The San Francisco call., 1897-01-20
some DEFECTIVE PRINTING
AS A FAIR CASE BOG|E MAN
A Blurred "O' in Legal Blank Is the Keynote to
the Charges Against Notary
Cooney

enough guarding against such fate for
the deeds, for the Fair people have COW
eted their possession ever since the ceIe-
brated lawsuit began.
There was an army of lawyers present.
Captain Lees, District Attorney Barnes
and detectives we're conspicuous person.
alities in the ranks of the estate. Reuben
LLOYD and George a. Knight represent
ing the children of the dead millionaire,
and W. r. Goodfellow, fighting for the
rights of the trust will against the
heirs, made common cause with the prose
cution.
Across the room was Cooney sitting by
his attorney, Patrick w. Reddy. His
father was in the rear. Mrs. Craven. con-
fined to her home since her recent visit to
Sacramento with slight Illness was
present by proxy in the persons Of Attor-
news w. W. Foote and ex-Judge benson.
There were others, but there name Is le-
gion.
1t took long time for the District At
torney to get the real show going. The
prelimnaries consisted of spirited
wrangling among the lawyers. Reddy
and Barnes paid an almost continuous
string of compliments to each other in
the way of vigorous ''obiecting." When
there was a hiatus in the uproar Foote
took an opportunity to emphasize some
point.
Barnes exhausted the entire morning in
getting Cooney's dispositions. upon which
the charge of perjury was based, officially
before Magistrate Cook. They lay on a
table in front OF the eyes of alI-volumin-
Gus heaps Of books and papers-but they
could not be seen legally by the court
until they had been properly introduced,
as attorneys say.
Deputy County Clerk Piper was first
called as witness to tell the court that
2 A.
An hour was consumed in reading the
contents OF the documents. Then Captain
Lees unbosomed himself OF some heavy
cardboard packages, batch OF photo
graphic copies OF the pencil deeds. These
the District Attorney proceeded next to
get introduced to the court
Stephen Roberts was the instrument
used to BRING about this result. Roberts
had the original deeds in his pocket-he
the court with the fact that the card
board copies were genuine fac-similes. To
do this 1t was first necessary to get Rob
erts TO make the comparison.
Barnes suggested that the mining broker
produce the documents for public inspec-
ZION. Foote was on the poll OF the prose.
cution with a vigorous knock. As attor-
ney for Mrs. Craven, he did not see why
her papers, representing big pieces OF
City property in civil suit, should be
brought into the case intended merely as
a criminal prosecution.
Barnes argued that Cooney's signature
was on the deed, and that signature was
in reality the whole fabric of the perjury
charge against the young notary. Foote
demonstrated. He saw those papers going
into the court possession as exhibits or
something else, and they were too valu-
able TO entrust to even anybody Just now
in view that their validity was to be
tested in a civil court in few days.
I'VE won't have them impounded in
| anybody's possession, said the attorney.
There have been so many intimations
that Mrs Craven never will produce them
in the trial of her claims that somebody
might eudeavor to effect their disappear
ance" He threw an insi1uating glance
TO the Fair side of the house, and the air
began to sizzle when Magistrate Cook said
he would not take possession OF them if he
could avoid it.
81 might lock them up in a sate-deposit
vault" Foote shook his head, and it
was finally agreed that Roberts should
keep the papers himself, he agreeing to
have them in court whenever necessary.
The work of effecting the comparison
then proceeded without opposition. Then
Judge Slack was called 20 certify that
Cooney had really sworn to the deposi-
tion before him, and the Fair people, Po-
lice Department and District Attorney
proceeded to open their case by narrating
the history OF the way the legal blank de-
partment of II. S. Crocker is conducted.
Stanford told the attorney he lived at
$50 Hayes street, and had been in prac-
tical charge of the Crocker legal blank
business for a number of years. He is
young, curly-haired, blue-eyed and an un-
easy witness He began his story by say
ing that on January 8, 1896. he he'd or
dered printed 10000 copies of ''blank 132. -
which is the certi hcate notary publics use
to add to their acknowledgement 10 deeds
and such like.
Usually he ordered these printed in
patches of 5000. but as this was hurried
order he had marked the word ''rusl" on