Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-06
C. \. BRINGS Kraft RECORD
into $4,000 DAMAGE SUIT
Attempts 10 Show Irregularities in Returns to St.
Paul Headquarters; Case to Run
Until Thursday.

W. Kraft, dining car porter, had
committed irregularities in his remit
tances to st. Paul headquarters prior
to his temporary suspension the night
of March II, 1921.
H. W. Bager, agent Of the American
Railway Express company at Havre,
testified to remittances made through
his office by Kraft to st. Paul. Carbon
copies of receipts issued to Kraft
were introduced. Bager said it was a
rule in his office that the clerk re-
ceiving money should sign for it. One
of the receipts, dated March 3, 1921,
signature, Bager said. He said he knew
the handwriting of all his force, and
that the signature was a strange one.
On comparing the carbon receipts with
remittance stubs Bager testified to the
receipts, many times during the early
part of 1921, being for more than the
remittance stubs showed. Questioned
by E. l.. Norris, defense attorney, if
the mistake could not have been made
in Bager's office, he said it could have
been, but did not think it was. Com
parison of receipts and waybills showed
that in some cases there was as much
as two weeks delay in forwarding
remittances. Bager said the only time
they were not sent out on the day re-
ceiyed was in case Of Sundays or holi-
days.
Hampstead Testifies
w. ". Hampstead, formerly assist
ant general superintendent Of the
dining car service Of the Great North
ern, testified to having been notified
on March "A, the day after Kraft was
said to have been shot by Special
Agent Ray Charnock, while alleged to
have been resisting arrest, that Kraft
had $136.34 coming to him from over
payments. The witness said from the
time he was notified OF Krafft's
alleged irregularity, he saw kilograms
which passed through his office show
ing the status at the st. Paul offices
Of the suspended porter. The wire OF
March Is showed him $3.50 short. The
and S25 payments. The wire Of March
u said a large remittance had been
made, clearing Kraft by $136.34, and
that steps would be taken to refund
that amount.
Two Endorsed railroad checks, one
for 500 and one for $38.34, were
introduced and said by Hampstead to
be the numbers and amounts men
toned by ]. A. Blair. dining car super
intendent. in a letter to Hampstead
informing him that they had been
mailed to Kraft at Great Falls, gem
eral delivery. He notified Kraft Mt
the Columbus hospital Of the checks.
When shown the Endorsements he said
he did not think Kraft had signed
them, but that they showed having
been cashed by the Great Northern.
Forwards Money
A. X. Samuels, night manage of
the Western Union here, testified to
having forwarded $3.50 to the treas
urer of the Great Northern at st.
Paul, for a representative of Krafft's,
on the night of March Il. He said he
received 1t from an expressman whose
name he could not recall, with in
structions to send it with the following
message over Krafft's name, to make
up shortage claimed by company
Warren 0. Hartman, Great Northern
civil engineer, testified to the correct
ness of a plat of the locality where
Kraft was st, t by Charnock the night
OF March %. The plat was introduced
as an exhibit.
Il. j. Dwyer, manager of the local
office of the American Railway Ex-
press company, testified to the n
in which money is RENTED by express.
Tuesday marked the fifth day of the
trial. 1t was indicated by w. /. Gift
and K. H. Glover of Veazey. Gift &
Glover, defense attorneys, that testi-
mony of their witnesses would extend
into Thursday, which will make the
seventh day.