Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-01
HOLDS COULD ACCESSORY
Third Of Brothers to Be Tried for Wrechng
the Bank at Bsllwood.
COURT SAID He HAD GUILTY KNOWLEDGE
Though Not an Omcer of the Bank
He il AIIeEed TO Have Assured
DepOsitors Its Affairs
Were All Right.

DAVID CITY, Neb., June so.-(special
Telegram.) - George Gould, 'unoficial'
employe Of the Platte Valley State bank
at Bellwood, Butler county, which went to
the wall last January, was today held to
the district court by County Judge Skiles
on a charge Of being accessory before the
fact Of Issuing a large amount Of forged
paper whereby the institution was wrecked.
In binding the defendant over Judge Skiles
said:
TT fact Of his having told depositors
Of the bank that it was sound and safe was
aiding and abetting A.. H. Gould In the
| crooked work. No fair-minded man can
come to any conclusion other than that all
of the Goulds were implicated in the issu-
ance Of forged notes and mortgages"
There we're twenty-five counts in the
complaint and Of these the court struck
out FIVE. The defendant will answer to the
district court on the remaining nineteen.
George Gould, youngest Of the three
Goulds, is a diaper young fellow Of %
years. with a taste for patent leather shoes
and low cut vests. With his black curly
hair reached high upon his forehead, his
waxed German military mustache and his
slender, athletic figure, he might be con-
sidered handsome. During the hearing he
affected a manner Of the utmost indif-
ference. The greater part of the time he
sat chewing gum with his foot cooked upon
the judges desk.
His brother, H. A. Gould, the cashier, is
now serving a term in the peDitentiary for
being one of the principals in the crime,
and R. c. Gould, another brother. who acted
as assistant cashier, is under bond to the
district court, charged with assisting In the
peculations. George Gould was not on the
payrolls Of the defunct institution, but the
evidence shows that, nevertheless, he took
an active part In the conduct OF its affairs.
Whenever either of his senior brothers were
away, he took his place. He was thoroughly
familiar with its affairs.
This is the third time George Gould has
been arraigned before County Judge skiles
for preliminary hearing on a charge Of ac-
cessory before the fact, and assisting his
brother Amos in uttering forged paper. The
first time the evidence was not SUFFICIENT
to warrant holding him. The second time
he was bound over to the district court.
His case coming to trial, however, District
Judge Good discharged him.
S"There is no evidence to show that the
defendant actually participated in these
forgeries," said he. II may have had a
J knowledge Of them; he may even have
been In sympathy with them; but passive
sympathy does not make him accessory be-
1 IOI6 II AdNN~ AAO bAooN AoNO
some overt act Of participation before he
can be held guilty as charged"
It was thought for a time that this
closed the case so far as George Gould
was concerned, but County Attorney A. NJ
> Walling persevered in his search for new
evidence, and in this quest he believes he
has succeeded.
:. New Points in Evidence.
married as follows" said County Attorney
walling. First. when Bank Examiner E
: H. Luikart was In the bank in March, 1898
inspecting it's books, he (Mr. Luikart) called
the attention Of the three Gould brothers
to a certain ~irregularity, that Of re-dis'
counting $1S, 900 worth of notes. The notei
bore the Endorsement Of A. II. Gould al
cashier, and the bank examiner said tn,
= bank was liable for them. Thereupon, &C
cording to the testimony Of Luikart. Georg,
: Gould contradicted him, saying that tn,
bank had nothing to do with the transac
= ton, that the notes we're chargeable Il
9 A.. H. Gould's personal account, and no
d to his account as cashier Of the bank.
a This, certainly, was an overt act, tend
ing to assist the senior Gould in commit
h ting his frauds.
Then there was the point mentioned b.
h Judge skiles, Of the defendants recon
mending the bank to depositors as SCUM
Q when he knew 1t to be otherwise.
3 "a third point we hope to bring out be
fore the district court relates to a boo
in which the three brothers kept a recor
Of their populations. This book shows tina
as high as 2 1000 a day had been squan
= dered by the bank in bucket shop deals
and in speculations in Northern Pacin
stock. At the time the bank went unde
this book was turned over to the receiver
N NJ. ]. Holland, with instructions to kee
it for evidence, but he let George Goul
n get hold OF it, and now 1t has disappeared
We have witnesses, however. who know l
is a general way the contents of this RECORD
lie and, unless it comes to light, we shall pu
them on the stand"