by the defendant to his own indi-
vidual use, but were used in the advance
ment of legitimate business enterprise
The defendant did not flee, but left the city
for the west for the purpose of promoting
business enterprise in which he was in
teTeSted. ..
The Three Notes.
The first witness called by the govern
ment was William Mayse of the banking
firm of Mayse Il Co. He identified three
notes. dated respectively May 8, II and 90
1888, and for $50, $75 and S225, which had
been presented by the defendant Endorsed
by G. G. Cole. The firm purchased the
tnet were SUBSEQUENTLY, protest.
eel Tor non-payment On cross-examination
Mr.. Mayse said that the defendant receiy-
ed cash or its equivalent in return for the
notes. he being q customer of the firm.
Seth A. Terry identified two notes, of $500
and $50 respectively, which the defendant
had asked him to dispose of. The first
witness got John A. Swope to cash, and the
second he got Mr. Simon Bien to cash The
defendant represented that both notes were
Endorsed by Judge G. G. Cole. Mr. Swope
Identified the note he cashed and Mr.. Bien
identified the one cashed by him.
Cashier Chas II. Davidge of the Ohio Ma
uonal Bank OF this city identified two notes,
of $50 and $40 respectively. made In April
1888, which the bank had placed TO the
credit OF the defendant. They had been in
dorsed, represented the prisoner. by Judge
c. G.. Cole. They were subsequently pro-
tested.
Cashed n Note.
E. III. Neumeyer stated that he had cashed
note of $50 for the prisoner. which the
latter represented had been Endorsed by
Judge Cole. To Mr.. Truitt, Mr.. Neumeyer
said he had accommodated the defendant
before in like manner and knew that ne
was the head Of the Hanson Electric Com
pany. Witness understood that when the
defendant left the city in June of last wear
ne went away on business connected with
the company. He frequently went AWAY on
such business. often remaining away for
several weeks at a time.
Did you ever" inquired Mr. Birney.
months?''
No, sir" replied the Witness
MI Neumeyer explained, as had several
other witnesses. in answer to Mr.. Birney's
inquiry, that the defendant formerly wore
a beard, instead Of a mustache, as now, but
that they could have recognized him.
Real Estate Dealer F. w. Graham identi-
fled note of $50. which he had cashed after
the defendant had represented that Judge
Cole had Endorsed it.
Three notes of $llo, s2l5 and $50. dated,
respectively, May ., 10 and - 1893, were
identified by Broker w. ii. Slater as having
been cashed by him. He had cashed them
On the representation of the defendant that
Judge Cole had indorsed them. The notes
had not, however, ever been protested
Banker Lewis j. Davis of Lewis johnson
& Co. identified a note of $225 which had
been cashed by the bank. The note was
made May 4, 1893, and was represented to
have been Endorsed by Judge Cole.
Judge Coles Testimony.
After District Attorney Birney had ex-
planned that two of the notes mentioned in
the indictment, of $50 and 500. made May
. and -, 1898, would have to be abandoned
as the party who cashed them, VIM +.
Matthews, was dead, he called, as a witness
for the prosecution, Judge G. G. Cole.
Judge Cole stated that he had known the
defendant for ten or twelve years, and had,
in sort of a way, acted as his counsel at
times. Judge Cote was then handed the DIFF
ferent alleged forged notes, and asked If
he had Endorsed them. Inspecting them
very carefully, the judge said that he had
neither fndorsed them nor authorized the
defendant any other person to indorse
them. Some of the moi IS he had first seen
after receiving notices of protest and
others had been shown to him by the par
ties holding them, before the notes became
due. Just where and when he had first
seen the different notes was explained in
detail by Judge Cole,9 who explained that he
had Endorsed no note for the defendant
after May H. 1as3. J.
He had, said Judge Cole, Endorsed several
notes for the IrisonFr, the first one being
he thought IN SSIs for $500 In 1850 ex-
planned Judge Cole. he had purchased some
of the stock I'M the electric company, in
which the defendant was interested. Later
he had indorsed quite a good number of
accommodation .potas. In the late sum-
mer or early faA ofo 1892 he had required
the defendant DO make a written state
ment of the notes outstanding, and after
that time explsirea Judge Cole. he had
Endorsed no new nates, but had Endorsed
only those in reslnction of the former ones.
When the defendant left town in June
1893, Judge Cole said; that he then believed
that the amount of the outstanding notes
would run from 81, 400 to 81 GOO Until he