Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-06-19
THE CASE OF HOLLAND.
Charlotte's Defaulting Cashier Gets Seven
Years.

Years.
The case of J. R. Holland, the de-
faulting cashier of the Merchants and
Farmers National bank, come up in
the United States court at Charlotte
last Thursday. 1t had already been
arranged that Holland should plead
guilty to the charge of "embezzle-
ment," and the efforts of his attorneys
were directed to securing as light a
sentence os possible.
John NJ. Miller, Jr., the bank exam
iner who discovered Hollands short
age, was the first witness examined.
He testified to the discovering of
shortage at the bank, and said that il
amounted to between S94 900 and $685.
900. There were false entries ON the
books, including false charges, notes,
certificates of deposit, and evidence of
forgeries to the amount of $4,000.
The crookedness had been going on
for a period of eight years. Mr.. Mil
Ter stated that Holland had accounted
for about $4,000 of the $95, 900 short
age, with the claim that his farm had
cost him $4,000, and that he had lost
between $4,000 and $4,000 speculat-
ing. The sum of $4,000 was abso-
lutely unaccounted for, and the proper
ty returned to the bank by Holland
amounted to only $4,000 or 10000,
leaving the bank in the lurch to the
tune of at least $4,000.
DR.. Joseph Graham testified that he
had known Holland since the war, and
had been his physician for 90 years.
Holland has been in bad health for
some time, and is now suffering from
diabetes. If sent to a Northern eli
mate it will be at the risk of his life.
DR.. Graham went on to say that he
had never heard anything derogatory
to Hollands character, and that the
defendant was held in high esteem by
everybody up to the time his trouble
at the bank became known.
Ex-Congressman S. b. Alexander
and Major J. H. Harris also testified
as to the splendid reputation that had
always been borne by the defendant,
and also as to the high esteem in which
the defendant was held in the COM
munity.
After the hearing of the testimony
outlined above, came the speeches of
the lawyers. There was no testimo-
ny for the prosecution. Colonel H. c.
Jones made long plea for mercy.
He was followed in the same strain by
C. w. Tillett. Both plead with pitt
full tenderness, and, it is said that not
few people in the court room shed
tears. The district attorney argued
for justice. Mercy was all right in its
place, but its place was not in the
court house. A great crime had been
committed, and it should he fittingly
punished. He said that he could have
given out enough bills of indictment
to have kept the defendant in prison
for the balance of his life; but had
not done so. This man was guilty of
larceny, perjury forgery, and embezzle-
ment and he called upon the judge to
mete out full justice.
After the speeches, Judge Dick made
a short talk and pronounced sentence.
He said that he had never seen such
case before. The public sympathy for
the defendent was something remarka-
BILE but he did not think that public
sentiment condoned the crime. He
rather thought that it was due more
than anything else to the misery and
suffering of the defendants family. In
conclusion, he referred to the statute
that made five years the minimum sem
tence for the crime. He was unwilling
to impose the minimum sentence, for
the reason that such would be an indi
cation that he thought the oifense of
minimum Importance. He was unwil-
ling to impose the maximum sentence,
for the reason that it would mean
death to the prisoner. Therefore he
decided to give Holland seven years in
lbany penitentiary without hard