The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-06-06
MADISON FOUND GUILTY
BY THE JURY IN SEATTLE
Admits Passing Worthless Paper
Pleads With Jury to Give Him
His Release

Oren Madison, as he called himself
in Leavenworth when here about two
lyears ago, who organized the Cascade
Merchandising Company, now bank
Irupt, and swindled local railroad men
oat of thousands of dollars, reached
the end of his rope in Seattle Monday
when he was found guilty by the jury.
The Seattle P. I. of Tuesday had the
following to say of the trial:
Guilty" was the verdict returned
by the jury at 500 o'clock Monday
night.
"After the major portion of the day
had been spent in listening to argu-
ments, the case of the state against
Oliver Rowland Mumford, alias Oren
Roberts Madison, charged with grand
larceny, was given to the jury at 4:15
Monday evening.
"The defendant made the final plea
in his own behalf, taking three hours
to review the case and explaining to
the jury his reasons for the action he
is accused of.
"He was interrupted continually by
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney T. H.
Patterson, who contended that he was
introducing new testimony not offered
while he was on the witness stand.
Judge Everett Smith sustained Pat
terson's numerous objections on this
ground.
"While admitting that he gave Jo-
seph Barto & Company the check for
S3,451 on which the action is based, it
being charged that the check was is
sued when Madison knew that he had
no funds in the bank, he contended
that it was done with the knowledge
and conset of Thomas Barto and was
only one of continual string of
checks which he had floated with the
firm under similar circumstances. He
characterized the firm as "loan
sharks" and declared they accepted
his checks because of commission
they collected for carrying them.
"Madison reviewed his life's history
from the time when he accepted po-
sition in a doctors office at salary
of So a week, when he was II years
lold, until he was forced to leave Sc
lattle because he chad unwisely as
sumed obligations that could not be
fulfilled" He told the jury that he
was unsuccessful in his first business
venture at Salt Lake City, where he
was known by his true name, oliver
Roland Mumford, and came to Seattle
to make money to pay the bad ac-
counts he had left behind at the Utah
capital.
His Seattle ventures were so pros
porous at first that he became intox-
Iicated by his successes, he declared,
and while drunk with the dream OF
being directing head of sixteen mail
lorder concerns, each of which he an
ticipated would eventually pay hand
some dividend, he became so tangled
in his money affairs that he was
forced to leave the city under circum-
stances which the prosecution had
declared left him indebted to Seattle
citizens in the sum of more than
100000.
"Madison concluded the sketch
with picture of how he had assumed
the name of Ralph Duncan Jameson
after leaving Seattle and had expected
to start anew in st. Louis, the change
of name being necessary to keep com
mercial credit rating agencies from
destroying the "business structure" II
would be necessary for him to builc
amid new surroundings.
Il am not begging for mercy be-
cause have a wife and two children
boy of 5 and baby girl, little
sweetheart that has just learned to
walk while l have been in Jail here,
said Madison in his concluding state
ment, but after you have considered
all the evidence fully if you are moi
, then convinced that am criminal
. if there is in your mind a reasonable
doubt as to my guilt, then remember
that a mother and two children are
waiting prayerfully for father anC
husband to be released that he may
return to Them
prosecutors Patterson's closing ar
gument was exceptionally brief. H'
, branded Madison as confidence mar
of exceptional ability, "a man wh'
had twice been successful in evadinl
the law and is not yet at the end o
r his rope and will not be there unit
; this jury has found him guilty.