The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-02
SHE HAD To TELL.
Rev. Mr.. Plass' Stenographer
an Unwilling Witness.
Forced to Testify About Letters
From Office.

Boston, June 2-The Norman Plass
fraud trial was this morning very
lively affair. The stubborn determined
fight that has been made to save DR..
Plass and his two associates from
prison term was today demonstrated
in series of clashes between the coun-
sci. Every scrap of evidence is being
bitterly contested.
Miss Marion Mcdonald testified that
she was engaged by DR.. Plass in Sep
tember, 1909, to act as chief stenogra-
pher for the Redeemable Investment
company and that she was so employed
up to February of this year. The dis
trict attorney used every means at his
command to get from the girl facts
concerning office happenings. She was
not willing witness and on many
points her memory proved bad. Shown
batch of letters one by one. she
would only state they appeared to be
written and dictated by the persons
whose initials appeared on them.
Sparks flew when Judge Chester
Krum, of ST. Louis, for the defend
ants sought to have rejected as evil
dence all letters which in themselves
did not constitute a furtherance of an
alleged scheme to defraud. He was
overruled again. When the district at
torney offered number of carbon cop
les of letters Judge Krum objected
strenuously on the ground they carried
no signatures and it had not been
proven they were actually mailed by
the defendants. He was again over
ruled but first there was a sharp clash
with the district attorney.
Several other witnesses this morning
gave routine testimony regarding their
having received Redeemable literature
and purchased stock
A guaranty, said the witness, by
| Rev. Norman Plass of 10 per cent. in
| terest led Miss f. Annette Sunier, of
| Brooklyn, N. Y, formerly teacher of
| French in Washburn college, to in
| duce her mother to sell real estate
holdings in Iowa City, Ia, and invest
| $4,000 in the stock of the Redeem
able Investment company and influ-
enced her to invest $4,000 on her own
account in subsidiary companies, ac-
cording to her testimony in the trial
| of the officers of the company on
charges of fraudulent use of the mails.
The witness said that both she and
her mother had exchanged their
stock for part cash and part stock
in another company after the raid on
the Redeemable office by pestoffice
officials.
Miss Sunier said she first knew DR.
Plass, former president of the Re
deemable, when he was president OF
the Washburn college, Topeka, Kan.
where she was professor.
Florence l.. Tucker, of Railway
N. J.. testified to buying $500 worth
of Redeemable stock solely in conse-
quence of talk with George B. Graft
secretary of the company, whom she
met at a Christian Endeavor conven-
tion in Europe.
Prompt redemption of stocks in the
Redeemable Investment company wa:
, refused, according to Mrs. H. A. Bah.
bitt of Adams.
Mrs Babbitt testified that Rev. J
Spencer Voorhees,, formerly pastor OF
the Congregational church at Adams
and now of Connecticut. had frs
called her attention to the company il
, circular sent through the mails il
January, 1910. About February OF
that year she and her husband joint
ly purchased 200 shares of stock, clas!
"B'' of the Redeemable Investment
4 company at $40 a share. She did no
meet the DEFENDANTS, the Rev; Nor,
company, Charles H. Brooks, manager
and John I. Traphagen, treasurer un-
til after the purchase of the stock