The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-19
The ..Red Book" in the QUAY Case.


In admitting as evidence Book" of the
Quay case has practically
defunct Peoples bank the judge sitting in the
case has practically forestaed every legal attempt
ceaent of transactions recorded its These
transactions constituted very p of the
charge conspiracy brought the Of the
wealth against this action If the volume
had been would have remained
unresolved doubt in the public mind as to
import meaning of the memoranda and cacu
lations which contains
What is this now conspicuous RED Book which
counsel the commonwealth and for the defense
argued long earnestly before Judge Bdde? The
expert accountant employed examine
of the Peoples bank has testified that although not in
FORM nevertheless part bank
since its entries in effect continuation Of records
formerly a regular ledger the bank This
the view insisted by for the commonwealth and
vigorously skiuly disputed attorneys the
defense whose contention that the book a
aggregation Of private memoranda by the deceased cashier
the adoption by the opinion of
the expert accountant marks the
highly interetng and significant legal drama
Aside from those directly interested dealings
which records, nobody
ence of the Red Book although it up
regularly for period Of six years from 1891
creating superintendent of banking passed by
legislature and became law commonwealth Previ-
that relating to the payment of in
been made in the regular books of institution but
thereafter the Red Book became the secret and unofficial
record Of such interest payments Thus supern
endent Of banking who by entitled to full access
to the books Of the bank remained ignorance Of the pc
culiar transactions and divisions Of the Red
Book and to his inqurng eye conduct of the instit
lion in connection with state funds inrused its keeping
seemed hawless and Immaculate
As has already been observed the judicial decision
denuylng this book with others before the part
Of the books Of the Peoples throws wide open the
door to documentary Which should be conclusive
on one side the other contents will afford grounds
tor acquittaI condemnation as the jury NAV determine
but not for honest division Of opinion When all the evil
aence shall be in and the arguments Of counsel coete.
the true meaning and significance Of the Red Book oar
Oranda and calculations be clear and nn,istasba
without further judicial exploitation
Sngulary enough there is nothing IN the annasrano
Of this important volume warrants its title The only
ted thing about IT, described by the Evening Bu1Iatn
Is smudge Of carmine ink the back Says our contem
porary:
1t is like the ordinary fy-cent blank book with brown
NOTED cover black back and green edges II is not ruled
vertically 1t has about ninetyght pages measuring some
thing like eight by inches Originally it was probably,
used to keep stock memoranda with cipher code in
front Apparently pages were torn out and then m
book was used to keep the state deposits
in it. with figures showing interest calculations and M
division Of interest The figuring begun in the back
part Of the book about the seventh sheet from the las
Ten pages remain tight place and one sheet constitp
the third and fourth pages is loose II the sheet that
made its counterpart in another section had been torn
The last page in book was fed and then tbe unused
section in the front part begun but only one mage
filled in Nearly all Of the the thirteen naee
is ink. with pencil memoranda on three Of then,
It is around this torn and commonplace ne7n,rs-5,,r
book that the most interesting and ercely vare5
legal contest Of this generation Penusylyana s - M
fought during the argument in tb cs
of the Commonwealth versus NJ s. Quay ct al