Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-26
SMITH TELLS
OF ARMSTRONG
CHECK DEALS
Reveals Transactions Whereby
Roseville Trust Paid Con-
tractors Notes.
UNINTERRUPTED, BANK
LOoTER RECITES DEALINGS
Goes Over Each Check and
Tells of Methods of Cash
ing 1t.

Iary ana treasurer or the wrecked
Roseville Trust Company, continued
his testimony today in the Court of
| Oyer and Terminer before Chief JUS
tice William S. Gummere Smith
yesterday pleaded non-vult to a
charge of conspiracy and is now CIV
ing testimony against William G.
Armstrong, an East Orange contract
or A. Randolph Jennings and Will
lam j. Thompson, former tellers of
the wrecked bank, who are jointly
named in an Indictment with Smith,
in which 1t is alleged that Armstrong
obtained the sum of $35, 1896 of the
banks funds by means of having
checks cashed by Smith, Jennings or
Thompson and which checks were
not charged against Armstrong; ac-
count in the bank.
All morning Smith stood erect
in the witness box with the paying
teller's proof books before him, and
one by one picked up the Armstrong
checks and told who they had been
cashed by.
AS on yesterday, and despite the
heat and humidity that made the
court room something akin to a fur
mace room, the big room was crowded
to the doors, eighteen women being
adding touch of color to the other
wise sombre appearing scene.
Smith Reveals Looting.
Smiths opening testimony yester-
day afternoon in which for the first
| time he revealed the method of high
finance by which himself and friends
were able to scoop sums of money
running into tens of thousands was
decidedly interesting and was fol-
lowed closely by q crowd that filled
the court room.
Smith was first led through his
early history as a bank ,employe
and after Prosecutor Hood had re-
+, ceived the information that Smith
had been secretary and treasurer of
the RoseVille Trust Company from its
organization December 1, 1908, until
August 13, 1918. the day Smith fled the
city, Smith went on with his tale of
dealings in the bank.
He described the employees of
| the bank in June 1912, stating that
Jennings was the paying teller.
Thompson the bookkeeper and
Charles Mindnich the assistant book
Keeper. In September, 1912, he said,
the system of the institution was
paying teller being installed, Thomp-
son being made receiving and Jen-
Rings the paying teller, with Mind
Mich as the bookkeeper.
This arrangement tasted, he said,
until July 23 or "a, 1918, when Jen-
nings left the bank. Thompson then
became paying teller. with Mindnich
as receiving teller and bookkeeper.
Mr.. Hood then led Smith through
long identification of the receiving
teller's proof book to show who had
,,I,., -Ie,
window on different days between
June and September. 1912. He did the
same thing with the paying teller's
proof book.
From these books it was shown
that both Thompson and Jennings
had charge of the receiving teIers
window on different days, while
Smith was in charge one day, August
"a, 1912.
The paying teller's books showed
that Smith was in charge or that de-
partment on July 8 and 5, 1912, and
again on August IL and %. Thomp-
son was also in charge of the depart
ment on several days.
Mr.. Hood then took UP two books
which Smith said were the certified
check books what do those books
contain?" asked Mr.. Hood.
"All checks that are certified are
supposed to be entered IN them" was
the reply.
"Who had the right to certify
checks?"
Mysterious Box So.
Jennings, Thompson and myself
Can you tell from the books who
certified to the different checks?"
mo; you can only tell that from
the original checks"
In hot Tha
spectators had been waiting for. It
was: "Who is Box 55?" Box 55 had
been referred to by Mr.. Mayham and
other witnesses who told of it being
the repository where Smith had kept
checks of Armstrong; that had been
cashed by the bank, but had not
been charged against the Armstrong
account on the bank books.
Hence, when the prosecutor asked
Smith about Box 55 everybody IN the
room leaned forward to get his an
swer. THAT is a safe deposit box"
he said
"Was it a place where customers
accounts were kept" he was asked.
Smith studied moment before re-
plying and then said: Some ac-
counts were kept in it."
"Whose box was No. 55?"
"It belonged to the bank
"WhO had the use OF IL /!
"I did most of the time"
"Who had the key to it?'
1T had the key most of the time"
"Was this box locked on August 13,
1882"
Eyes, sir
"Who had the key?"
81 did"
"Who has it now?"
"Why, | guess | still have 1t.
August 1S, 1913, was the day Smith
fed the city,, shortly after the bank
examiners entered the bank to make
the examination of the bank. that
resulted in finding out that it had
been looted.
what was put in that box"' was
the next question asked.
LAS a rule it was used for checks
of different individuals that had been
paid out of the bank funds and that
had not been charged against their
accounts
keep any of Armstrong's paper
there?'
"There were a great many of Aria-
strong's checks there"
"What kind of checSs?"
"Checks of Armstrong; paid out of
the banks funds, but not charged
AGAINST his account" +"