The Washington times., 1911-06-06
WITNESS At MILLER
TRIAL DESCRIBES
R|FLED CASH BOX
Just a Few Cents Left, Says
Benjamin Frisby, Who
Audited Books.

A few cents and stock books were the
sole assets in the safe of the First
Cooperative Building Association of
Georgetown after the alleged embezzle-
ment of S135O0O by Secretary J. Barton
Miller, according to testimony today at
Miller's trial in Criminal Court No. l.
Benjamin Frisby, of Georgetown,
member of the auditing committee, told
on the witness stand how the safe was
found rifled when 1t was opened June &c,
1905, by President John Fleming.
There was just a few cents-not
worth counting-no stocks or bonds, and
a lot of stock books and the cash book"
Frisby testified.
Frisby said President Fleming had
trouble working the safe combination,
and secured little for his efforts, except
the knowledge Of the wrecl1ing Of the
institution.
Tells of Auditing Books.
How he audited Miller's cash books
and found them apparently correct, was
also testified to by Frisby. He admitted
signing the .twenty-sixth annual report
OF the company, said to have been pre-
pared by Miller, and reporting assets of
$212, 600 He also attended the meeting
Of stockholders, he said. when an inde-
pendent investigation of Miller's ac-
counts was ordered. He stated that
ton of the books.
Receipt by Miller of at least $3.50, said
to have been lost to the company, was
testified to by the Rev. zed H copp:
The minister was a witness at the
former trial of Miller, being cross-ex-
amined at length.
Copp said he borrowed 81 900 from the
First Cooperative Company in 1902 and
% IN
following April he stated that Miller
asked him TO have the loan transferred
to another company on account of the
money stringency, Miller's company to
pay the expenses.
That Miller negotiated for the transfer
and was given check for $3.50 by the
Perpetual Building and Loan Associa-
ton, to whom the loan was transferred,
was asserted by Mr.. Copp. He says Mil
Ter accompanied him to the office and
secured the check.
What Wilson Hopes to Prove.
United States District Attorney Will
son expects to prove. as was done. 1t
is alleged, at the former trial. that no
part of this money ever found its way
Into the treasury of Miller's company.
It is upon this evidence that Miller's
conviction or acQuittal largely depends.
To complete the Governments evil
dence tomorrow is the expectation of
nlIe0 states AllOTHey " llSOIl.
Evidence for Miller will then be begun,
but closing of the trial and a verdict
from the jury is not considered probable
before early next week.
Transfers of other loans from Miller s
company, at Miller's request, it is al
legged, were recfted today bv two other
witnesses, Edgar C. Blackman, and A
A. Murphy.
Biackman said Muller induced him to
cancel his lean by transfer to the Per-
petual Company for S7Sn This amount,
the Government will attempt to prove,
was also lost to Miller's institution.
Murphy's Loan Transfer.
Murphy said he had loan Of $1,000
with the Georgetown company and Mil
Ter negotiated for its transfer to the
Perpetual. Company in April. 1868. Muir
phy said he gave Miller has pass book,
containing credits to his account, and
had never seen 1t since.
Retention of the borrowers passbooks
and failure to credit them with the
transferred loans is part of the criminal
charge against Miller.
This afternoon Roger T. Mitchell,
secretary of the Perpetual Building As
sociation, to which the loans of the
Georgetown company were transferred,
told of his transactions with Miller. He
said Miller personally requested the
transfer of the loan to the Rev. Zed
H. Copp, and attended to all of the ar
rangements, being given the check for
$3.50 in consideration of the transfer.