New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-06
"TOO Little Here and Too
Much There" May Ex-
plain Inaccuracies.
SPECIFIC CHARGE,
LARCENY OF $6S4.05
Merchant Stole the Money, II Is
Alleged. by Obtaining 1t by
False Statement.

The power Of one error in bookkeep-
ING TO Offset another will be Henry
Siegel's defence to the indictment on
which he will be placed on trial IN
Gencseo Monday, charging that he OBJ
tanned money from the National Bank
Of Commerce by means of false finan-
cal statements which made it appear
that the assets Of his department store
enterprises were greater than they
really were.
John b. Stanchiield, counsel for Sic
gel, outlining the main points IN the
defence. said Yesterday II would be
shown that. oven if some OF the items
IN the financial statement on which the
loan was obtained were too large. 9th
ers were too small, so that the general
total was fair.
The specihc count on which Siegel
will be brought to trial charges lar
ceny of $6sl %. Altogether there are
fourteen indictments. charging that
Siecel. alone or in conjunction with
the late Frank +. Vogel, defrauded by
falsihed statements, a number OF banks
out Of more than 100000. Mr.. Stanch-
field was asked whether the "too much
here, too little there" defence would be
used 20 explain away inaccuracies m
the statements on which all OF this
100000 was obtained.
IL can't say what the defence will be,
except as regards the indictment which
comes TO trial Monday, charging the
'echnicsl larceny of 1854 %. on June II,
1912" said Mr.. Stanchfed. "The
transaction is part Of $4,000 one
with the National Bank Of Commerce.
II is alleged thst Mr.. Siegel stole this
money by obtaining u through false
statement as to the iinancle! condition
Of his business. In order 20 try Mr..
Sicgel for grand larceny IT was neces-
sary for the District Attorney TO speci-
~ an amount over $780,
The defence will contend, Mr. Stanch
Geld said. that it is not reasonable 70
believe that Mr.. Siegel and his ssso-
ciates in business would suddenly con
spirc 10 steal i'm this way from the
National Bank Of Commerce or any
other bank with which they had carried
on business relations for a number OF
years.
"Wc will prove" nc said, that while
the statement as 10 the financial con
dition Of his enterprises may have con
taired items that were too large, II also
contained items that were too small.
We she'll prove that, taken as whole,
the statement was not false, but a
true one.
"Rut il does not matter whether that
statement was true or false. II Will be
necessary for the prosecution 70 estab-
lish beyond 4 doubt that Mr. Slegel
issued the statement with intent 20
dcfraud and deceive. The law is per
fectly clear on that point, and the Dis
trict Attorney will not be able 10 show
that the statement was issued for that
unlawful purpose, because It was not
There continues 20 be considerable
speculation as 70 what effect the death
Of Vogel will have on the Siegel de-
fence, and whether an effort will be
made 10 shoulder tho esponsibillty Tor
falsifving statements on 20 the dead
member Of the Siegel concerns. Nogel
was the financial man of the combina-
ton. IL has been contended, and took
care Of negotiating loans, while Siegel
stuck more strictly to merchandising.
Arthur c. Train, who will conduct
the prosecution for District Attorney
Whitman. is now in Geneseo, preparing
for the trial. He will ne assisted b.
District Attorney Frank Clark, Of Cen
esec County, Who will take an active
part I'M the proceedings. Both sides
expect the trial 10 last between two
and three weeks.