Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-04
REMAlNs COOL AND UNEMeAR.
RAISED DURING FOUR DAYS
ON WITNESS STAND.
COOKIES LURID LETTERs
TO MRS. FORD READ
Woman Hides Face a. Epistlss Are
Made PubIic-cooks Referred 70 Wife
~ ''oId Has"-Warrins- Casts Dis
credit on Auditing System Of Big
Four Railroad.

crowd was in court when the trial OF
Mrs. Jeanette Ford was resumed to-
day. With Charles warriner tho chief
witness out of the way. the road Is
now open for = speedy termination Of
the trial. altho there are several moro
witnesses who have been summoned.
While their testimony will be interest,"
ing. 1t IL not expected to be as sensa-
tional as that given by Warriner
Warriner Remains Calm.
Calmly and In unruffied tones War;
riner told the almost incredible story.
1t was his fourth and last day on the
witness stand. for when the court ad-
journed his examination was concluded.
Only twice during that time did tho
man allow his marvellous composure TO
desert him, and then only for q few
brief moments.
According to the witness. when he
assumed office as local treasurer in
1902 he learned that Cooke was short
in his accounts s24.000 He also learned
that his predecessor. Comstock, was
short $10,5O0. He himself was a de-
faulter. and to prevent his crime from
being discovered he engaged to con-
ceal the thefts of the two former Of
ficials.
In the story of the gigantic theft
there Is one question which has never
been definitely answered and the at
torneys for the defense made another
futile effort to obtain its solution. What
became Of the s643,000 which Warmer
has confessed to have stolen?
The witness declared that he had
paid approximately $1ss,0oO in black
mail and that $4,000 had been stolen
by others than himself. The remainder
of $4,000 Is explained by him a. hav-
ing been lost In speculation
Altho ha knew exactly the amount
ernbezzled and the approximate amount
OF hush money paid. to ali ti;ss=.s !!s.::..=
as to his investments he replied that
he could not remember how much
money he had put into any particular
enterprise. He reiterated monotonous-
ly that he could not recollect' until
his questioners became discouraged
and abandoned their efforts
Lurid Letters Arc Read.
A lurid light was thrown on the
strange tale when the letters Of Cooke
to Mrs. Ford were read to the court
In the letter Cooke wrote that 20. H."
not abandon Mrs. Ford. Warriner
stated that 20. H" stood for "Old
Hag'' and was the name Cooke used
for his wife in his communications to
Mrs. Ford. In another letter Cooke ad-
vised Mrs. Ford to have nothing to do
with other men unless there Is big
money in it,
The Judge would only permit ex
cerpts of the letters to be read on ac-
count of the expressions with which
they abounded.
During the reading Of the letters
Mrs. Ford endeavored to conceal her
face and wept continually. When, how
ever, her attorney began to question
Warriner as to the extent OF her inti-
macy with him she raised her head
and. gazing at the witness, smiled
slightly.
One OF the most startling devel-
opments in the case came at the after
noon session when Warriner under
rigid questioning admitted that he had
handled funds placed with him for the
payment of rebates: that he paid out
comparatively large sums in rebates,
and that the simple auditing of his ac-
0counts at any time would have dis
closed his shortage to the company.
After testifying that Auditor p. A.
Hewitt had checked over his accounts.
warriner was asked by Attorney
Thorndyke of the defense: '@rhen how
did 1t come that he never discovered
this great shortage of yours!"
That's for Hewitt to explain" was
the complacent answer OF the witness.
Hewitt declined to discuss WARMERS
| statements :!:a: the shartage might
easily have been discovered.
State Rests Case.
After hearing several witnesses the
state suddenly rested its case and tho
court adjourned until this afternoon.
The defense expects to finish its testi-
| mony today.
Cookies Inning Coming.
"I will make some startling state-
ments. IL I am called to the witness
stand in the trial OF Mrs. Ford" said
Edgar s. Cooke today. Mrs. Ford has
been annoying me and my family for
| ten years because she has some letters
Of an improper nature that once
wrote her. She has had her innings;
| now am going to have mine.
Defense Rests.
The defense in the Ford case rested
at 2:15. None OF the witnesses sum-
! moned by it were present.
r~Nt-EAsEA- AZ NhE0RN