The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-04
Two of WARMERS Predeces-
sors as Treasurer of the Big
Four at Cincinnati Embez-
zled Thousands of Dollars.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACT
GAVE MRS. FORD POWER
Woman infatuated With {, S,
Cooke, Alleged Thief, Who
in An Unguarded Moment,
Confessed TO Her His Secret
READILY ADMITS GUILT

Cincinnati Feb 3-A chain of embez-
elements involving three men. extending
over many years and finally eliminating
i'm the almost Wholesale looting of the
Bis -Four railroad treasury. was the
startling story told by Charles /. War
rineT, defaUlting local treasurer OF the
road. in his testimony today in the trial
of Mrs. jeanette SteWart-Ford for black
mail
Warmer represented himself as a man
pouring out gold with both hands and in
ever-increasing amounts 70 keep sealed
the mouth Of the woman VINO, through
her infatuatiOn Tor one of the accused
embezzlers, Z. S. Cooke, had learned the
secret.
Frank Comstock, Warmers predecessor
as local treasurer, was declared TO be the
third man.
Predecessors Were Short.
According 10 the witness. when he as
s,med office as local treasurer in 1902 he
learned that Cooke was short in his aC-
counts $4,000 He also learned that his
predecessor, COmstOCk, was short Sl0.5QO.
He, himself, was defaulter. and to pre-
vent his crime from being discovered, he
engaged 10 conceal the thefts Of the two
former officials
In the story of the gigantic theft there
is one question that has never been defiu-
ltely answered, and attorneys for the de
Tense today made another futile effort
10 obtain an answer.
Question Not Answered.
What became of the S542, 600 that War
rIner has confessed to have stolen?
The witness declared that he had paid
approximately Sl68O00 in blackmail. and
that $1,000 had been stolen by others
than himself.
The remainder. $4,000. is explained bv
linn as having been lost in Speculation
Although he knew exactly the amount
embeZZlad and the approximate amount
~ hush money paid, TO all questions as
10 his InVestmeD- he replied that he
could not remember how much money
ne had put into any particular enterprise.
He reiterated mOnOtOnOusly that he could
not recollecJ." until his qUestiOners be
came discouraged and abandoned their ef-
forts
"old Hag' Was Cookies Wife.
\ lurid light was thrown on the strange
tale when the letters of Cooke to Mrs
Ford We're read TO the court. In the
letter Cooke wrote that 20. H" was
threatening 10 expose him If he did not
abandon Mrs. Ford. Warmer stated
that 20, H stood for odd Hag," and
was the name Cooke used for his wife
in his communications 10 Mrs. Ford. In
another letter Cooke advised Mrs Ford
to have nothing to do with other men
unless there is big money in it
In the reading of the letters Mrs. Ford
endeaVored TO conceal her face and wept
continually, When, however, her attOr-
ney began to question Warmer as to
the extent OF her intimacy with him, she
raised her head. and, gazing at the wit
ness, smiled slightly.
Unfit to Be Read.
Practically the entire afternoon session
was occupied with reading letters written
by Cooke to Mrs. Ford. The letters were
written in an extremely passionate vein
and teemed with salaciOUs expressions and
suggestions. These expressions We're of
such a nature that the judge ordered them
omitted in the reading.
Frequent references were made by
Cooke to COmstock, who according to the
writer, was on intimate terms with Mrs
Ford. Several other persons were men
toned all of whom, it is said, were on
the same footing with the woman
Attorney ThOTndyke endeavOred Il force
from Warmer a confession that his re-
latiOus with Mrs. Ford had been more
than friendly At the first direct ques-
Continued on Page Ten.)