The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-19
ATT. ROTHERMEL'S CLAIM
HE HAS CLEARLY PROVED A
CONSPIRACY, HE SAYS.
FOURTEEN VOTERS DESERT QuAYs RANKS
He Reads 10 The Court Room a Telegram Con,
tanirg the Announcement of The Break,
and Frowns, but Says ko'hing
About the Matter.

I
fence had its innings to-day in the trial
Of Senator Quay. and it made the most
| of its opportunity. Expert Accountant
Meyer Goldsmith. the Commonwealth 5
witness. was under a scorching fire of
cross examination all day, and the re-
suit thereof jlstifies the opinion that
the network of evidence wrought by the
prosecution from the books of the
broken bank tending to show Senator
Quay's guilty participation in the un-
lawful use of the banks money. was
very much shaken by the admissions the
witness was compelled to make under
the skillful questioning of Attorney A
). l.. Shields.
Nearly all of the apparently damaging
entries attached to Senator Quay's name
or account III the bank as testified to
yesterday were explained away or
greatly modified by the statement of the
Commonwealth own witness. Judge
Biddle'S ruling of yesterday had the
effect of combining testimony tending to
show the existence of a conspiracy be-
tween Quay, Haywood and Hopkins, as
charged in the indictment, to the two
years ending November 18th, 1898.
Lawyer Shields got from the witness the
admission that if Hopkins had proper
~ credited Senator Quay's account with
amounts that belonged there, the books
would shoV that at the beginning of the
alleged conspiracy November 18th, 1896.
the Senator owed the bank only S236 in
stead of over $4,000. as is alleged.
Taking up the allegation that Senator
Quay borrowed $4,000 during
the settlement period ending Octo-
ber 31st, 1897, the last settlement be-
fore the bank closed, Mr. Shields forced
from Goldsmith. piece by piece, facts
tending to show that in nearly every
instance the amounts charged to Sena-
tor Quay were really loans to other
persons. politicians mostly, for whom
Quay endorsed Where there was a
definite loan to Senator Quay the re-
payment was clearly proven. In this
connection it might be well to say that
District Attorney Rothermel claims that
he has clearly established the fact he
started out to prove, namely, that $780,
900 of the State deposit in the bank was
set aside for the use of Senator Quay,
and whether he used it himself or loaned
il to others is not material in proving
the conspiracy
Toward the close of the day 5 pro-
ceedings Mr. Shields asked Goldsmith
some questions which Indicate that the
defense is about, to attempt to prove its
contention that Senator Quay was the
victim of Cashier Hopkins, who they
assert used the name and account of
the Senator without the latter's know
edge to cover his own Juggling with the
banks funds.
Mr.. Shields put Il different complex
ion on the entries i'll the red book by
compelling the witness to admit that
many of his figures were not proven by
entries in the regular bank books, but
were the result of what he practically
acknowledged to be his "guesses" at
the meaning of certain unintellgibe
entries written in the red book" Gold
smith was still on the stand when court
adjourned for the day and the questions
put to him near the close were full Of
promise of interesting developments to-
morrow.
Much of the sting was taken out of
the famous shake the plum tree" tele-
gram by the statement that the pur
chase of Metropolitan stock contem-
plated ethereby was made with $4,000
OF Senator quay EioHey, MS uepoSlt at
that period exceeding 100000.
While Senator Quay was listening in
tently to the cross examination of the
expert. II telegram was thrust into his
hands containing the announcement of
the break in his ranks at Harrisburg.
The Senator carefully adjusted his
glasses and read the dispatch. Then a
half frown came over his features. and
his face turned from the witness to the
court room window. out of which he
gazed in contemplative manner for
several minutes He made no com
ment to any of those seated near him on
the news the telegram conveyed to him.