The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-05-25
Not Guilty, So Say You ALL"

cry with intent to defraud Orr Cotton Mills
Of Anderson, S. C.
The alleged shortage mentioned in the
Indictment was s5O,OOo.O 90. All Anderson
stood aghast when this Indictment was
made, for no man in Anderson county
stood higher than Calhoun Harris for in
tegrity Of character, as well as for bust
ness ability. He had been the trusted
secretary and treasurer, and virtually
manager Of Orr Mill almost from it's foun-
dalton, and it was stated in open court
that no mill In the county had prospered
better. It was in evidence that through
Mr.. Harris good management he had &C
cumulsted a surplus Of $3.50, 10000 which
had been placed and Is still to the credit OF
the mill.
8 It seems that before expert auditors had
located Mr.. Harris shortage, he had made
known the fact that he was short some
thing like $4,000, which he claimed was
due to clerical errors or omissions.
Such was his confidence in the integrity
Of his official acts, when this matter was
first mooted, he proposed to give a we'll Sc
cured note for $50, 600 to indemnify the mill
against loss, to be held by the Directors OF
Orr Mil until the question Of his liability
/, could be determined. This proposition
was declined by the Directors.
The mill authorities ordered his arrest
and directedthe American Auditing Com
pany, to proceeded with Investigating Of his
accounts. This company through its re-
representatives. o o gave out the statement
that he was short In his. accounts $4,000.
His house was searched.
Such was the reputation Of the Ameri-
can Auditing Company that the public
7searcely dared question its findings. 1t
was ~inconeeiyable how the reputation OF SO
good man as Harris was thought to be,
would be imperiled on anything except
positive and irrefutable evidence; ! and
even Harris best friends were non-plused,
though maintaining his innocence. Har-
ris asked that he be allowed through q re-
preventative to 60 over his work for eight
or ten years past, stating that he believed
that he could satisfy the directors OF Orr
Mill that he was innocent Of any wrong
doing. He engaged the services Of an &C.
.countant who was In Anderson On the day
the stockholders took up the matter The
stockholders, decided, that they would al
low his representative to be present dur
ing the investigation, but that neither he
nor his representative could handle the
books and vouchers. Under such humili-
sting restrictions the accountant declined
30 have anything to do with the inyes-
tigston. ~. .. -.
Mr. Harris was tried by as Intelligent
and representative jury as could, be en-
panelled In Anderson county. Every de-
tail Of evidence was brought out by the
prosecution. Several days were consumed
in the trial. Harris put up no witnesses.
but relied solely for his e1oneration upon
the testimony OF the States witnesses, and
on this he was acquitted.
Although the Indictment alleged a short
age OF $4,000, cash and valid checks found
In the vault reduced the alleged shortage
TO $4,000. Then there was included S16,0 900
Of bad accounts, upon which bad accounts
something like twelve thousand dollars
has been realized In securities. They
charged against him $1,000 Of checks re-
ceiyed from customers In payment Of bills
which were protested after Harris was ar
rested. They charged him with something
Like $1,000 checks paid the Presbyterian
church, signed by him as treasurer OF Orr
Mill, when the original envelopes, contain
ing the cash in lieu. were lying In the vault
OF the mill. They charged against him a
5000 check that he had given the mill in
dividually that was protested after his ar
rest. The cashier Of the bank on which
the check was drawn testified that II the
check had been presented it would have
been cashed.
Without being able to enumerate ali the
items here, In like manner, the entire &C.
count was gone over, item by item, and
explained to the entire satisfaction OF an
intelligent jury.
There was no evidence that Harris had
profted n cent by any Of the transac-
lions.
The charge Of forgery based on the fact
that he had drawn on one bank to kite
with another, was not sustained. It was
decided that he had the right to sign the
check az he did, and since it was paid
when presented, no person or institution
actually sustained loss thereby. The
charge OF forgery fell to the ground.
That his acQuittal has given satisfaction
to the great numbers Of people in Ander-
son is beyond question. A straw pointing
that way is the fact that when the verdict
OF acquittal was announced, the listening
audience broke through the bounds Of pro-
propriety and applauded the finding.
!. And thus, it was, that the man who
by his eminent business ability, had
brought such distinguished success to the
mill, az wa evidenced by his placing three
hundred and fifty thousand dollars in its
treasury, was able to refute ugly charges
about which such a hallabaloo had been
raised.
2. And it was thus proven to the entire
satisfaction Of the jury, that Mr.. Harris
had neither appropriated nor attempted to
appropriate money Of the mill to his own
personal use.
8. And thus the trial Judge completely
%exonerated him from the semblance Of at
tempt at forgery. Truly ingratitude
b!teth like a serpent and stingeth like an