Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-18
SMITH, WRECKER
OF BANK, SEEKS
MERCY OF COURT
Pleads Non VuIt TO Twenty-Five
lndictments-Was to Be
Tried Monday.
NOW FACES TRIAL ON
CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY
Appeared Before Chief Justice
Gumnere and Judge
Osborne.

The exclusive story printed in the
Evening Star yesterday that Ray
mond E. Smith would plead guilty or
noI jvult to twenty-five indictments
. a2a.hst him in connection with the
1Erlck.ng of the Roseville Thurs Com
boly was confirmed today, when
Sriith, accompanied by his counsel,
J sarmer Judge Thomas A. Davis. ap-
,,eared in the Court of Oyer and Ter
. miner before Chief Justice William >.
Gummere and Judge Harry V. os-
borne and pleaded non vult to twen-
ty-five indictments.
The trial of Smith on these indict-
nents, which charge him with en-
bezzlement, forgery and utter 'ng false
entries in the bank books and over
certification of checks, was to have
started Monday morning before
Judge Osborne In the meantime ne
cotiations between former Judge
Davis and Prosecutor Hood were
under way looking to the acceptance
of q plea of non Vult from Smith,
This eliminated in the action taken
this morning.
AS SOOIl do kolllbh nav P4SstNhNN -
the twenty-five indictments, list of
which are given below, Prosecutor
Hood asked Chief Justice Gummere
If he was ready at this time to set
a date for trial on the conspiracy
Indictments in which Smith is named
with other men.
Chief Justice Gummere announced
that he would be ready to take up
the FIRST of the conspiracy trials on
Monday. May 4, leaving it to the
prosecutor to select which of the
seven conspiracy indictments he
would try first.
Big Indictment First.
After Prosecutor Hood had left the
court room he told the newspaper men
that while ne had not fully deter
mined the question he expected to
try the so-called big indictment
first. This indictment is about 10000
words in length, enough to fill fifty
geven columns. of the Evening Star,
If printed ia full
1t charges, that William G. Arm
strong, a building contractor living
on the East Orange BLOOMFIELD line,
eonspired with Smith, A. Randolph
Jennings, paying teller and William
J. Thompson, bookkeeper at the bank.
BY means of this conspiracy the sum
nf $35, 1896 was obtained from the
Roseville Trust Company by Arm
Rtrong in a period between June q,
1912, and the closing of the bank in
August, 1918.
The method followed in the con-
Spiracy was as follows, 1t is claimed,
the Investigation of the State banking
department shows: Armstrong would
draw q check, knowing he had no
funds in the bank to meet it. The
check would be paid by Smith or
other employees of the bank Arm
strong's account would not be charged
with the check drawn against it. In
stead Smith would retain the check
in his possession, large number of
checks being found in the safe de-
post vault at the trust company.
Jennings and Thompson figure in
the indictment for the reason that
ct times they certified checks OF
Armstrong's knowing he has no
funds in the trust company. There
was about thirty-two cents used by
Armstrong in his dealings with the
wrecked company ranging from one
70 fifty seven cents UP to others in
which four figures are named in the
amount paid out