Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-02-05

CASE NEARING IT'S CLOSE.
IL Now Relieved That IT viii go to
Jury Tomorrow Slsht-FlnlSh OF
Commemorative. Case.

its session on Saturday night, it look
I'd as il the trial Of Lewis Hoon. the
former secretary OF the Mercantile
Railway Building and Loan !Associa-
lion would be continued at least four
or five days. but at the end OF TINS
mornings session. when Mr.. Brent
announced that the commonwealth
rested its case. it was apparent that
within the next IS hours tho jury
will have the question OF Mr.. iooif s
guilt in their hands.
Mr.. Lee stated that it would only
take two or three hours TO examine
the Witnesses for the defense. but
this may be prolonged for twice that
length Of time. as more than dozen
witnesses for the defense had
been summoned Judge Barley has
requested the attorneys 10 have their
instructions ready for him tonight
so that he may have an opportunity
10 20 over them previous TO the open
ing of the court tomorrow morning.
An agreement will also be reached
lbetween the attorneys as to the
length OF time that they will have to
argue the case. At the present 1t
looks as if the lawyers will COM
mcnce their arguments sometime to-
morrow morning and that the jury
will have the case late tomorrow.
BY far the most interesting fea-
lure OF todays session was the pres
ence OF Mr.. IIooff on the stand.
MIR. Hooff said that he was born in
Alexandria and after re FEARS resi-
dence here moved near the Theologi-
cal Seminary. His age was about SIS
wears. He was shown by Mr.. Jeffries
the deposit slips, showing the amount
OF cash which had been turned over
TO Mr.. browns He acknowledged
the receipt Of the money from Mr..
browns and said he had put it in
the cash drawer where it was paid
out in the regular course Of business
OF the Mercantile. Not q penny Of
this money" said Mr.. Hooff. was
used by me or went into my personal
account" This method Of handling
money had been in vogue for years
and the money received in this way
was used in the business, mainly for
the payment of checks in the say
jngs department. He did not deny
the receipt of any Of the money which
the Commonwealth had cndearored
10 show that he had received.
Mr.. Hooff explained in detail the
methods used in the handling OF funds
and told how money was secured.
There were several ways Of doing
This, one, OF the most frequent be-
ing the one that the Commonwealth
had explained in the prosecution. He
said that it had been the habit OF
tho Company to reissue old stock
which had been taken up. When old
stock was taken up, it was held in
the cash drawer as an asset and Of
ten money was borrowed on it.
No entry was made on the books
when this stock was held as cash.
The mornings session was dry and
uneyentful. with bat little new light
thrown on the transactions OF the
COMPANY. The most interesting evil
dence was that by James Baync, who
was one OF the accountants employed
nv Commissioner Garner to 80 over
The books of the company. He went
into detail as to the examination
which had been made, and showed
tow each item in his report was
reached. He stated that many or the
books bad not been added up for -
years, and that it took Mr.. Kirk, an
other of the accountants, two months
and ten days to total them. He said
that the company had lost $4,000
since it had been organized. out oes-
pite this fact. 100000 in cash divi-
dends had been paid out. He con-
frmed the testimony OF Mr.. Kirk as
10 the discrepancy in the cash book,
which he said amounted to something
over $4,000. By the cash book. he
found that the bills payable were
s26.s0O. while the general ledger
showed that the amount should be
$4,000. He described ths eoud!-
ton Of The books and said that they
ware in vegy bad condition. aud
hsd been careleSsIy kept. On cross
examination by Mr.. Jefries he stated
that the books bad been kept by SOW