The herald., 1898-02-25
BLAcKlMAN'SADMISSION
HE ACKNOWLEDGED SHORTAGES
TOO FREELY
It HAMPERS THE THEORY NOW
That It Was Captain Bolton Who Was
Responsible for the Deficits
in the Cash

Some headway was made in the Black
man case yesterday in Department One
The plan of campaign of the defense is be
coming bolder in its outlines, and ther,
can be no doubt that the memory of Boltor
is to be saddled as much as possible will
the defalcations and shortages when tn,
proper time comes.
The testimony introduced by the prose
cution, however, sadly shakes this theory
inasmuch as there was direct proof, so fal
as the evidence of one witness is concerned
that Blackman voluntarily confessed tC
him defalcations which might foot up te
but would not exceed $4,000.
In the afternoon the proceedings were
very dreary. They consisted of expert
testimony and the dragging out of trunk
of armfuls of ledgers and account books.
President w. B. Cline of the Los Angeles
Lighting company resumed the stand when
court convened. He said that Captain Boil
ton was already in the employ of the cor
poration when he (the witness) became its
president
A question by the defense whether 1t was
not fact that Bolton had had entire
charge of the books and moneys of the cor
poration until within three years, and that
Blackman until that time only came to the
office a couple of hours daily. was objected
to and the objection sustained, because
prescription would naturally exist in re-
gard to facts which had happened at an
epoch which by lapse of time was now out
lawed. Several other questions, hav-
ing for their object TO show that Bolton
very often had temporarily full charge OF
the keys and the safe were also ruled out
upon similar grounds, but when the query
was made TO include ''up to the time of his
death Mr.. Cline was permitted to answer.
and his reply was that he presumed Bolton
had occasional charge.
A letter received by witness on the morn
ing of August oath. at the time of Captain
Bottoms DEATH was produced in court and
identified at the request of the defense. but
after consultation they preferred not to
introduce it, and the prosecution then Of
fered 1T, but after some wrangling between
counsel the matter was dropped for the
time being.
The witness acknowledged that he put
Detective Gard on Bottoms track the night
before he killed himself. and that a man
was watching the house when the tragedy
occurred. He also admitted that he had
told o. A. Stephens an Express reporter.
on the day of the suicide, that there were
no charges against Bolton and that his ac-
counts were straight.
The report of the expert upon the defal-
ations was not allowed to be introduced.
William II. Burns the present secretary
and treasurer of the company, was the
next witness. He identified a memoran-
dunn. partly in his own writing and partly
In that of Defendant Blackman, which
indicated the amount of cash turned over
by the latter to witness, together with the
keys of the safe and money drawers at the
time he took charge. The witness said
that at that time he remarked to the de-
fendant that the cash appeared to be short
TO which remark Blackman assented. An
examination of the cash blotter showed
that there was deficiency of $253. TO-
The next Monday, in The presence of
Accountant Poindexter and Mr.. Basker-
vile, while they were trying to adjust the
amount of shortage in the cash, Black
man explained partly how the deficiency
happened to exist and told the accountant
that there was no need of looking back
into the books for 1895.
On cross-examination the witness said
that he would not be positive whether Cap
tain Bolton turned over to him or not KEYS
to the safe and the cash drawer, but if any
body did it was Bolton. Since witness had
assumed charge of the treasury of the
company there had been only one short
age. by collector for $50, and that had
been made good On the Monday referred
to Mr.. Blackman appeared free of any
mental uneasiness, as far as his appear
ance and actions permitted the witness to
judge.
A. p. Redding. secretary of the Pacific
Surety company, which was on Black
mans bond. met the defendant at Louis
Vetter's office on August Sd of last year.
No inducements were held out to Mr.
Blackman, and his statement to witness
was entirely voluntary. The defense OBJ
20 IL,
ments were offered to their client because
they could show that at the time there was
a compromise afoot by which a sum of
$4,000 was to be placed in escrow by Black
man to cover his shortages.
Witness was permitted to proceed He
said he asked Mr.. Blackman how much
money he had stolen, and the reply was
that he did not know. "Why don't you
look at the books to find out?" uueried
Redding, and Blackman answered that he
did not believe the company would let him
The defendant went away, and upon his
return. later on, said that he had exam
ined the books for the past two years and
ascertained that he was short S9443. He
was confident that that was all: at any
rate, the shortage would not exceed $4,000
1t was then that the escrow scheme was
broached, but it led to nothing, as Mr.
Blackman failed to raise the coin, and
the criminal proceedings were instituted
subsequently.
f. II. PoindeXter began an examination.
he said, of the books of the Los Angeles
Lighting company on July 81. at the re-
quest of President Cline. He checked all
discrepancies between the collection and
cash books. In addition to those short
ages he found another one for $500 in the
bank account. The witness stated that
the first defalcation on the books appeared
in 1898. He gave a list of subsequent short
ages as they occurred Mr. Poindexter's
testimony was very much of a technical
nature and the entire afternoon was con-
sumed in poring over that trunkful of led
gers and accounts, which has occupied a
prominent place near the bench since the
beginning of the trial.