The San Francisco call., 1909-01-13

reporter later that these sight drafts
were presented by Signor 10 William
Henshaw when the banker began to
demand that Murray be found and
made 10 pay the money promised and
secured by the notes of August p.
EXPLAINS ODD TRANSACTION
"Signor said" Tyler Henshaw testi-
fed that Murray had loaned S1.000,000
TO the National Bank of Commerce of
Kansas City to aid i'm its liquidation
after it had failed. We sent the drafts
on to the bank and they were re-
turned marked no funds but with no
other comment. Later Signor explained
that Murray had settled his affairs
with that bank. When he had asked
him to hurry Murray up in the pay
ment Of his one day notes he told us
that Murray was sick in a hospital.
I told him that 1 wanted to see him,
if just for a moment. and thought that
If Signor could visit him l could also.
He evaded the issue.
When the sight drafts were re-
turned we redoubled our efforts to
reach Murray. We found that he had
been at the Waldorf Astoria in New
York and telegraphed TO him there.
We followed him around the country
with wires and finally located him at
Monterey. I persuaded Signor TO go
down there with me. That was De-
cember Is. At San Jose Signor ad-
mitted TO me that the notes and drafts
were forgeries.
During the time we had these notes
we never made the slightest effort to
dispose Of them, we never offered them
TO any one TO discount; we simply held
them as evidence Of good faith in the
transaction. At the time we decided
1,.f,r
the deal we would not have sued on the
notes. but would have disposed of the
bonds TO other parties rather than have
had them tied up in litigation. We had
made no offer of any commission to
Signor for the deal. In fact, it was
understood that we would pay him
nothing. He was acting for Murray and
said that he was to get a commission Of
1 per cent from him-that would have
amounted to $4,000"
BROTHERS, STORIES AGREE
William G. Henshaw's testimony be-
fore the grand jury and his subsequent
statement was in accord with Tyler
Henshaw's. He went further back, how
ever, and said that some time before
the Signor transactions were started
Murray had come TO him and said that
he considered cement "a good game"
and would like TO go into it, and that
If he did go in he would not be a
piker."
we stood to lose nothing on the deal
so far as it had gone" said w. G. Hen
shaw. The notes were held in escrow
pending the delivery of the money, at
which time. of course, the bonds would
have been turned over. Tyler Henshaw
drew up the notes and the sight drafts,
but simply in the line Of clerical work
in connection with bank business. 1t
might have been done by a stenogra-
pher. Signor's' power of attorney was
acknowledged before a notary, and we
had that TO base our transactions upon"
James A. Murray the millionaire, was
the first witness. He said that the first
he know of the criminal use of his name
by Signor was when a representative of
The Call telephoned to him at his home
at Monterey. He stated to the grand
jury that the name signed to the spu-
rious papers was similar to his sigma
ture as 1t was y years ago.
1T is possible that there was plot
on foot TO establish claims against my
estate" said the millionaire in discuss
ing the case after he had left the grand
jury room.
Carl Eisenschimel, the handwriting
expert, swore that the body of the notes
and drafts We're in the handwriting of
Tyler Henshaw, but that the signatures
on each had been written by Signor.
Captain Petersen and H Z. Jester the
newspaperman, testified TO Signor's con-
fession to them. c. T. Walker. w. G.
Henshaw's secretary. corroborated de-
tails Of his chiefs testimony. Harry
Creswell. Murray's attorney, was not
examined.
The entire hearing did not take two
hours. The Signor indictments were the
last criminal bills returned by the grand
jury