The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-02
EVIDENCE TODAY
NOT IMPORTANT
Auditor Gates Recalled to
Stand in Trial of
F. c. Williams
ATTEMPT TO SHOW
LAX PRACTICE
Counsel for Defense Offers to Prove
That Money Was Advanced TO State
Officials Before Graham Became Au-
ditor and Is Still Done.
Especial to The Eeformer1

MON1PkLtER, Jan. :.
Very little evidence ot Importance was
brought out this morning during The trial
a Bank Commissioner Frank c. Williams
for malfeasancc The early part Of the.
session was taken up with the examination
Of State Auditor Benjamin Gates who was
recalled to the stand and questioned in
detail in regard to the time that elapsed
between the drawing OF the orders and
their final entry on the disbursing. Ledger
the evident intent of the lawyers Tor the
defense being 10 show that 1t varied
greatly.
The latter part Of me morning was de-
voted To a tilt between Attorney General
Barber and j Ward Carver Of the de-
fendants counsel over the admissabil.ty
of evidence regarding the practice OF max
iIg advances 10 state officials. Mr.. Carver
said he vas prepared TO show that snch
a practice had existed even before Mr..
Graham became auditor aud was IN exis
tence under the present auditors regime
The state objected To this evidence. on
the ground that ii opened too wide a
| held, and when the noon recess was taken
Judge Stanton had the matter under ad.
visement
From the evidence that is being pre-
sented in the Williams case it would be
difficult for a spectator going to the court
room but a short time To discern whether
Mr.. Williams or Horace + Graham was
| on trial Nearly all Of the evidence pro.
| duced relates TO the Graham accounts
and his name is mentioned many times
while the respondents S name is mentioned
seldom.
| The most damaging evidence given to
The jury yesterday was that of Auditor
| Benjamin Gates who swore that Williams
/ had told hin that he had known OF the
irregularities for some time and that
he had talked with Williams about having
4 the matter fixed up
4 John NJ Wallace was on the stand dur
| ing the early part Of the afternoon. He
testified relative to keeping the records
how they we're placed on the disbursine
ledger and were also placed on the day
book. that the checking up was made by
the commissioner from the files and day
| book The defense claimed the best evi
dnce relative to the checking, was the day
book and it will probably be placed ii
evidence shortly. Mr.. Wallace knew but
little relative to Irregularities although h,
i found two credits which exceeded tn,
amount due from Graham, and at tn,
end of the fiscal year in 1916 there wa
balance against Graham of 1898 9l
/ Benjamin Gates followed Wallace. H,
told n good deal about the keeping o
the records, taking up matters pertaining
TO how the vouchers were kept and how
the auditing took place He then test
fled that he had knowledge OF how tn
accounts stood when Graham left the OF
fice; that he overheard Williams and Jos
lyn having a conversation relative TO tn
balances in the Graham account one da
in March or April 1918 and that he en-
! tered it asking Williams when he was &C
ing to straighten mp the matter and stat
ing that he wanted it fixed up. He sal
7 Williams told him lie had known of tn
shortage for several years There wa
considerable discussion one time and al
other about the matter, Che witness sale
and Williams told him that he (Wilhams
I had once written Graham about the mat
% ter.
Relative TO the taking OF cash on til
? two orders for 81 200 and 81 500 Mr.. Gate
! knew of no way in which these would l
: eashed excepting in money and he knS
$ of no way in which Mr. Graham eoul
| voucher for these two orders. They wei
7 drawn on the highway department tn
I presentation Of these orders were pr.
tested by the defense