The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-26
CLAIM FILED BY FERRIS
SHELBY COURT SEEKS TO KNOW If
HE FILED 1T TWICE.
Third of the Indicted officials on Trial
Murder at New Point-FIoods
in Many Localities.

of ex-Deputy Auditor John G.. Ferris be-
gan in the Circuit Court this morning.
He is charged with filing a fraudulent
claim against the county for $3.50 for in
dexing records in the clerks office. The
jury was obtained about IL O'Clock and
consists of eight Democrats and four Re-
publicans. John S. Duncan, of Indianap-
oils. who is assisting Prosecuting Attorney
Alonzo Blair, by the courts appointment,
made the opening statement just before
the dinner hour. He said the State ex-
pected to prove that Ferris was employed
On a contract by the County Commission
ers to do a certain amount of indexing
in the clerks office for Y cent a line; that
early in 1895 he completed the work and
received his money on the contract; that
afterward. Nov. Is. 1899. he filed a claim
for $3.50 for the same work. and received
the money on thai also. This claim is the
one on trial.
The first witness for the State was A. E.
Hayworth, deputy auditor, who received
the claim from Ferris and swore to it.
Hayworth also issued to Ferris the warrant
for the money and the evidence of Hay
worth showed that Ferris had drawn the
money on the warrant. He testified that at
the suggestion Of Treasurer Lee he had
counted the lines in the indices copied by
Ferris and found that there were in all 3.OoS
IN -four different books.
Frank Glessner. county clerk. and deputy
under j. w. Powers, the last clerk, testi-
fed to the amount OF work done by Ferris
under the contract, corroborating Hay
worth. John Rominger. the clerk of the
grand iprv uhfCh found the indiCtn0anf
against Ferris, and the remainder OF the
officials testified as TO Ferris's evidence
before the grand jury while they were in
v~estigating the county affairs; that Fer
rS had pointed out to be grand jury the
exact work he did under the 11-cent con-
tract and gave the reason to the grand
jury for filing the additional claim that
William Maholm and others had received
l cent a line and he thought he ought to
have as much as anybody else: that the
lines claimed by Ferris had been counted
and pointed out In his presence. and had
been only 2,09S.
The question of the suficiency of the in
6ictment was raised on account of the in
sertiOn of the word of in the Indictment
when it did not occur in the claim filed by
Ferris. In the jurat printed just below the
claim is a place for the name of the aud
itor and a printed line below reading on
the claim auditor Shelby county" while
in the Indictment it read. auditor of
Shelby county, Judge Morris held that
the indictment was good and sufh-
cient, saying that the omission or inser-
ton of the word was as small and insignif-
cant a thing as could be imagined. and
did not in any sense change the meaning
of the jurat, that sin fact, the word of
was understood there, and it's omission in
the printed form of claims was due to the
carelessness or laziness of a proofreader.
If the defendant filed a claim and drew
the money on IL he was estopped from set
ting up a defense that the claim was not
properly sworn to-
Miss Jennie McAdams, the stenographer
who took the evidence OF witnesses before
the grand jury, read the evidence of the
defendant before the grand jury, in which
she substantiated the testimony of Witness
Rominger. That Ferris had sworn before
the grand jury that he had a verbal con-
tract with the commissioners that they
| were to pay him II cent a line; afterward
he heard that others were getting more and
that the commissioners said he ought to
have as much as the others. He testified
that he knew of several claims which had
been allowed in vacation, and never got on
the claim docket.
Judge Morris is keeping this jury, as he
| did the others in the county cases, safely
| away from the public. No one is permitted
to speak to any of them on any subject ex-
cept in his presence. They are allowed no
! newspapers and the only air they get is
in a short walk each half day.
/ j. Marsh Wilson, who was found guilty
last week and remanded into the custody
of the sheriff. has not been placed in Jail.
but confined in an upper room OF the jail
er's residence with his wife.
An additional $1,000 has been appropriated
for the use of the experts now examin-
| ing the books Of the county office, making
| $2,5 altogether.