The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-06
THE WARRANTS DISMISSED.
THERE WAS NO PROSECUTION
AGAINST MAJ. A. l.. PARTRIDGE.


No Prosecutor Appeared ut Justice
Reynolds Office, and the Warrant
was Marked Dismissed For Want
of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES #. ID.
BIoodwOrth, who swOre Out the
other warrant, Appeared at JUS
tice RusseII's Office, But Refused 10
Prosecute, and the Same Course
was Pursued-BOth Justices Say
They VIII Turn the Warrants and
Record in the Cases over to the
Solicitor General.
The warrants against Maj A. L. Hart
ridge in the courts of Justice Samuel Rey-
nolds and Waring Russell, Jr., charging
forgery, were dismissed yesterday morn
ing for lack of prosecution, and the bonds
given in the two cases were cancelled.
This dismissal of the warrants followed
the day after the settlement Of Maj. Hart
ridges accounts with the National Bank
of Savannah and the Germania Bank, an
account of which was given in yesterdays
Morning News.
Maj Hartridge, accompanied by his at
torney, Hon. Pope Barrow, appeared at
10 o'clock in the morning at the court of
Justice Reynolds. Subpoenas had been
sent summoning Capt. Henry Blum, presi-
dent of the Germania Bank, and George
W. Owens, Esq. attorney for the bank,
as witnesses. The witnesses were speci1-
cally notified to appear at Justice Rey-
nolds court at 10 o'clock to testify in the
matter of the charges of forgery pending
against Maj Hartridge.
At 10 O'Clock neither of the witnesses
was present. Maj, Hartridge and his coun-
sci being the only ones there. AS is usual
In such cases, the constable from the door
called three times for the witnesses to
come into court, and none of them APP
pearing, Mr. Barrow demanded that the
charges against his client be dismissed.
Justice Reynolds accordingly Endorsed
across the back of the warrant the facts
in the case, and dismissed it for want Of
prosecution. He also cancelled the bond of
$1,000 which had been given by Mai. Hart
ridge for his appearance at the prelimi-
nary examination, as the bond applied
only to that hearing.
Maj. Hartridge and his counsel then
went to the court Of Justice Waring Rus
sell, Jr., where a similar charge preferred
by the National Bank of Savannah was
pending. Mr.. F. D. Bloodworth, cashier
of the bank, who was the prosecutor in
this case, also appeared, and when the
case was called for preliminary hearing,
Mr.. Bloodworth stated he had no desire
to prosecute it, and did not intend to do
so. This left Justice Russell only one |
course to pursue, the same as that in the |
case Of the other warrant. The following |
judgment of the court was indorsed on the |
back of the warrant:
1T appearing to the court, that the de- |
PENDANT being present on the day and time |
appointed for the examination, and the |
prosecutor also being present, and refus- |
ing to prosecute the case, and there be- |
ing no evidence against the defendant, it |
is considered ordered and adjudged that |
the defendant be discharged, and the |
warrant dismissed for the want of prose- |
cution, this 9Th day of December 1896. |
Waring Russell, Jr., N. p. and E. o. ]. |
p. c. c."
The bond given under this warrant for |
appearance for the preliminary examine
ton was for $500. 1t was cancelled by |
Justice Russell, the following being in
dorsed upon it:
The defendant appeared in court and |
was discharged by the court of examina- |
ton, and this bond is hereby cancelled |
this, 5th day of December, 1885,
Both Justice Reynolds and Justice Rus |
sell were asked about the matter after |
wards, and both stated that they would |
turn the warrants over to the solicitor |
general as soon as they entered them on |
their dockets. 1t will then either be with |
In the province of the solicitor general to |
bring the warrants to the attention of the |
grand jury, or it is within the power of |
that body and in its discretion, to make |
any investigation of its own accord.
The facts In the case are of such recent |
occurrence that they are we'll remember |
ed. Several Southwestern stock certif- |
Gates were raised above the number of |
shares they called for, one of the number !
being raised from sixteen to sixty shares |
and hypothecated with the National Bank |
OF Savannah for something more than |
$4,000, and another from nineteen to ninety |
shares and hypothetical with the Germa- !
MIA Bank for 5000. These were the two |
certificates on which the warrants against
Maj. Hartridge were based, the two banks
making the charges that he forged these
papers. There were extant, however, two
other raised scrip of the same kind The
amounts which the two banks were out
were paid in full on Friday, some in cash
and the other in securities representing
real estate, and yesterday the warrants
were dismissed at stated.