Evening star., 1898-12-07
TRIAL OF SENATOR KENNEY
Teller Boggs Testifies to Diversion of Bank
Funds.
Checks Were Afterwsrd Made Good
kcnney Advised Him to
Flee 10 tuaa.

In the trial Of Senator Keuney at Will
mngton. Del. yesterday William n. Boggs
the defaulting teller of the Dover National
Bank was placed on the stand He said
he was teller Of the bank from 1891 to May
1891, when he fed from Dover. The sh )rt-
age in his accounts began In 1898, when he
agreed to carry a check for Thomas S.
Clark, now serving sentence in Trenton
pententary. Boggs covered this act from
the scrutiny Of investigation by withhold
ing deposit ticket of customer for
similar amount until Clark had paid the
money back. During the next year and up
until 1898, the witness said, the deficit con-
staHtly increased, and witness endeavored
to recoup the shortage by horse racing
operations with Clark ana others.
BOggs said his accounts were in sucn
bad shape that IN October, 1SA5 he called
on Mr.. kenney and consulted with him as
TO whether he had better confess to tie
| bank officials endeaTor to collect on his
evidences Of Clark'S and others indebted
ness. 1T was decided to make an effort to
collect the money. and Clark was seen and
promised to settle his Indebtedness From
this time until May, 1S!i6, Mr.. Xanney
knew that witness was short in his ac-
counts. At this time. the witness said, Mr.
kenney told him that he had been dealing
in Bay State gas, and results had not been
as he had expected. Mr.. kenney was oil
the bank, and had been making deposits
and drawing money in the regular way
Cuthbert n Co. Cheeks
Referring 10 the Cuthbert 4 Co checks
admitted in evidence yesterday, and amount-
Ing to over 5000, the witness said they
first came to him in May, 1896 as a result
Of IL conversation with the defendant in
which Mr.. kenney said he needed money
as Il result Of his speculatiOns in Bay State
gas, and asked Mr.. Boggs to carry checks
for him, which Boggs did. These checks
the witness said, We're all paid from the
banks funds, and Mr.. Kemney knew he
had no funds in the bank to pay the checks
when they came i'll. Another check for
$500, made payable to Cuthbert & Co hy
Senator kenney, witness said, represented
his own stock speculation in Bay State
gas. The check was given at the request
Of Boggs to cover any suspicion that might
arise in the bank If a check of his own
came In.
Continuing. Boggs said that all the money
Senator Kenney got from the bank was
subsequently made good by the defendant.
| and the only loss in funds TO the bank was
| Tor the time in. which Kenney had the use
of the bank money.
Coming down to February, 1897 the wit
ness said he found he could no longer con-
| tinue his manipulation of the funds without
| discovery. Under new system instituted
he could no longer withhold deposit slips
1
ing figures in the ledger totals. Discovery
was bound to come with the first attempt
at investigation. This was about the time
| that Mr.. Kenney was chosen senator The
witness said that the senator's accounts
were by this time all in good shape and
| his financial condition was better than it
had been In long time. As Mr.. Kenney
had promised to aid him and he had Just
| reached q position OF influence, the witness
went to him, and Mr.. !Kenney expressed
his regret.
kenney Advised Flight to Cuba.
Boggs told him he would have to take
| flight He put ii off until May and in an
| interview with Senator Kenney he said the
| latter advised him as to the best place to
| go, suggesting Cuba. He told Boggs there
| would soon be peace there, and new treaties
| would have to be made which would render
| his chance for arrest slight.
Before leaving he secured from Clark and
others bonds, representing the aggregate
value of the checks he had withheld for
| them, and which they had not made good
| These bonds he assigned TO Senator Ken
| ney. Upon his return from exile these
| bonds came back to him and were assigned
| to tie bank.
| Upon cross-eXamination the witness sail
| Kenney was his counsel during all the NO
riods named, with one exception He also
| admitted having dealt in Bay State Gas
| prior to May, 1896. Counsel was trying to
| learn from him his exact losses in ali his
| stock speculations when court adjourned
] until today.