The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-25
The Aiken Check
Forgery Case
One Man Bound Over For
Trial at Sessions Court
Hearing Continues

!
charges OF ''uttering forgery.
until the court Of general sessions
meets in Aiken in May.
Magistrate Raibon was the judge
sitting in the case and he first fixed
the bond for Lyles at $1,000 for
each forgery charge. but at the re-
quest of the attorneys for the de-
fendant that the bond be lessened.
! he announced that he would nos
decide on bond until be had con-
ferred with the attorney.
The preliminary hearing for the
alleged forgerS began this morn
ing at 10 o'clock and continued un-
til this aSFernoon at ; o'clock when
court adjourned until tomorrow.
The last part Of the hearing was
taken up with the case Of the state
against Mr.. and. Mrs. Sam Padgett.
J. C. Westberry and Melton
Lyles on charges of conspiracy, but
! the hearing was put off until tomor-
row, when all of the witnesses
shall have been heard.
Henderson Bros, prominent
Aiken attorneys, are assisting the
solicitor, r. L. Gunter, in the pros
ecution ana W. NJ. Smoak and
Sawyer & Giles are the attorneys
/ for the defense
P. +. Henderson said he intended
to have several important witnesses
on hand in the morning.
The hearing today began with
the testimony Of L. c. Eubanks, in
the employ of George E. Owens of
Aiken, who was the party whose
name was forged on the checks
passed in Aiken. Mr.. Eubanks ex-
planned the circumstances leading
to the discovery Of the forgery. He
recognized the checks and classed
them as forgerieS. saying that
neither he nor Mr. Owens had sign
ed them.
The next witness was ]. NJ.
Thomas, teller of the Farmers and
Merchants bank of Aiken. He
said, after pointing to Lyles,
there is absolutely no doubt in
my mind that he is the man. He
made an everlasting impression
upon me at the time and I could
not easily forget him"
George E. Owens was the next.
He corroborated in full all Of the
testimony given by his clerk. Mr..
Eubanks.
William Schroeder. paying teller
of the First National bank Of AK
en-, was sthe next witness. He was
positive in his Identification OF
Lyles. Il am absolutely positive
that Lyles is the man. he said,
because when he presented the
check and started an account I
talked with him for a few mo-
ments and thanked him for becom-
ing a customer Of the bank
w II. Pardue, teller Of the Bank
of Western Carolina, on whom one
of the forged checks is alleged to
have been drawn, likewise identi-
fed Lyles and said, Il am positive
beyond the shadow Of a doubt that
he is the man. AS soon as ] dis
covered that the checks were forg-
ed l wrote forgery on the backs
of them and returned them to the
other banks at once
When the above witnesses had
been heard Magistrate Raibon an
nounced that he had decided to
bind Lyles over to the court Of gen
eral sessions for trial in Ma. The
conspiracy charge was then TAX
en- up.
The hearing on the conspiracy
charge had barely started when
the lawyers for both sides began
a long debate relative to the ad.nis-
SION Of certain testimony and be-
fore the argument was ended the
magistrate announced a recess for
lunch.
Court convened at 8 o'clock and
W. NJ. Johnson OF Aiken was the
first to testify. He said that he
had seen Padgett in Aiken on
Thursday of last week. the date on
which the forgery was committed.
Mrs. Julia Wolfe. another Aiken
resident, also testified and stated
that she had seen Mrs. Padgett on
the street and had recognized her
by a unique hat she was wearing
when she was brought to Aiken
from Augusta Sunday morning.
1 The prosecution began by intro
ducins testimony Of bank officials
in other places. and a Mr.. McFall.
vice president and cashier OF the
Commercial bank OF Newberry.
identified Westberry as the party
who had passed forged check on
him. Ny Wright, OF the EN-
change bank of Newberry. also
identified Westberry.
Lyles was next identified by a
Mrs Bray. teller OF the Peoples
! National bank of Athens. Ga, and
the prosecution and defense began
another long drawn out argument
regarding admission OF testimony
as TO the manner in which the four
alleged forgerS ard swindIer> We're
arrested, and What led TO their dis
covery
Magistrate Raibon az o'clock
announced that the court was ad-
journed and the hearing would be
continued tomorrow at N o'clock
in the morning