The Washington herald., 1912-02-06
NEWSOFALEXANDRIA
Banker Hooff Takes Stand in His
Own Defense-SWears He
Never Embezzled.

Alexandria, Va, Feb. 5.-Lewis Hooff.
former secretary and general manager OF
the Mercantile Railway Building and
Loan Association, who is being tried in
the Corporation Court on an Indictment
charging embezzlement, was placed on
the witness stand this afternoon in his
own defense. His direct examination oc-
cupied one hour, and another hour was
consumed il a rigid cross-examinatiOn
by CommOnwealth's Attorney Brent
AT o'clock Hoof's cross-examination
had not been completed, and he will
again take the stand when court con-
venes at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
At the conclusion OF his direct examina-
.tion Attorney Jeffries asked Hoof IL in
all the transactions in the nineteen years
OF the existence of the building as
soCiatiCn he ever used any Of the as
sOciation funds for his individual pur-
poses, and HOon replied: Before God
] never touched a cent %
HOOd declared that the money received
on deposit slips in return was paid TO
the messenger who made the deposit and
turned over to him. and that he placed
the money in the cash drawer and il
was paid out in the usual manner in the
regular course OF business. which had
been done for years past by the asso-
citation.
"nen IuIluS became low. ne SAID, lne
association sent to the bank for suffi-
CIent currency to carry it through. The
witness also explained three methods of
doing business employed by the defunct
concern. He said that il was frequently
a habit TO use accommodation paper to
borrow money on.
According to the testimony of James
Bayne, bookkeeper. he was employed TO
go over the accounts Of the association
after its collapse, and he employed two
bOokSeepers to assist him. Mr. Bayne
said he found the books in very bad con-
ditiOn. Witness said the cash receipts
were approximately S1O,IS0 more than the
expenditures, and that the cash book
showed notes outstanding to the extent
Of S26-JOo. and the general ledger showed
21,5GG Witness added that a note for
S,oO0 was not recorded in the cash book
On cross-eNamination, Mr. Bayne said
the association lost $500 since it started
business in 1895, and It had paid out $685.
900 in cash dividends
Other witnesses examined to-day in
cluded Joseph c. Gates, Mrs. NJ Z. An
Eelo, George E. WarfieId, Laurence sta
pier. +. F. Marbury, H. Noel Garner and
I. ). Taylor Burke. The hearing of tes-
umony for the defense will it is ex-
pected, be completed tomorrow after
noon. 1t is hardly thought that final
arguments will be made before wednes-
day morning.
Final arrangements were made tonight
by a committee of the chamber of com
merce for the banquet OF that orEaniza-
tion which win be heTd at $50 O'Clock
tomorrow night in the auditorium of the
Elks' Home. Representative Charles {,
Carlin will be tosstmaster. A large num-
Der of prominent guests will attend, ana
covers will be laid for 200.
Those who viii respond to toasts fol-
low: Senator Robert L. Taylor Tennes-
see; Senator James A. Reed, Missouri;
Senators Thomas s. Martin and Claude
A Swanson, Virginia; Representative
John Lawson Burnett, Alabama.
The invited guests will leave Washing
ton at O'Clock at night on the palace
car Mount Vernon and will return on
that car
Mrs Matilda Fleischmann, wife Of
Charles Fleischmann. proprietor of the
Hotel Fleischmann, died shortly before |
II o'clock this morning at the hotel, |
10 South Royal street Besides her |
husband. she is survived by one son, /
Harry Fleischmsnn.
Mrs. Fleischmann was about fifty-nine /
years old and was born in Wurttemburg,
Germany. She came to this country /
about forty years ago and had lived in
-AASAuu0Ild LOT nearly quarter OF q CEN Il
tury. Her funeral will take place at /
s:5o o'clock Wednesday morning from st.
Mary's Catholic Church. The interment,
which will be private, viii be in st.
Nary's Cemstery.
Arrangements have been made for
mass meeting Of the Republican electors
Of this city at s o'clock tomorrow night
at Odd Fellows Hall. when four dele
81 11,d /
ed to represent the Republicans at the
Republican State convention in Roanoke
Va, March u At the same time, eight
delegates and eight alternates will be
elected to the Republican district con-
vention. to be held in this city February
y next.
The funeral Of Mrs. Mary Smith will
be held at . o'clock Tomorrow morning
tren ST Aary's Catholic Church. Ser !