New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-04
]. B. RE|CHNANN drilled
CumminS Case Depends on Whose
View Is Right, His or Martins.
$1,500,0o0 CHECK IS SHOWN
Bradley Martin, jr., Says Letters
Were Signed Without His
Authorization.

Bradley Martin. ir., president OF the Nine
teenth Ward Bank. has testified that the
$4,000 that William J. Cummins Is accused
Of stealing was to be used exclusively 10
pay off certain Van Norden loans Joseph
b. ReiChmaun. former president Of the Car
negie Trust Company and n close business
associate Of William j. Cummins, has said.
and he repeated it on the stand yesterday.
MAT this money was to be used "for the
benefit of the general situation" which
meant. he explained. the protection Of the
Carnegie Trust Company against the criti-
csm of the State Banking Department.
Cummins used the money, according TO
the evidence to pay off certain loans to
directors in the Carnegie Trust Company
to which the banking superintendent had
objected. SO the question Of his innocence
or guilt, in the light of the testimony so
far given In the trial. is the question Of
whose Interpretation OF the agreement COW
ering the use of the money is correct, Mar
tins or Reichmann's.
Reichmann spent the entire day yester-
day in the witness chair. most of the time
under cross-eXaminauon by Frank Moss,
assistant district attorney; and At one time,
when ne was asserting his forgetfulness Of
the circumstances surrounding Andrew
Carnegies 100000 loan, 1t seemed as II
the strain were too much for him. Natu-
rally nervous and excitable he began at
this point to punch himself under the heart
as II he were suffering from some severe
pain I'm that region
Are YOU in distress?" asked Mr.. Moss.
Tn all right" he replied '1'can stand
! it as long as you can
When Max D. Steuer. counsel for Cum
MINIS took him in hand in redirect eX-
animation at the beginning of the after
noon session. Mr.. Reichmann remembered
much more readily the details Of this Car
negie loan. which retired all but about
$500 600 of the so-called fertilizer loans
Later Mr. Moss asked him If he had re
| freshed his memory during the noon re-
/ cess and he replied II don't know What
you're talking about Mr. Moss.
/ A ripple of excitement animated the
] Jurors when they received for inspection
/ the checks received in payment for MT
Carnegie's steel bonds. One Of these checks
was for sl.5000Oo They read II carefully
inch by inch on both sides, felt OF it, smelt
Of it. smiled and sighed.
Reichmann showed plainly by his an
swers 10 Mr. Moss's questions that even
while nc was president of the Carnegie
Trust Company he allowed Cummins 10
run things He didn't investigate, he said,
the disposition OF the blank checks which
he left with Idichael J. Lyman, Cummlns
secretary. when he. Reichmann. left town.
nor could he remember whether he gave
Cummins personally any of these checks.
II was news to him. he seid, that Cum
minis had used his 100 shares of Carnegie
Trust stock. released by the payment OF
loan I'm the Carnegie Trust Company, as
part security for another loan issued by
the Fourteenth Street Bank 20 the cum
mins-Bennett Company. What * more
important no denied that he had ever seen
tho two letters one to the Van Norden
Trust Company and one to the Nineteenth
Ward Bank, and the several checks which
bear directly on the charge Of theft against
Cummins.
These letters, which Bradley Martin, jrr
identified. define the alleged trust agree
ment governing the disposition Of the
money obtained by the Carnegie Trust
Company from the Van Norden Trust
Company and the Nineteenth Ward Bank
the money which Cummins is said TO have
misappropriated. They were signed by
r. L. Smith. vice-president Of the Car
negie Trust Company.
Then. If Mr.. smith signed these let
( ters." pursued Mr.. Moss, "he did so ao-
solutely without any authority from you
as PRESIDENT"
| Absolutely"
/ Reichmann was one Of the borrowers
/ from the Van Norden Trust Company OF
the money supposedly governed by this
trust agreement. The money was trans
ferred to the Carnegie Trust Company in
checks which Rechmann never saw and
Endorsed over TO Cummins for deposit b.
/ X. l.. Smith.
Rechmann testified that he and the
/ other borrowers, Condor and Moore. met
/ Cummins the day the loans were made
and agreed in conference to give Cummins
/ full control Of the proceeds.
Court was adjourned until Monday morn
inc at 1920 i'm the Criminal Courts Building.