The New York herald., 1921-10-06
LOEB ALSO TESTIFIEs
Cousin Declares Former
President Had No Time to
Make Alleged Loan.
NAME PREFIxED BY sCOL.'
Relatives and Friends Assert
Title Never Was Used
in Signing Papers.

Mrs. Edith Carow Roosevelt, widow
of Theodore Roosevelt, was the prin-
cipal witness for the State yesterday
at the trial in General Sessions of
Mrs. Emma Richardson Burkett of
Hillsdale. Ind, who was indicted on a
charge Of forgery last July after she
had attempted to collect $780, 900 from
Col. Roosevelt's executors on the rep
resentation that he had borrowed the
money from her while conducting his
last Presidential campaign In 1912, and
had given her his promissory note
for it.
The indictment against Mrs. Bur-
kett, while not charging her with hav-
ing signed COL Roosevelt's name to
tho note, charges that she uttered"
the paper knowing it to be fraudulent,
and attempted to obtain money by its
use. In court yesterday she wore a
faded dress Of cotton print and an old
blue hat with broken feather in 1t.
Before being brought to trial her san
ity was made the subject of an in
quiry at Bellevue Hospital. At her
home in Indiana she has been regarded
for long time as the victim Of de-
lusion Of persecution by the Roosevelt
family.
Mrs. Roosevelt's testimony bore en-
tirely on the question of the genuine
ness Of the signature to Mrs. Burkett S
note and on the question Of whether
1t would have been possible for Col.
Roosevelt to have transacted any busi-
ness during the Bull Moose convention
at Chicago of which she would not have
knowledge. She asserted that the Sig
nature was a clear forgery. and that
except for few political meetings he
attended Col. Roosevelt was with her
continuously during the 1912 convention.
Mrs. Roosevelt was dressed in deep
mourning and came to court with George
Tinlen Roosevelt. Col Roosevelt's cousin
and her coexecutor of his will.
Such hours Of Col. Roosevelt's at
Chicago as were spent out OF her COM
pany were accounted for In full by Mr..
Roosevelt. He said that ne attended
every one of the meetings to which
Roosevelt did not meet Mrs. Burxett at
any one Of them or at any time during
The convention.
Other witnesses for the prosecution
were William Loeb, Jr., secretary to
Col. Roosevelt when he was President
Senator Theodore Douglas Robinson.
who Is his nephew: Lawrence +. Alb
bott, president of The Outlook, who saw
Col. Roosevelt sign his name often when
he used to write for the periodical, and
Samuel T. Jones. assistant cashier of
the Chemical National Bank. All the
witnesses-Mrs. Roosevelt emphasizing
It esrecially-said that outside OF the
handwriting itself the title "Col" pre-
fixed to the alleged signature marked
1t at first glance for a forgery: that
Col. Roosevelt, although addressed al
ways by his military title. never wrote
It before his name. As for the sigma
sure itself. they all insisted that 1t was
q particularly bad initiation.
George Emlen Roosevelt testified.
moreover, that he always had been Col.
Roosevelts business manager and could
say positively that there was no reason
for him to have borrowed the money to
pull himself through his campaign; that
ne never was pressed for money during
the period Of 1t, and that II he had been
nc could have turned to a score of
friends who urged him before he went
10 Chicago to let them know imme-
diately II the campaign chest began to
go low Of funds
In presenting the note to the Roosevelt
executors Mrs. Burkett waited until ter
months had expired after Col. Roose-
vclt's death, and told O story of tht
money having been borrowed and taken
away In cash by him and one Charles j
ehunson. whose name appears also or
the note. Shunson, she said, was Q
rough rider with Col. Roosevelt, and ir
1917 went to France with the American
army. The army records do not beal
this out, and handwriting experts have
declared that both the signatures tC
the note were written by the same hand
In explaining where she obtained sc
much money to lend, Mrs. Burkett has
declared that an uncle of hers who
"struck 1t rich in Alaska. bequeathet
Il to her, and that for years she kept Il
In trunk.
The nature of the defence she will
make was not outlined by her counsel
She will testify for herself to-day.