New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-15
cred BOOK" IN QUAY TRIAL
PRACTICAL ADMISSION OF THE DIS
PUTED LEDGER AS ONE OF
THE BANK RECORDS.

KEEP OUT THE ENTRIES ON WHICH
PROSECUTION DEPENDs-DIREcT
EVIDENCE THAT 1T WAS
A BANK BOOK
Philadelphia April i4-Persistent. keen and brill
liant argument between District-Attorney Rother
mel on the one side. and Messrs. Watson. Shapley
and Shields. the other. upon the admission of
testimony which may go long way to establish
the alleged guilt OF ex-united States Senator Quay
the feature OF hts trial to-day and II cumi-
mated In decided victory for the prosecution. The
Red Book" found in Cashier Hopklnss desk after
his suicide. and upon the admission OF which the
Commonwealth largely rests its case was the
shaft the District Attorney aimed at the defence
To pave the way for the final effort TO Introduce
the book itself he succeeded, after frequent clashes
with opposing counsel. In presenting expert testi-
mony TO prove that the book was necessarily
book Of the bank. accounts in the books adj
mitted under the courts ruling could only be made
ineligible by II.
Before starting his examination. Mr.. Rothermel
read to the Court a statement OF what he intended
to prove. The expert he said had made thor
ough examination OF all the books In the case he
found that previous to April 30. 1891 the Peoples
Bank paid interest tho States deposit to the
State Treasurer and that records Of such payments
were kept in a regular way on the books or the
! bank After April co. 1891, when Mr.. Hopkins ap-
peared on the scene. a new system was ADOPTED
This entaled the addition of another book-now
known the RED Book"-to the books thereto
fore kept by the bank.
Meyer Goldsmith. expert accountant was the
witness upon whom the Commonwealth depended
to accomplish its contention. During the whole
course OF the experts examna don, objection after
objection was made by the defence, and as fire.
quenty overruled by Judge Biddle, while the Dis
trict-Attorney In logical sequence drew from the
witness his conclusions TO the book. based upon
a comparison Of what was written on It's pages
with wha, appeared In the other books. After II
all over, four hours Of examination and cross
examination. lnterspersed with argument, this much
sworn to by the witness. Two accounts out
Of upward Of one thousand in the regular books
were incomplete and Inaccurate. unless explained
by entries In the Red Book" one an item
for sl5l9 entered in the individual ledger 10 the
credit OF the person who received 1t. The witness
not permitted to designate the person by name.
He found this item on the stub Of the cashiers
checkbook. but what IT represented he could not
say until he had examined the calcua lions in the
Red Book" Here he found the amount entered
and the indications that 1t had been paid by the
cashiers check November 4. 1897.
Another item Of S.5s2 10 he found in the regular
book dated May a. 1884, ard he found the same
item In the Red Book" dated October 90. 1894.
He stated there other entries In the Red
Book" which explained transactions In the regular
book. but the two instances specified were the only
ones In which he could reach accurate conclusions
to their nature and purpose.
CONCLUDED IT WAS a BANK BOOK.
Mr.. Goldsmith said that when he first opened the
RED Book" he did consider It a book OF the
bank. but when he compared the cacula lions
tered on its pages with the transactions In the
other books he forced 10 consider II book OF
the bank He explained this by saying that prior
to 1891 calculations such appeared In the RED
Book regularly entered In the ledger. but
since then the Red Book had been substituted
During the cross-exa mination of the witness.
which conducted by Mr.. Shields. he testified
to page which was missing The defence repeat
eddy endeavored TO get from him the statement
that there might have been figures and words
that page which would clearly explain the entries
on the other pages and that the book It
stands is untrustworhy. This was ruled out. fol-
lowing an objection by the Dstrct-Attorney. This
would to indicate that when the final effort TO
present the book In evidence comes Tomorrow the
defence will make determined opposition 10 II on
that ground, even II the Court should decide that
with relation to the transactions testified to 1t is
a book OF the bank
During all the examination touching the book.
with the exception OF the two items mentioned. no
intimaton OF the amounts names allowed
TO reach the jury. The prosecution all along how
ever has alleged that this book will show that
Cashier Hopkins computed interest on State funds
and deposited the money TO Senator Quay's credit.
The NTH days proceedings in the trial Of ex-
United States Senator Quay opened with the ex-
expert from the poin, reached in his testimony at
adjournment yesterday. lie identified the hand
writing OF Cashier Hopkins In letter. No men
ton of the contents or their purport made.
The defence did cross-examine.
Albert f.. Taber, receiving teller was recalled.
and identified the handwriting OF Hopkins in the
BLACK Book and the Blue Book" small memo
rsndum- books which found in the cashiers
private desk In the former records OF ndi-
vdual loans, and in the other bank loans and
ords Of collateral are entered.
The cashiers stub checkbook from 1888 to 1885, apl
another from 1895 to March 20, 1898. two days
before the banks failure Identified being
h the handwriting of the former cashier the wit
ness's father OF Hopkins. and in the wit
ness's own handwriting. When Mr. Hopkins pre-
for what purpose It was given
Of checks signed by Cashier Hopkins and others.
The first one was dated October 81 1887, for 800
s. Quay. This was in the period when Mr.. Quay
was State Treasurer The amount was mentioned
merely identifying signatures the amount was
es in sTa ana NO OF se Of
the figures One drawn in 1897 was to the order OF
State Treasurer ' j. s Beacon who has been in
office since May last was called TO Identity the
the Treasurer's Office. Mr.. Shields cross-exam-
inaton asked him: "All Of the State Treasurers
bill of Indictment with entering into conspiracy
with Senator Quay Did you ever enter into CON
Mr. Beacon answered laughingy. NO sir be-
fore the District Attorney could get In his ob1ec
ton. The objection was not pressed. and Mr..
Beacon left the stand.
BOOKS OFFERED IN EVIDENCE
The District-Attorney at this point formally Of
fered in evidence all OF the books OF the bank
Identified by clerks except the Red Book" stat
ing. however, that he proposed to offer that in
teresting volume Immediately.
On a point raised by counsel for the defence the
Court ruled that the books OF the bank would be
admitted so far as they went to prove the con-
spiracy charged In the indictment. The defence
appeared TO want the offer limited to Senator
Quay's account. or alleged account" counsel
put It,
Meyer Goldsmith, an expert accountant. was the