Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-20
POMPTON PLAINS
WOMAN DENIES
DEFRAUDING MAN
Mrs. Lottie F. Gordon, on Trial,
Tells of Deal for Ram
sey Farm.

An absolute denial Of any false
representation is the defense of Mrs.
Lottie +. Gordon, of Pompton Plains.
who is on trial before Judge Martin
and jury in the Court of Quarter
Sessions on an Indictment charging
that she obtained property worth
s10,500 by false pretenses. Mrs. Cor
don exchanged bonds, which, she as
serts, she supposed to be worth that
sum for a farm owned by Carl +.
Davidson, at Ramsey, and Davidson
later discovered, he declares, that the
bonds were worthless.
/ The defense was outlined by
Jerome T. Congleton, counsel for
Mrs. Gordon, yesterday afternoon.
| Mr.. Congleton told the jury that he
denied that any false statement of
| Mrs Gordon's led Davidson to pur-
chase the bonds. He said that it
was Davidson that sought the deal,
and that Mrs. Gordon made no rep
reservations as to the value of the
bonds.
Mrs. Gordon took tho stand at the
conclusion OF her attorneys address
TO the jury. She testified that she has
] four daughters and has lived at
| pompton Plains for nearly seven
years Since her arrest three weeks
J ago, she said, she has been in the
! county Jail.
/ Under the questioning of Mr.. Con-
! gleton it was brought out that she
: inserted an advertisement in a New
! \ ork paper in August, 1912, seeking to
make an exchange of bonds for
farm. A number of answers were re-
ceived. among them one from David
, son, who was then living on his chick
en- farm at Ramsey. She communi-
A., Gated with Davidson and with others,
she said, and gave the facts about
i the bonds, their date of maturity, the
amount OF interest they bore and the
! name of two banks in Ohio as refer
/ ences.
Two weeks later, according to Mrs.
! Gortlon, Davidson and his wife visited
| Pompton Plains and said they were
willing to make the trade. An APP
! pointment was made, she said, to
meet in the Office of Albert w. Harris,
a lawyer in this city, on October 80
Denies Davidson's Story.
/ At this meeting the terms OF the
| trade were discussed and the bonds
! turned over 70 MIR. Davidson and the
| dill of sale TO- the farm and the $500
chickens on it given to Mrs. Gordon.
Mrs Gordon denied that she used the
words attributed to her by Davidson:
"These bonds are &c good as gold. II
| they were not, do you think would
invest my children's money in them!
She said that she might have said the
bonds were "as good as gold" bat
she did not mention her children.
She did state, however, she said,
that the Davidsons had had as much
chance to investigate the value of the
bonds as She had. She testified she
had bought the bonds only a month
before and had received payment on
one coupon and naturally supposed
them good
man who claims he was defrauded
by Mrs. Gordon, preceded the latter
on the stand as the last witness for
| the State. Her story was practically
a. confederation of her husband, who
| testified early in the day. She said
! they did not know until October %
! that the plant OF the Kimball Light,
Power and Water Company, the bonds
Of which they we're to get from Mrs.
Gordon. was located in Welch, west
Virginia. She admitted to Mr.. Congle-
ton on cross-examination that they
had been given two weeks to investi-
gate the bonds and their worth.
I'VE took Mrs. Gordon's word for il
that they were good. Mr.. Davidson
said. Are you sure they are good"
and she answered, Yes and so we
thought they were all right" testi-
fed Mrs. Davidson.
Davidson, himself, admitted that he
had sought the exchange with Mrs.
Gordon. lie testified that he did not
give up possession OF the farm until
| two weeks after the deal was made.
He said further that he found that
the bonds were worthless the day
| after the deal was made, when he
went to WEIGH.
| Mr.. Congleton's cross examination
made him change his testimony and
say that he did not find out the bonds
were worthless until after he had
given up the farm. He admitted he
had never tried to tell Mrs. Gordon
| that he had been swindled except
| through Mr.. Harris, whom he en-
gagged as his attorney.
He also admitted he never brought
any civil or criminal action against
( her until three weeks ago, when he
went before the grand jury and made
his complaint. When this COMPLAINT
was made the statute Of limitations,
which bars criminal action after two
years have elapsed, was about to bar
his complaint. He got it in day or
two before the time expired.
Mr.. Davidson admitted to Mr.. Con-
gleton that he had tried to dispose
Of the bonds after his visit to WEIGH
by inserting an advertisement in the
papers similar to the one Mrs. Cor
don had used. He wanted to trade
for a farm, too, he said. He discon-
ltinued the advertisement, he asserted,
when his opinion that the bonds were
worthless was confirmed by the re-
turn of the coupons unpaid.
He said that IL he had obtained a
purchaser he would have let him in
vestigate the bonds before closing
the deal.
Gwen though you knew the bonds
were worthless" concluded Mr.. Con-
Rleton. THAT'S ALL he added, before
Davidson could answer