Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-06-08
SMITH SHOWS Up
IN OLD ROLE Of
BANK WITNESS
Trial of President Odell, of De-
funct RoseviIIe Trust Com
pany, Goes On.

In an effort to prove that William
2. Odell, former president Of the
Roseville Trust Company. knowingly
made false report to the State
banking commissioner, the State, at
Odells trial today before Judge Os-
borne and a jury, put Raymond r.
Smith, former ecretary-treasurer of
the bank, on the witness stand
Odell is charged with a high misde-
meanor-making false report of a
banks financial standing.
Much of the strength of the state s
case will depend upon its ability to
bring home to the defendant knowl-
edge of the falseness of the items in
the report. To build up this i'm
portant feature of the prosecution,
Smith was questioned at great length
by the prosecutor regarding the hap
penings prior to the filing of the re-
port on June 25, 1913.
Smith said he prepared the report
and that Harry w. Foster, second
vice. e-president of the bank. who was
recently convicted for misdemeanor,
wrote it out from Smiths draft.
Smith was positive that the report
was accurately copied, because he
had compared the two before filing
them The witness when shown the
report referred to it as a report pur-
porting to show the condition of the
Roseville Trust Company as of
June A."
Did the report show the true con-
dition of the trust company" Pros
ecutor Guild asked.
"It did not" answered Smith.
I'm what respects was 1t untrue"'
the prosecutor questioned.
1.-The item of cash was not true"
said the witness. There was a diff
ference in the cash as shown by the
ledger and as shown by the report Of
S17. .019 36-that is, there was that
much more cash shown in the report
than the trust company really had"
Difference in Time Deposits.
"There was also difference in the
time deposits as shown by the ledger
and by the report of a little over
81, 600.
According to the general ledger"
Smith went on to explain there was
on hand on June 4, 1913. cash and
cash items amounting to $35, 1921
That was the actual amount of cash
on hand, but the report showed
$52. .671 ST."
Smiths attention was called to
some lead pencil figures on the credit
side of the cash account. The figures
were $17,01936 the exact amount of
the difference between the actual
cash and the cash reported.
What is that item?" he was asked.
"Well, / just put those figures in
to make accounts balance" he re-
Piled There was no money or any,
thing for that amount but | had to
have the account balanced and l put
in those figures to do it. Then they
were added in with the actual cash
and the amount we reported was
found"
Smith explained the reason for the
difference between the amount of the
time deposits as reported and as
actually existing 'On June a
time deposit check for $4,000 came
in and there was only a credit OF
$274.03 in the account so that / had
to make an entry for $1,000 or have
the account show deficit of 81, 725.17,"
he said.
Didn't Tell How Low Cash Was.
Smith said that Odell usually
stopped at the bank for five or ten
minutes each morning and they dis
cussed the affairs of the institution.
In response to questions by Judge
Osborne he said he told Odell that
the cash was getting low, but he
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