The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-06-10
bOURKE' s STORY.
HELPS DEFENSE.
Says Cameron Currie and Louis Case
Ran Account In Witness Name
To Suit Themselves.

~ PSoSSeuioh III tue conspiracy
case against Louis II. Case and for.
mer employees OF Cameron Currie &
Co.. underwent another buifeting.
Wednesday afternoon, when Michael
j.. Bourke. whose name has figured
prominently in the case from the out
: set. took the witness stand. He was
brought To court by. Detective Emory
BROOKS on an attachment issued by
the court at the instance OF the de-
tense. Mr.. Bourke had been reported
Ill or ptomaine poisoning, but the Of.
ncer found him sitting on the porch
or his nome at No. 102 Ferry-ave. east
II was evident, however. that ne had
been ILL.,
Il ought to fine you for contempt of
court, said Justice Jeffries. sternly,
glowering at the witness from under
his shaggy eyebrows. But Mr.. Bourke
protested that he had only left his
bed at noon, and the court accepted
the explanation.
Although Mr.. Bourke had been sub.
pened by the defense. Attorney Hen.
derson contrived to have him called
as witness, nominally, for the prose-
cution, and then secured from him on
cross-examination evidence of the
greatest Importance to the defense as
bearing on the admissions of Cameron
Currie that the firm would not have
become insolvent II the bad accounts.
totaling over 100000. had been paid
Among these was the Bourke account
and the testimony OF Mr. Bourke was
to the effect that Cameron Currie &
Co. were as much interested In the
account as he was himself, II not
more so. 1t was under their control
absolutely. he said, and he consented
TO this because he was anxious to see
them pull the account out OF tho hole.
II possible, and recoup the losses sus.
tanned as result of the San Fran.
cisco disaster.
II was because Of the fact that Mr..
Currie and Mr.. Case had run the &C.
count to suit themselves, Mr.. Bourke
explained, that he did rot feel obliged
to pay the 100000 chalked up against
him by the receiver.
II did not consider II my debt at
all" he said, for the account was en-.
tirely under their control. They often
sold out stocks without consulting
me. l had stocks that / wanted to
cover, but they wouldn't let me, and
carried them along until they had to
be closed out at a loss. But | wasn't
In position to object. l wasn't put
ting up any margins, aud wasn't ask
ed to do so, In fact. The stocks,
figured. really belonged to them"
Then what were you doing?" de-
manded Mr.. Aldricn.
Il was trying TO make some money"
And If your stocks had netted
profit OF a million to whom would 1t
have belonged?"
why. 1t would have been mine"
The court room ioared.
Mr. Aldrich tried hard to get wit
ness to say that no deals were ever
closed in his account except on his
own ultimate judgment. but failed
utterly.
II bought stocks lots of times on
Mr.. Currie's judgment" he said.
Even against your own?"
Yes"
Mr.. Bourke mentioned specifically
as one Of the stocks he wanted to
close out a quantity of Copper Range.
Il spoke to the firm about it," he
said, but they said they didn't have
the money. They were afraid 1t might
bankrupt or bust EN- to close 1t out,
and. accordingly II was not closed out
until after the failure"
Mr.. Bourke declared that he was az
innocent as any outsider Of the true
condition of the Arm and supposed IT
the dealings In which aggregated, one
month, 100000. When Mr.. Hen
derson referred to the enormity Of the
A1n
Mr.. Bourke caused ripple of amuse'
ment by declaring. In bored way:
'"Oh. that doesn't amount to any
thing"
Bourke said Currie told him In May.
1908, that he was surprised at the size
of his account, but he was never or
dered to stop trading. In fact, when
he stopped of his own volition two
months before the failure. he was
urged to continue, he said. Asked why
he stopped. he said:
well, new people were coming In
and things were kind Of upset. Be-
sides. the account was behind. and /
didn't know how the new people would
treat II. So I thought It best TO re-
main away"
And did you remain away"
well, not altogether Mr.. Currie
asked me to come in just the same.
just for the looks of the thing, sup
pose"
He was afraid people might think
you were trading somewhere else, was
he?"
The witness only laughed.
Mention of as'little room" where ne
used to spend his time regularly from
a. m. until the stocks closed brought
smiles from those in the court room.
Henderson tried to find out more
about this little ROOM" particularly
the names Of others who spent their
time there, but the witness would men,
ton no one except himself and Currie.
About all he would say was that there
was a ticker In the room and that the
dimensions were about ski.
Bourke said that previous TO the
San Francisco disaster he and Currie
had dealt jointly and at proht: Snort
ly after this the account showed loss
OF $4,000 and 1t was then the hrm