The San Francisco call., 1897-01-24
FAIR PEOPLE ATTEMPT
TO HEAD IT OFF.
A Batch of " To Me" Notaria
Banks Printed Previous
10 1891,
THE WORK WAS PRINTED BY
CROCKER & co.
The Bonanza Interests Un arth An
other Bogie Man" in the Sh p
cf Missing Deed.

Both sides in the Fair case uncovered q
surprise yesterday for their opponents.
The Craven people hauled from out the
archives and records of Attorney John H.
Dickinson's Office a number of notarial
records, identical in wording and form
with Coon VS. certificate in the pencil
deeds, which they have evidence were
printed at least five years ago The Fair
people made the discovery that a deed &C
knowledged by Cooney with one OF his
printed regular office blanks after the date
of the pencil will was missing.
The unearthing of the norarial certifi-
Gates in General Dickinson's Office came
as a sort of boomerang to those who are
prosecuting Cooney. The Fair people and
Captain Lees have sought to establish
from the beginning that previous to Au-
gnst 16 1895, no blank certificates of ac-
knowledgment prin ted by H. S. Crocker
& Co. contained the words 'to me-" In
the chain OF evidence they have sought to
wind about the young notary the two
chief links were the defective printing in
the acknowledgements on the pencil deeds
and the time Crocker & Co. first began to
<
There are in tAe pencil deeds acknowl-
edgment evidences of bad printing in
many of the lines. These defects are visi
bic to the naked eye on close inspection,
and under the microscope become matters
OF some i'm portance. When Captain Lees
suddenly took a notion to take hand in
the litigation he claimed TO have discov-
cred that in January, 1885, Crocker & Co.
had printed a batch of $1,000 notarial
blanks, one-haIf of which had defects in
printing Identical with those IN the pencil
deeds acknowledgements. To strengthen
his case he sought TO prove that none OF
the blanks printed by Crocker contained
the words ito me" in previous TO August
1895
Simon H. Wade. the foreman of the
Crocker printing department, swore on
the stand on Thursday last that previous
to 1895 his firm had printed none of this
KIND OF blanks. Young Whiteside, who
was discovered by the detectives at the
eleventh hour, sWore that he had inserted
the two little words, which promise to cut
much figure in Cooney's case, in the proof
that he sent up 10 the printers for batch
Of 5000 blanks on August 16 1895. For
some time past the Craven oaIe have
had IN their possession proofs of all the
notarial blanks printed in this City for the
past ten years
Incidentally thev kept tab on Crocker's 8
esta blish ment, and when Lees showed his
hand in Magistrate Cooks court they had
already up their sleeve the proof that
would disable one of the detectives big
cest weapons From 1873 to 1891 every
notarial certificate printed in this State
contained the words Ito me" as portion
of its contents Tie form was prescribed
by law. and if Crocker & Co. had been
printing forms without these words they
were printing illegal forms. General John
a. -
prlntlng-house for a number OF yeare and
has drafted all the copy for the various
legal forms
The records of Dickinson's Office proved
that previous 20 1891 all notarial certiti-
cafes contained these words. There were
proofs of the blanks in is desk without
number and the Craven people quietly
gathered few of these in and prepared
themselves for the thunder Lees had
promised. When 1t came they were not
disconcerted.
When Captain Lees discovered he had
been caught in a corner he made quick
tracks for Crocker's place and satisfied
himself he had left hole unpegged. Yes
terday afternoon George Crocker
made q call at Dickinson's office
and attempted to get possession of the
telltale forms. Captain Wade, who is is
charge of the office during Dickinson S
attendance in the State Senate, refused to
give them up and wrangle ensued.
General Dickinson is our attorney"
said Crocker, angrily. land those blanks
belong to US by right"
81 can't help that" replied Wade.
General Dickinson Is in Sacramento
and l can't give you anything without his
permission"
but the blanks are ours"
Wade shook his head. Crocker then de-
manded admittance 10 Dickinson's private
room, but W ade was obdurate.
Il demand admittance 10 that room, -
said CroCker.
And you won't get it." said Wade. and
the junior member o! the printing estab
hshment Withdrew to confer with his father
and Captain Lees. No attempt was made
to secure possession o. the b,anks 1t is
probable that application will be made to-
day to General Dickinson to give up the
documents.
But their delivery to Crocker now would
come too late to prevent their playing an
i'm portaut part in Cooney's defense.
Copies of the different issues are now in
the possession of the Craven attorneys.
They bear the dates of their issues, secured
from the records of Dickinsons office.
These dates cover period extending back
to 1880, and when introduced in court will
probably go long way to tearing down
the case Lees would build up against
Cooney.
The Craven people have also made an
other rather interesting discovery in refer
ence to this portion of the celebrated case
The Fair attorneys and detectives say
that Cooney cut off the margin OF the
acknowledgment be used on the pencil
deeds, removing the printers mark and
the red line on the margin. 1t is their
contention that in this process strip OF
paper fully half an inch wide was re-
moved. The orm of blank printed by
Crocker in 1886, to which class Lees says
the pencil ueeds Acknowledgements be-
long. corresponds now in size with
Cooneys clipped blanks. If the pencil
deed forms had not been trim med, they
would have been at least half an inch
wider than those printed by Crocker.
This, Mrs. Crayen's representatives say,
will be introduced st the proper time n
court 10 prove that Lees and the Fair chill
dren have been counting without the cost.
The blanks used by Cooney are identical
with those printed by CrocKer & Co. pre-
vious 10 1891, in every particular, so far as
tie practiced eye can discern. They are
similar to those used by almost every no.
tary in the State for many years.
There are now in the possession of Mrs.