The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-08
Williams Case is Likely to
Go to Jury by
Tonight
DEFENCE DOUBTS
VALUE OF RECORDS
Makes Claim That Respondent DID
Best He Could at All Times to AScer-
tain True Condition in Auditors Of
fice-Barber to Sum Up Late Today.
Special to The Reformer.)

Especial to The Reformer)
MONTPELIER, Jan. s.
The arguments in the Williams case
began this morning about $50 after Ex-
pert Franklin s. Pratt had been cross
examined for few minutes bv the de
fense in relation to the items in the
now-celebrated file No 450l. The ex-
animation tended to show that many of
these items, which appeared as vouchers
and which were credited to the account
of Horace F. Graham, were of doubt
full validity Mr.. Pratt was also ex-
amined in relation to his method of ex-
amining records and figures by means
iof the microscope in the eases which he
testified Yesterday
Then Earl R. Davis of Montpelier be
gan the argument of the state by re-
hearsing the progress of the Williams
examinations. He declared that in the
! years 1912 and 1914 the bank examiner
must have been convinced that there
was something wrong about the audi
tor s books, but that he continued has
failure to notify the legislature of the
existing conditions, and that at no tifnc
had he done so, notwithstanding the
fact that the records and files of the an-
ditor were at all times accessible and
easily understood
! j. Ward Carver for the defense fol.
1owed with a brief argument in which
he threw serious doubt on the validity
tof all state records in the auditor
Office. The tendency of his argument
was to show that not until 1918 could
the respondent, by any accessible or
valid records, appraise himself of the
actual conditions. The claim of coun-
sci was that the respondent had at ell
times done his duty TO the best of his
knowledge and belief.
Frank Nj. Plumley spoke further
along this line this afternoon and the
ease will go to the jury probably later
in the day after a summing of the
state S ease by Attorney General Her
bert G. Barber
From a spectator s point of view hut
little was accomplished in the trial
Tuesday afternoon. In the cross ex
animation that was conducted, Voucher
4,501 was a prominent part of the eyi-
dence. 1t played both ways, the state
. using it in cross examination of the
.. respondents 5 witness J. f. Joslyn and
later in rebuttal when +. s. Pratt test
, ifed in the case. he claimed that some
of the itemized accounts that were
passed by the auditor and allowed in
department voucher 1901 should not
have been allowed and that those not
allowed helped to make up an ALLEGED
shortage. The $4,000 voucher which
was in evidence earlier in the trial was
: again made prominent. This time evi-
dence was introduced to show that the
item was passed by Mr.. Williams that
Mr.. Graham drew an order for $4,000
in favor of the highway department
: and then paid the order on a White
River Junction bank, all regular
ienough, but the state tried to show that
q the $4,000 was also paid into the state
a treasury. This the defense claimed did
5 not affect the respondents case but
5 might be damaging TO the Graham
e case. in fact, it seemed to be the opih
g ion that was the reason ii was insert
d ed into this case. The remaining $1,000
i was allowed as justifable account.