The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-28
1T WAS ONLY A JOKE
FERRIs's TESTIMONY BEFORE III
SHELBY COUNTY GRAND JURY.
Queer Evidence Givfn-FOrt Wayne
Murder and Suicide-Students in
aAs You Like It--State Sports.


Special TO the indianapolis Journal.
SHELBYvILLE, Ind. June 27.-The first
witnesses for the defense in The John G.
Ferris false-claim case were TO prove the
good reputation of the defendant. Most
of them, however. testified that they had
heard of some trouble he had with Mr.. Car
son, and had read about Mr.. Carson's con-
demnation of him through the public press
at the time Ferris defeated Carson for
deputy auditor.
The defendant took the stand In his own
behalf and stated tina early in the spring
of 1898 he found that there was some in
dexing to do in the clerks office and went
to the commissioners with a written propo-
sition to do the work for " cent a line.
They accepted the contract and it was
placed on record, but that contract was
only for work on the probate books of the
county. He worked on the first contract
about fifteen or sixteen days. Later he
went to the commissioners and told them
of other work that needed doing, and
said that he did not like to do 1t for the
probate price. They told him to go ahead
and they would pay him what was right.
He went to work on the other books and
did not finish them until in the latter part
of July, 1898, and altogether had made 1886
lines of index, 2S3 of them being in his
wife's handwriting, which he had read to
her and she had made the entries. From
August that year until after the election
he worked for the Democratic state GEN.
trail committee. at Indianapolis, and short
Martinsville and stayed there most of the
TINA until In Tuno 1901 Tho first claim
for the work was filed in May. 1898. for
$40. He asked Deputy Auditor Mahlon to
issue the order and Mahlon refused because
Carson had ordered him not to issue any
orders to Ferris. but he received that order
in June.
He filed another claim In November, 1890,
at a special session, for the balance due on
the -ihdexing-$S9.50. He said the claim was
not filed sooner because he had trouble
with Carson and would not file while Car
son was auditor and also because he had
been sick most of the time and out of the
county. He had no intention to defraud
Shelby county, and only tried to get what
was honestly due to him for services. The
record of the special November meeting
Of the commissioners was in his handwrit-
ing, and the absence of his claim from
the record was explained by the commits
sioners being in such a hurry to get the
record signed that it slipped his mind. He
said that he had been before the grand
jury six or seven times and at no time did
Juror Rominger stand on one side of him
and Prosecutor Blair on the other whel
the number of lines were being counted in
the grand-jury room, and no result was an
nounoad IN bfS nraSancQ ANY admissions
he had made in the grand-jury room were
made in a jocular way. Blair seemed to be
joking about the investigation, and wit
ness thought the easiest way to get back
TO his work In the auditors office was to
agree with his statements. Blair had told
him that the investigation was for his
benefit, that they were after the other fell
lows and not after him, that he would not
be tried, because he had got only $3.50.
An effort was made by the derense TO
show the animus of the prosecution, and
that prosecutor Blair had made proposals
that if the defendant would tell what he
knew his case would be nollied. Judge
Morris, in ruling on the question, said that
the prosecutor had no power TO acqult any
one charged with crime; that the only way
TO dispose of a case is by trial or upon
motion TO dismiss, which may or may not
be granted.
Ferris was confronted with his evidence
given before the grand jury which found
the bill. He did not remember how many
lines he had done, but they paid him "
cent a line and this was an extra half
cent. He thought he was entitled to as
much as the others who were doing the
same kind of work.
Defendants attorneys objected TO the i'm
parchment of Ferris by his grand jury evil
dence, when the judge asked if at any time
witness had refused to testify before the
grand jury. Witness said he had not, and
the evidence went in
Ferris didn't remember how much he
had drawn before the SIS. so. When asked
before the grand jury if he had received
as much as $50 before this he said that he
had. He aimed TO get as much as the
other bill. When asked why he could not
look at the books and see how much had
been drawn, witness told the grand jury
that the books were gone and, anyway,
these claims were filed and allowed in
vacation, and were not put on the docket.
In rebuttal the only evidence of the State
was the denial of the prosecuting attorney
that he had ever made any promise to
Ferris that his case would never be tried
or that If he would turn States evidence
his case would be dismissed. The evidence
was all in at 2 o'clock.
Attorney Duncan make the closing argyll
ment for the State this evening. The court
room was packed and all the halls and ap-
proaches TO IL were crowded during the
speech. In his argument he allowed five
minutes to the writing of each line and he
sacrificed that length of time in perfect
silence. The scene was most dramatic as the
jury and the crowd watched the minute
hand move to the ive-minute mark. The
total of 1850 lines would take twenty-five
and one-half days and Ferris testified that
IL took him eight or nine weeks to do the
work.
The case went to the Jury at fifteen min
utes before 10 o'clock tonight.