Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-08
Council Bluffs
SAN SUTOR TRIES FOR CASH
Cass Lake, Mimi, Banker Admits
knowledge of Mabrsy Operations.
SEEKS TO HOLD LOCAL MEN
Makes Poor showing on stand, where
Judge McPherson several Times
Tells Him to Adhere More
Closely TO Case.

With the charming simplicity Of bust
ness man who believed he saw good
thing and went to II, Samuel Sutor OF
Cass Lake Mimi. banker hotel man, land
owner and capitalist. detailed on the wit
ness stand IN the federal court yesterday
the thrilling experience when he became
5000 mike" for the benefit of the Ma
bray gang Sutor is one Of fourteen Ma
bray victims who believe they can recover
their losses by civil suits against the First
National bank and its officers and other
Council Bluffs citizens with whom they had
business transactions In the way OF CASH
! ing drafts, etc.
Sutors action is the first TO be tried and
/ it may be the last but one that will be
tried separately, as Judge Smith McPher-
son declared when overruling the motion
/ to try all the cases in a bunch that he
wanted to try one or two to ascertain the
facts, which he understood were practically
Identical in all OF them
| good part Of tho day was spent in Sc
curing the jury and by the opening pleas
Of the attorneys. The jurors are sam
| Salts OF Fairfield w. c. johnson, Ran
dolph F. o. Jones. Charlton; w. J. VIII
son, Corning; c. L. Campbell, Atlantic;
| W. d IsIIltIlItt OEOlhWtilt Nis ~ AANNbA''
Adair; p. NJ Codwell, Malvern John Mat
lack. A. II. Clark, A. w. and C. NJ. But
| Ter OF Council Bluffs Sutor is represented
by Attorneys Crawford and Robertson and
the bank by FINLEY & Mitchell George S.
Wright and c. G. Saunders.
sutOr Admits Knowledge.
Taking Of testimony was begun with Su-
tor on the stand who detailed with great
explicitness and remarkable frankness all
the incidents leading up to his meeting the
famous "Pittsburg millionaires" in Council
Bluffs in 1908. He created almost a sensa-
ton when in response to a question by
his attorney he admitted that the private
secretary to the millionaires" had told
him he had had row with them and was
going to win their money in the wonderful
horse race, and that he knew he was
coming to Council Bluffs to bet on a sure
! thing.
In the cross examination, Lawyer FINLEY
led Sutor very deeply into the inner char
acter OF his negotiations with the steerers
and principals of the Mabray gang and
compelled him to admit that he was fully
acquainted with the purposes to get the
''millonalres' d" money on a fixed race. In
relation to his transactions with the bank
all of the transactions were those of ordi-
nary business methods, and he had
told Cashier Spindler, when he was
negotiating to draw on his own bank al
Cass Lake for 5000, that he wanted the
, money for use In a legitimate deal
: Sutor's answers were evasive and often
inaudible. When asked specific questions
concerning what Cashier Spindler said OF
, did, he would reply. ''Well didn't Spind-
Ter do so-and-so," and frequently became
-
by humorous remarks Judge Mcpherson
finally lost patience and reprimanded Sutor
telling him that the federal court was mot
a place to try TO be funny" and to answer
the questions. In another instance. wher
Sutor rambled far, Judge Mcpherson
, broke out with:
? witness Closes Head"
Hold on, the witness has lost his head
D again. We can't get that in the record.
9 Letters written by Sutor to his brother
: in<law in Cass Lake, telling Of the draf
+ on the bank for 5000 and that he did no
4 have that amount there, but to make 4
with notes and mortgages, putting up hi
. bank stock II necessary, were read anC
. admitted by Sutor to be genuine, and sale
> they explained his anxiety to get the none,
to bet on a sure thing.
4 Didn't you know the whole thing wa
n crooked deal?" inquired FINLEY. 'Didn'
: you know this friend. the private secre
= tary,' was to throw down his employer
r Didn't you know that every act of tn,
t deal was a swindle?" and Sutor reluctant!
: admitted thda&e did. And did you tel
4 any person in Council Bluffs at the banl
: or elsewhere. that you were engaged IL
r such transaction" to all OF which Mr.
, Sutor gave negative, but reluctan
: answer.
n Judge Mcpherson held the lawyers a
L their work until o'clock and adjourned
: court with the admonition that the cas
must be pushed today.