The San Francisco call., 1904-06-21
HELPS TO SHIP
GRAIN BOOKS
Former Accountant at the
Crockett Warehouse Tells
of Strange Transaction
TRACING THE RECEIPTS
Prosecution Seeks to Prove
That Eppinger KnewThere
Was a Shortage Of Wheat

/ The prosecution, in the case of Jacob
Eppinger. charged with obtaining mon
ey on worthless warehouse receipts,
! got down to business yesterday after
noon after days of squabbling over
legal technicalities and ELECTED from
the lips of apparently unwilling wit
nesses information damaging to the
defense The most important Jesti-
mony was given by Edwin Freund,
I the former hookkeeper for the
! Pacific Coast Warehouse at Crock
EFT and in the local Office. Through
this testimony the prosecution seeks
to connect Jacob Eppinger with
the alleged fraudulent acts. 1t
tends to prove that statements show
ing the lot numbers of grain in the
Crockett warehouse were forwarded
daily TO the office in this city and were
available to Jacob Eppinger, many of
them being placed directly in his
hands
The defendant is apparently daily
growing weaker under the ordeal of the
trial. AT the noon recess it was feared
that he was about to collapse and dur
ing the greater portion of the after
noon session he lay back in his chair
with eyes closed and his head resting
on the ample shoulders of his son,
Josua, apparently oblivious of all that
was going ON. From time to time when
telling points were made, however, his
eyes would partially open and other
signs of animation be shown.
: Theodore d. Moines, Isidore Davis
and James Champion corroborated the
statements made by former witnesses
regarding the quantity of wheat in the
warehouse.
PACKED UP THE BOOKS.
Edwin Freund, formerly bookkeeper
for the Pacific Coast Warehouse Com
pany testified that he had been in the
employ of the Eppingers for about sew
enteen years prior to the failure of the
firm on June 6, 1903.
do you know where the warehouse
books are?" was asked.
No. he replied.
When did you last see them?"
In my office day or so before the
failure
What became of them?'
Il don't know. At the request of
James Deming, superintendent of the
warehouse, l helped wrap them up for
shipment"
The witness thought this was done
between the hours of and 10 on the
night preceding the failure of\Eppinger
& 90. The books Wfre then carried
on board the steamer San Joaquin, but
the witness did not know what marks,
if any. were placed on the packages.
REGULAR REPORTS MADE.
Having shown the shipment of the
books before the failure, the prOsecu-
tion interrogated the witness regarding
the methods of conducting the ware
house business and what facilities ia
cob Eppinger might have for informing
himself as to the conditions in the
;1l
both daily and monthly reports were
sent to the office of the Pacific Coast
! Warehouse Company, which, as had
already been shown, was identical
with that of Eppinger & Co. These re-
ports showed what grain was brought
I into the warehouse daily. how it was
marked and what lots were shipped
out. Copies of these reports were made
in a letter press book, but the witness
could not say whether or no these let
ter press books had simply melted
away or were included in the assort-
ment of valuable records carefully
wrapped in gunny sacks. His memory
on vital points seemed to be hopelessly
poor.
TRACING RECEIPTS.
Attorney Ach raised the point that q
director in a corporation does not nee
essarily know the actions of the corr
pOrdIlOn ana OBJECTED TO the line or
questions. Attorney Campbell, special
prosecutor, replied that he would show
that Jacob Eppinger knew of the exact
condition of affairs and he would trace
the worthless receipts on which the
loans were negotiated direct to the
hands of the defendant. Judge Lawlor
/ then permitted the examination to con-
tinue and Watson w. Topping, book
keeper in the local office of the defend
ant was called to the stand He said
his duties were to keep the grain
ledger and that he also received re-
ports from the warehouse, which were
placed on Jacob Eppinger's desk. These
were returned to him to make copies
of, frequently by Jacob Eppinger in
person.
who had custody of the warehouse
receipts?" was asked.
Jacob EppiDger."
when wheat was delivered out of
the Crockett warehouse to whom were
the receipts handed2"
ITO Jacob Eppinger."
The witness testified that he cancelled
the receipts and they were brought to
him sometimes by Jacob Eppinger,
sometimes by Herman and at others
| by Bernard Ettlinger
| The case will be continued to-day.