The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-13
Agent of Sewing Machine
Co. Thrice Convicted.
BILLS FOR EMBRACERY
Grand Jury Sends indictments Against
Rogers and SorreII Separately and
JointIy...SpeciaI svenire of 200
Men Drawn to Try BYnum for
Staying of Deacon Afford.

Superior Court for the trial OF
criminal cases sat for the third day of
the present term yesterday.
Alpheus Vaughan was convicted in
two cases of embezzlement from the
Singer Sewing Machine Company and
IN one case of forgery. He was SEN
fenced TO three years on the roads.
True bills were found against J..
Rowan Rogers and j. Z. S0rrell for
mbracery, and against them Jointly
for the same offenSe.
\ special venire of two hundred
was drawn for the trial of Il. ID. By
mum for the killing of Deacon" Al
ford and the case set for Monday.
n few minor cases were disposed of.
Vaughan a Much Tried Man.
After having been out" for more
than a day, the jury which took the
first of the cases against Alpheus
Vaughan, charging him with embeZ-
element from the Singer Sewing Ma
chine Company, yesterday returned u
verdict of guilty in Wake Superior
Court.
In the meantime Vaughan had been
put on trial on another bill charging
a like offense, the hearing only
concluding late in the afternoon. The
jury in the second case came TO 4
quicker OSCISiOl ana
verdict of guilty. Still in the mean
time Vaughan had been tried on an
indictment for forgery and convicted
Faced with the three convictions
Naughan'S counsel did not deem it ex-
pedient TO appeal, and Judge Allen
gave sentence in one of the embeZZle-
ment cases of three years on the
roads and suspended judgment in the
other two cases in which there had
CT
pending six indictments for enbeZZle
ment and two for forgery against the
defendant, but in these a plea of mole
contendere was entered
All the charges grew out of the re-
lation of the defendant to the Sewing
Machine Company as Raleigh agent
y year and a half ago he left Raj
eigh suddenly, and was later captured.
after a shortage had been discovered,
in Western city. When he left Raj
eigh Vaughan left note which was
introduced as evidence of an acknowl-
edgement of the wrongful taking Of
money. He claimed, through his at
toTneyS, that this note was sent for
the protection of the bookkeeper of
the company. His defense. which was
stubbornly made by the Messrs. Har-
ris, was a lack of intent and the fall
ure Of the State to make out a case.
Vaughan. himself. did not go on the
stand or introduce evidence.
The method of Vaughan appears to
have been TO sell a machine for cash,
forge a note and lease so as TO make
il appear that il was sold on time, and
at different intervals to send to the
company small sums as though there
had been payments made on the sup
posed contract of purchase. At first
blush this evidence would appear to
have proven guilt and intent to de-
fraud conclusively, but the contention
of the defendant threw light on an
alleged remarka BILE phase of business
Vaughan claims that while the false
entries were made there was no
wrong intent and actually no embez-
element: that the Offices of the COM
pany conducted a rivalry on ccllec-
tons of deferred payments, and that
To make the showing better it was the
custom to withhold cash receipts and
to pay them in according TO the
monthly or weekly plan as though
leases had been made.
The Singer people. however. prose-
cuted the cases with the greatest
vigor and had several officers from
the home company. of Baltimore, here
in attendance the trial.
II was commended by counsel for tho
defense that Vaughan left Raleigh not
on account OF the shortage but by
reason of trouble with his wife.
Bynum Special Venire.
Very little was done in court during