The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-19
Expert Goldsmith Given Warm Cross.
Examination.
Admits To Doing Much
Guessing.
Defense To Be Hopkins Used
Quay's Name For Shield.

Philadelphia, April 1S.-The defense
had Its inning today In the trial Of
Senator Quay and 1t made the most of It's
opportunity. Expert accountant, Meyer
Goldsmith. the commonwealth witness,
was under scorohing fire of cross.exami-
nation all day. The result justines the
opinion that the net work OF evidences
wrought by the prosecution from the
books of the broken bank, tending to
show any guilty participation by Sena
tor Quay in the unlawful use OF the
banks money was very much shaken by
the admissions the witness was compelled
to make under the questioning Of At.
torney Shields. Nearly all of the aPpar mt
ly damaging entries attached to Senator
Quay's name on account In the bank as
testified to yesterday were explained away
or greatly modified by the statements of
the commonwealth own witness. Judge
Biddle's ruling OF yesterday had the effect
of confirming testimony tending to show
the existence of conspiracy between
QUAY, Haywood aud Hopkins as charged
in the indictm ent to the swo years ending
Novem her IL. 1898. Lawyer Shields got
from the witness the admission that II
Hopkins had properly credited Senator
Quay's accounts with amounts that be-
longed there the books would show at
the beginning of the alleged conspiracy,
November II, 1876, the Senator owed the
bnnk only $3.50 instead of over $40, 900,
as alleged. Taking up the allegation that
Ind hprroxgpd SlS5 ONO
during the "settlement period" ending
October 81, 1897, the last settlement before
the bank closed, MIR. Shields forced from
Goldsmith facts tending to show that in
nearly every instance the amounts charged
to Senator Quay were really loans to
other persons, politicians mostly. for whom
Quay endorsed. Where there was deli
mite loan to Senator Quay the repayment
was clearly proven. District Attorney
Rothermel claims that he has clearly es-
tat lished the fact ne started out to
prove, namely $4,000 of the state depos-
1t in the bank was set aside for the use oil
Senator Quay and whether he used 1t
himself or loaned 1t to Others is not ma
terial in proving the conspiracy.
Mr. Shields asked Goldsmith some ques-
tions which indicate that the defense Is
about to attempt to prove Its contention
that Senator Quay was the victim OF
Cashier Hopkins, who, 1t is asserted, used
the name and account of the Senator
without the latter's knowledge to cover
his own juggling with the banks funds.
Hopkins, the defense says, appears TO
have used fictitious names for loans,
presumably to himself, as well as the
name of Quay. He had the reputation
OF being a heavy speculator In the stock
market and the inference Is that the de-
tense will attempt to prove that Sena-
tor Quay had no knowledge whatever of
49, n a
MIR. Shields put different complexion
on the entries In the "red book" by conf
polling the witness to admit that many
of his figures were hot proven 10y entries
In the regular bank books, but were the
result of what he practically acknowl-
edged 10 be his ''guesses" at the meaning
of certain unintelIigible figures written
in the "red book"
Goldsmith was still on the stand when
court adjourned for the day and the ques-
tions put to him near the close were full
of promise of interesting developments
tomorrow.
Much of the sting vas taken out of the
famous "shake the plum tree" telegram
by the statement that the purchase of
Metropolitan stock contemplated thereby
was made with 10000 of Senator Quay 3
own money, his deposit ut that period
exceeding $60,d00.
While senator Quay was listening in
tently TO tho CROSSE accumulation of the ex
pert telegram was thrust into his hand
containing the announcement of the
break In his ranks at harrisburg. The
Senator carefully adjusted his glasses
and read the despatch. Then a half frow u
came over his features and his face turned
from the witness to the court room win
dow, out of which he gazed Ia IA con
templative manner for several minutes.
lie made no comment to any of those
seated with him.