The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-07
TWlTTY GIVEN FIVE YEARS.
PLEADED GUILTY To FORGERY AND
SENT TO THE PENITENTIARY.


ellis Statement in Court-Denied That
He Had Endeavored to Escape His
BOnds-CIaimed That Neither He
| Nor Reeve Ever PrOftted by the
ROsin DeaIs-He ExOnerates Reeve.
| Entered Plea of Guilty
F. ON One Charge, and the Other In
dictments Put on the Dead Docket.
II. D. Twitty appeared in court yester-
day afternoon accompanied by his attor-
ney. Mr.. W. r. Leaken and entered
plea of guilty on one of the indictments
of forgery pending against him, his plea
being followed by a sentence from Judge
Fallisant to term of five years in the
penitentiary
! There were very few people in the court
room. The defendant. as was explained in
court, mad not endeavored to escape his
bonds. He was expecting to make some
arrangement in connection with the
charges against him, but found he was not
able TO do so. This was explained in his
statement
Solicitor General w W. Osborne was
present to represent the state. There
were three indictments charging forgery
| III tOthiEctNDa win the lIduuuleIt IOSlh re-
| ceipts. The indictments upon which The
| plea of guilty was entered charged the
! forgery of a rosn receipt for 300 barrels
to the credit of Francis l. Mccall al the
! Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad
yards. Solicitor Osborne said to the court
| when Judge Falllgant told the defendant
to stand up, that counsel for Twitty de-
| sired TO make a statement to the court.
MIR. Leaken preceded the reading of
Twitty's statement with a few personal
| remarks. Mr.. Twitty, he said, he had
| known almost since he first came to Sa-
vannah. He was not only client, but
| a friend--a personal friend-and the duty
| which deYolved upon him was most I'M
| pleasant one. He had done what he
could in the interests of his client and
| friend. and however sad the duty it was
| necessary that he should perform 1t. He
then proceeded to read the defendants
statement to the court as follows
Upon my pleading guilty to the charge
| of forgery upon a special receipt under
indictment found against me, 1 desire to
state for the first time in my own behalf
and of others. as follows:
In September, 1891, 1 became an en-
ploye of the firm of w. w. Chisholm 81
Co About April, 1892, Mr.. John Hender-
son was admitted to the copartnership, 1
continuing as before as an employe. About
| September, 1892, Mr.. Henderson retired
aud Mr.. z. l. Mccall came into the bust
ness. contributing $4,000. The business
i continued under the same style until
about November 1898, when w. w. CHS
holm & Co. retired, leaving Mr.. Mccall
the sole proprietor, and Mr.. Mccall con-
tributed about $4,000 more and continued
on in the business until about July 1896, l
still being his employee and confidential
man, holding his power of attorney and
negotiating and transacting most of his
business. The impression obtained among
the banks and business men was that this
business was embarrassed. and that Mr.
Mccall was seeking to maintain an en-
Earfassed business and consequently his
credit was much restricted the banks
refusing to advance him more than 20
TO 50 rer cent. of the face of the securities
tenoereo.
| believed then, and still believe, that
this business was solvent up to July 1896
IL vas necessary in 1884, in order 70 get
alorg, to have special receipts for ,,Ir-
pentinc and rosn on which to borrow
money to cover up the deficiency of the
value of McCalps securities, and | pro-
cured most of these receipts at nv own
request from Mr. Fl. NJ. Reeve who was
the Savannah, Florida and Western Rail
road clerk in that department, originally
starting from an honest mistake of Mr.
Reeve as TO the stock on hand and amount
OF sDerial receipts out. About Dec l. 1891
either Mr. Reeve or myself discovered
this discrepancy between the stock on
hand and the actual receipts and I rad
usNd the special receipts and could not re-
tease them, and that then being the regu-
lar advancing season | went to Mr. Reeve
and we discussed the situation at length
ana at my earnest request he agreed TO
let the condition of affairs stand, | assur-
ing him that l would do my best to get
= II liked up, both of us desiring to have
sible. ~
Il realized that it could be done 'h,,
gradually retiring these receipts or bv
creating loan on Mr. McCans other So
curltles, both of which / was preDa ring
to do for Mr.. Mccall when 1 was arrest.
ed. | thought / could keep the business
afoat all right and in a few weeks retire
all these special receipts, when I was ar
rested. Neither MIR. Reeve nor myself
nave received dollar from these receipts
every cent going to the credit of the bust
ness which Mr.. Mccall had assumed
, which can be shown by the books of MIR.
, mccall ana the bank credits which arc
easily accessible, and from the fact III n
the Savannah, Florida and Western Rail
road has obtained judgment against Mr.
I Mccall for every cent of the amount real
lied on these receipts this judgment was
obtained on these receipts without defense
on Nov. 8, 1897.
: : Il desire TO repeat that this wrong-do
the
: part of Mr. Reeve and myself and in en-
deavoring to correct this mistake in
VOWED myself and MIR. Reeve further 7
desire to repeat that l belive Mr.. McCaus
: business was solvent under a proDer man
, agement, and that when it was sold out
by Mr.. Cassels, the purchasers Yves,
| Wigs g. Co, have profted almost IL not
entirely, in the sum of thirty thousand
dollars. / felt justified to some extent In
, allowing these receipts to exist by the fact
that knew that Mr.. McCalrs other col.
{ laterals were good for 80 per cent more
than the banks allowed on them or sold
them for at the instigation of Mr. Casseis
| have suffered and am sim suffering for
4 the part l have played and l solemnly
? assert that got nothing at all out of the
transaction I am charged with
LAS to the charge brought against me
by Mr.. Mccall of shortage IN my accounts
{ to him of $50, l cannot plead guilty, but
y II a sufficient showing is made to my
9 counsel or any disinterested party that /
= owe Mr. Mccall this amount, It will be
n | nv LIES work If ] live out nv sentence