The San Francisco call., 1897-07-20
Chief Lees Produces Checks
-
Drawn by Theodore
A. Figel.
Edward s. Rothchild Declares
That He Erred in His
Former Testimony.
Bookkeeper Gellert Told Witness He
Had Not Seen Another Trial
Balance Book.

The trial of Theodore Figel on charge
of g m bezzlement moves along slowly.
The monotony of figures and the ory
reading OF business letters hour after hour
has had it's effect on every body about the
courtroom. The crowd that thronged IN
and about the room last week eager to get
a glimpse of FigeI, the accused en- bezzler
and m urderer, has dwindled to the seat
ing capacity of this place, and even his
Honor Judge Campbell keeps somnolency
away by chatting with Mrs. Campbell
who yesterday sat with him on the bench.
The developments of the day were not
many nor particularly interesting. The
private or special account Figel kept in
the First National Bank furnished subject
for Comment as it showed an aggregate OF
about $25, 600 being deposited and wlths
drawn within the space OF three months
The checks included payments from IS 20
to $3.50, grocery bills, loans and other
causes for their issuance. This line OF
examination, however. did not sho" the
money deposited one day to be drawn out
the next and to be redeposited. -.
ION $1,000 in bank to-day" Figel stated
to a friend, after adjournment 81 could
run the figures to $4,000 in month If l.
wanted to, by drawing out and depositing'
repeatedly" -
The main testimony given was short
and to the point in regard TO the trial
balance book, which the prosecution has
all the slime claimed that Figel has done
away wi b. Edward Rothchild acknow1-
edged that Gellert, the assistant book
keeper in the employ of his firm, does not
remem Der such a book.
In answer 10 a question, witness said
that he had examined into the trial
balance book he took away from the court
on Thursday and which he had then test.->'
fed to as showing balances ending
Dece m ber 81, 1896. '
II would like now to amend that testf-
mony, as | have discovered that the trial
balances on the book reach January and
February. But | insist still that there
was another trial balance book that has
disappeared, containing balances for
November, Decem Der, January and Febru-
ary, those of the first two months l have
mentioned being missing in this particular
book. The missing book would have been
valuable to Mr.. Figel.
II want 10 state that / notice in this
trial balance of February, in FigePs own
handwriting, that the Weinstock, Lubin
81 Co., the j. l.. Stockton and the |. r.
Smith d Co. accounts, paid as lar back as
Novem ber and Dece Der, are carried over
as being still unpaid
Chief Lees again resumed the stand on
QlIeCL eAanlndIlOU, continuing me lQen-
tihcation OF tags OF deposits made by
Theodore FigeI with the First National
Bank and obtained from President Muir
phv of that bank by witness after the death
of Isaac Hoffman. Most of the afternoon
was taken up with these identihcations
and companions with corresponding
checks when the documents singly were
marked as exhibits
General Barnes suggested as a means of
expediency to admit all the checks,
seventy-slx in number, as exhibits In a
bunch, rather than read them and mark
them one by one.
To this procedure ex-Judge Murphy
and Attorney Ach objected, stating that
it was necessary that the reading 90 on
record.
go ahead, them submitted Barnes,
sitting down in his armchair, wearily.
At the hour for adjonrning ex-Judge
Murphy asked that the case go over until
tomorrow, as he had to attend the funeral
this morning of the late Colonel Crocker.