The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-04
WARR|NER NOT ONLY
ONE WHO WAS SHORT
Declares That Predecessor in
Office of Treasurer Was
Also Irregular.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
TO SEAL LIPS OF WOMAN
Witness Admits That Rebates
Had Been Paid for Many
Months.

CINCINNATI. O, Feb "a chain
OF embezzlements involving three men,
extending over many years and finally
eliminating iu the almost wholesale
looting of the Big Four railroad treas
ury, was the startling story told by
Charles l.. Warriner, defaulting local
treasurer of the road. In his testimony
today in the trial of Mrs. Jeanette
Stewart-Ford for blackmail
Warmer represented himself as \
man pouring out gold with both hands
and in ever-increasing amounts to keep
sealed the mouth of the woman who,
through her ipfatnatiou for one of the
accused embezzlers. Z. S. Cooke, had
learned the secret.
Frank Comstock, Warriner's prede-
cessor as local treasurer, was declared
to be the third man.
According to the witness, when he
assumed office as local treasurer IN 1902,
| he learned that Cooke was short IN his
accounts. $4,000 He also learned that
his predecessor, Comstock, was short
0,5O0. He, himself, was defsulter,
and TO prevent his crime from being
discovered, he engaged to conceal the
| thefts of the two former officials.
In the story Of the gigantic theft
been definitely answered, and attorneys
| for the defense today made another fu
| tile effort 10 obtain an answer.
Where Did Money Go?
What became Of the $643,000 that
Warriner has confessed to have stoleu3
The witness declared that he had paid
approximately S16S,000 in blackmail,
and that $4,000 had been stolen by
others than himself. The remainder,
M $4as' 900, Is explained by HIM as having
Although he knew exactly the
amount embezzled and the approximate
amount of hush money! paid, TO all
questions as 70 his investments he re-
piled that he could not remember how
much money he had put into any par
ticular enterprise He reiterated mo-
notonously that be conld not recol-
lect' until his questioners became dis
couraged and abandoned their efforts.
| A lurid light was thrown on the
strange tale when the letters of Cooke
TO Mrs. Ford were read 10 the court.
In the letter Cooke wrote that so. IL
did not abandon Mrs. Ford. Warriner
stated that so. H stood for "Old
| Hag," and was The name Cooke used
for his wife in his communications Ia
Mrs Ford. In another letter Cooke ad-
viscd Mrs Ford 10 have nothing to do
with other men unless ''there is big
money in II. -
In the reading of the letters. Mrs
Ford eudeavored to conceal her face
and wcpt continually. Wben,s however.
her attorney began 10 question Warr-
| ner as to the extent of her intimacy
with him, she raised her head, aud,
gazing at the witness, smiled slightly.
Letters Are Passionate.
| Practically the entire afternoon ses-
| sion was occupied with reading letters
written by Cooke to Mrs. Ford. The
| letters We're written IN an extremely
passionate vein and turned with salsci-
Gus expressions aud suggestions. These
! expressions were of such n nature that
| the Judge ordered them omitted in the
| reading.
Frequent references were made b~
Cooke TO Copstock, who, according to
| the writer, was on intimate terms with
Mrs. Ford, Several other persons were
mentioned. all of them, it is said, were
on the same footing with the woman.
| Attorney Thorndyke eudeavored 70
force from Warrincr a confession thar
his relations with Mrs. Ford had been
moro than friendly, At the first di.
laughed heartily and said;
THAT is absurd. -
Loses Self Control
While being questioned about his eE-
penditure of the cmbcGZled money.
Warmer for the second time IN the
day lost his extraordinary self control.
You say YOU are 80 years old. and
that your defalcations probably extend.
cd for tweptv-jve years,' said Attor.
ncy Thorndyke for the defense. '|Then
you have been stealing since you were
practically q boyf''
Warriuer straightcned sharply in his
chair and replied in high, shrill
voice: 81 will not answer these queS-
tions. | am not on trial.
One of rhe most startling develop
ments in the case came this afternoon,
when Warmer, under rigid questioning,
admitted that be had banded funds
placed with him for the payment of re-
bates; that he paid out comparatively
large sums in rebates. and that the
simple auditing of his accounts at any
time would have disclosed his shortage
10 The company.
After testifying that Auditor p r.
Hewitt had checked over his accounts.
Marriner was asked by Attorney
Thorndykr:
i'Thcu how did it come that he new
er discovered this great shortage of
yours!'
.'That 5 for Hewitt to explain, was
the compIacent answer OF tho witness.