Weekly journal-miner., 1919-06-11

of a jury, the trial of Carrier Thomp- son, who is charged with forging I will covering property of William Dcbus, a paralytic patient at the Pjo neer Home, got under way in the Su perior court yesterday. The testi- mony of Clarence Dyer, fellow nurse and supposed cOnspirator with him in the alleged plot to defraud, was all that was taken during yesterdays session. When court adjourned, Dyer had been given his direct ex- animation by the county attorney, and had submitted to a grilling cross examination at the hands of P. w. IO'Sullivan, senior counsel for the de- fense.
 In the face of repeated questions, Dyer held to the story he told the authorities at the time the matter was brewing. He denied stoutly the implication that he was to be tine beneficiary of any transaction, even though his name was the only one mentioned in the purported will, as Ilegatec
 The session opened half an hour earlier than has been the custom of late. At o:3C the selection of the Ijury was begun, and the jury wrnt into the box at 30 after the noon recess. Following the opening state ments, the state put Dyer on the stand and began the untangling of the highly involved threads of the story.
 Dyer had been transferred to Whipple Barracks from Fort Bayard, New Mexico as orderly to the late Col. C. E. Holmberg, commandant at the post. On April 9, 1919, ne left the barracks under what is techni- cally known as an indefinite fur1ough, to engage ill nursing at the Home, which was short of help. following an epidemic of influenza. 1 Shortly after his arrival at the Home, Dyer says Thompson began to approach him with proposals to enter shady transactions. He stated that some blankets had been seen i'll closet at Thompson's quarters, and Thompson wanted him to assume ownership ct them ill case a search revealed their presence. This was the first intimation Dyer claims to have had that Thompson was not oil the square. The second was when Thompson proposed to forge a checl, on the bank balance of a de- ceased patient and get it cashed along r-1th the state warrants for the last half of April. Pretending to CO., Ioperate, Dyer said he secured a blank check for Thompson, and that Thompson gave him back the check, filled ill to the order of cash and signed with the name, Sam Stanley. The check was pre-dated about d month. Dyer took the check and the old mans bank book. which dis closed a balance of $50, and showed them to Superintendent Shea. On cross-examination, the witness said he did this in order to clear himself of responsibility for the check. He did not say that Thompson forged the check, however Counsel for the .. defense examined Dyer closely at this point in an effort to secure hls admission of complicity in the check matter
 Later on. according to Dyer Thorlpson apprised him of the al legged fact that Debus had lot of money under his pillow, and more in a bank. He thought the sum would total $4,O0O or $5,000. Dyer said that Thompson suggested way to get this money by himself forging the name to a will in favor of Dyer, and having Dyer record it after the , death Of Debus.
 Through the superintendent, Dyer got in touch with County Attorney Neil Clark. who introduced Attorney 4. c. Baker into the case. Baker was to draw the will The first draft Dyer took to the Home to show Thompson, who, he said, disapproveG of the clause providing for the burial | out of the estate. According to the witness, Thompson preferred to lei
 the state bury the dead. So Dyer took the will back and had Baker re- write it, emitting the objectionable s clause.
 Thompson, it was said, prepared to irupersonate Debus and authenticate the will. He met Dyer on the even . ing of May 3 at the point where the
 road to the Home runs into Park avenue, and they drove in car 1 which Dyer had borrowed from a rent man named Ramsey, to point in front of the Business College , Here Dyer left the car and Thomp' ' son and went to the front of Baker s
 office in the Union block, to ascertain . if there was too big a crowd on the 1 street. Returning, he drove Thomp' I son to a point i'll the street, an auto
 mobile length from the curb, and , then went upstairs to get Baker. = On Bakers arrival with duplicate , copies of the will, he found Thomp- C son sitting in the car, swatled in d 1 heavy mackinaW coat. his han I brushed back from a bald place or