Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-17
BOY CLERK IS
CHIEF WITNESS
IN MORSE CASE
WAS A HEAVY BORROWER"
FROM BROKERS
OWED HIS EMPLOYERS $4,000
is TESTIMONY
Surprise Sprung in Trial of New YORK
Financier When Youth Is Pro-
duced to Confirm Strange
Story
rnu Associated Press.l

sRTEW YORK. oct. ia tow-headed
~ youth of 10, until recently S1Z
Az week clerk in a brokers' office, was
4he star witness today at the trial IN me
criminal branch of the United states
court of Charles w. Morse, financial
man and promoter, who. with AlAIsu
II, Curtis, former president OF liie ne
National Bank of North America 10
charged with having violated llle Ha
tional banking laws. ~,
In the testimony of Edward P. MoX-
ev a government bank examiner, IL
had been revealed that a person naineu
Leslie w Whiting had been one Oh tue
heaviest borrowers from the bank. at
one time owing the institution S5lo'UOo.
Hardly a week went by IN the year
of 1907. the testimony showed, in Whlch
WRITING did not borrow 100000 or
more giving ice stock, prlnclpaily' DIS
security. -
1t always appeared in the records as
presented however, that the enormous
sums of money borrowed by Whiting
were credited to the account OF CAafles
w. Morse.
At the conclusion of Examiner Mox-
avs testimony Leslie Whiting was
called to the stand and those in the
court room who had expected to see
a dignified, shrewd looking business
man step forth were astonlshed TO see
a smooth checked boy of under ~
wears walk nervously &c the witness
stand. ><.,.
A smile swept over the room and
Judge Hough raped sharply for ordeT.
After Whiting had been made to de-
scribe how he had come to sign the
notes which made him indebted to the
bank for such large amounts he was
asked:
could you have paid this note 1
hold for SS2.000?"
what: Me-" answered the startled
boy Mono; l couldn't -.
"Could you have paid a $1,000 note"'
pressed the attorney for the prosecu-
tion.
mo, SIR" responded the boy. a trifie
more assured
For half an hour longer the youth
was kept on the stand while bunch of
letters bearing the signature Leslie
E. Whiting" and directed to the Ma
tional Bank of North America were
read.
These letters couched in business
like terms, gave orders to the bank
for transferring collateral charges and
renewal of notes.
A sentence in one letter read:
Enclosed please find my check for
100000, which apply to my account.
The witness explained he haQ Deen Sent
to the bank by his employers to sign
the notes. He said he knew he was in
curing an obligation, but felt sure his
employers would protect the notes.
Had Never Discussed 1t
Whiting testified he had never talked
with Mr. Morse or Mr. Curtis concern
ing the signing of notes, or the putting
up of collateral.
The boy also said he did not think
his employers knew he was not of age.
Davidson Brown, another broker $
clerk, was also a witness to tell OF
having signed the notes for loans for
more than $4,000. Brown had bad
memory, and his testimony was CT lit
tie value.
The afternoon session was almost en-
tirely devoted to tracing the loans made
in the name of Whiting.
Bank Examiner MoXey started with
loans made in June of last year, and
showed how the loans were repeatedly
renewed. 1t was brought out that at
one time the bank made a profit of
$132 900 on the loans, but the profit was
on paper only, Mr. Moxey said. This
testimony led up to the testimony OF
young Whiting.
After Whiting had testified the case
was adjourned for the day. The trial
will be resumed tomorrow, a most un-
usual proceeding, for not in twenty
five years, it is said has a federal
tribunal here held a session on Satur-
day.
The jury was kept under guard to-
night.