The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-04
Great Trials of History.
TRIAL. OF EuAsTus w1MAN.

When the announcement was made
on February %. 1894. that the emf
nent Erastus Wiman, capitals of New
York. was arrested and locked In the
Tomhs for forgery, the country was
startled from one end to the other
He was connected with so many public
enterprises that few men were better
known. II was through tbs influence
Of Wiman that the project Of tho com
mcrcial union of Canada with Tbs,
United States assumed public import
ancc In the former country, and was
finally adopted In the winter of 1898
as the main clause in the platform OF
the Canadian Liberals. under Its
changed name OF unrestricted Reel
procity."
II was Erastus Wknan who WAS In
6trumcntal In securing. in 1850, the
abolition OF Imprisonment for debt IN
New York state. In view OF that fact
the announcement was startling that
the wcl!-known capitalist and rail-
road maGnatc WAS arrested on Il bench
warrant on February 81. on the charges
OF forgery.
Two indictments were found against
Mr. Wiman by the grand jury, one for
forgery and the other for. altering
checks. The total amount involved
WAS S229.00O. The complainant against
him was X. G. Dun, president OF the
Mercantile Agency Association. Not
being able to give bail at once he was
;akon To the Tombs.
Wimnn was a Canadian by birth
Later he came ID New York and en-
tered the employ OF Dun IL Co, which
connection lac had severed about two
years previous to his arrest. 1t was
charged that Wiman's alleged cmbrn-
elements had been discovered at least
year before hts arrest and that they
covered period OF five years.
Immediately upon being taken into
custody. Wi,nan secured tie services
Of General Il. f. Tracey. as his
counsel The prisoner was held in
the Tombs for two DAYS before he
could secure bail. which was fur
nished by the fataci in-law of his
eldest son who VAS wealthy plow
NViman was arraigncd on February %,
1898. and pleaded mot guilty" but
claimed that instead the $4,000
! which he WIS charged with having en-
hezzlcd was in reality money that had
l.een lost by Investments Of thu finn
The trial for forgery was begun
| On june IL 1884. The case was opened
by Prosecute" Wcllman. who stated
the first count was wri:irs, the name
OF II. w l;u;lri;ur on = cherl; Of Il.
q. Dun Il CO. The second count was
for altering tho check. Mr.. Wirnan's
, while the world .hourht that Mr.
Wiman was Mr.. Dun's partner, tho fact
was not so, ana iha. Mr. Wiman him
self fully and clearly knew that he was
hut the managc-
This distinction was the keynote
Of the case. Publisher BullirScr tesrI
rt" in fav"r OF The accused and the
cashier OF Dun stated that Mr.. Wima:,
drew most of &c checks Of tha firm
and was prGc' ,cdiIy partner. ON
tame 13. n lester WEI produced. writ
ten ~ Wimah to II. G. Dun. In which
Ia, stated he had improperly AID
frnudulcntly signed the names OF e. W.
Bullirgcr on the back Of the checks.
The trial consumed four days, ana
on June 10 a verdict OF guilty" ac-
companicd by recommendation
that the court have mercy on the de-
PENDANT, was rendered. II required the
jury one hour and tifty-nve minutes
to come to this decision. On June Is
NViman was sentenced to five years
and six months imprisonment
Mr.. Winan WAS taken to prison I'm
| mcdiutely after his sentence lie re-
manned there until March Is. 1895, when
Il new trial was ordered on account OF
claim that Judge Ingrahnn erred m
cfusinr to charge the Jury az TO
Wimgn's criminal intent when lie con-
nittcd the forgcr!cs for which he wa.
indicted. Finally on February 10, 1895,
all the charges against Wiman were
dismissed and he was released from
! prison. The reason this trial created
50 much attention was that Erastu,
WiIuan was man especially cm1-
ncnt rs Al promoter. lie revolutions
lied tho transportation service be-
| tween New York and Staten Island.
and by his building OF the Arthur XIII
Hridcc. rendering ten miles OF New
Work harbor accessible to trunk lines.
In 1902, two years before his death.
he revised n charter of steam rail-
WAYS In his section and received con.
cressional authority to build a tunnei
undo" the bay of New York. This was
| but one Of his many progressive on
:crpliScs.