The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-06-30

the courtroom at Hertford
yesterday when James Nc
Nider, star witness for the
State in the case against II. I.
Sullivan. alleged bank de-
faulter, gave in his testimony.
People have marveled at Sui
livan's composure. He sat in
court yesterday calm. COM
posed and unabaShed, listen
ing to evidence that may send
him to a felon's cell. The Sc
cret OF his present calm has
been disclosed; the great an
guish and mental strain for
him was over when the fact
of his defalcation was exposed
early in February. But he
must have lived a lite Of ter
~or for days and weeks before
the crash came.
James M"Nider. an attorney
law, told how he hNd deposited Sl4.-
80 of unregistered Liberty Bonds in
the Farmers Bank & Trust Co. OF
which Sullivan was cashier. way
back in 1920. He borrowed first on
IL $1,000 on these bonds. but later
Increased the loan by $4,000. From
month Ia month he renewed his note.
! leaving the S14.250 in bonds aS col
| lateral. But when he went to make
| fnal settlement in December 1921
| his bonds were not there. McNidcr
tcStifeS that Sullivan told him he
had uScd the bonds in an outside
hank to borrow money for tho Farm
crS Bank & Trust Go. This sound
ed plausible to Mr.. McNider. Small
banks do such thingS-take the col
lateral of their borrowers and trans
| fer it 10 other banks.
But the first of the wear l922
! rolled round and still Sullivan could
not show the bonds. Day after day
! then Mr.. McNider called at the bank
FOR his bonds and day after day Sui
! livan told him the bonds would sure
" come some other day. Finally
| McNider became inSiStcnt and de-
manded TO know where the bonds
were. Sullivan told him they were
/ IN bank in Norfolk. McNider there
upon insisted that Sullivan go with
! him to Norfolk to get the bonds.
! Sullivan agreed to meet McNider in
Norfolk the following morning. But
he didn't. NIcNider telephonpd him;
Sullivan gave an excuse and prom
ised to come on the next train. But
the next train brought no Sullivan.
nor the next. McNider killed two
days in Norfolk waiting for Sulli
van. And then he came back home
and reported the fact of his missing
bonus to Henry Stokes. president of
the Farmers Bank 4 Trust Go.
Then began an investigation which
resulted in the State Bank Examin
or closing the Farmers Banking x
Trust Co. on Friday. Feb. 10. An
investigation of the banks affairs
disclosed a shortage of S6O.00O and
no one could account for the miss
ing money except IL. {. Sullivan.
Sullivan might have accounted. but
he didn't. He assumed the mar
tyred. prosecuted air common to men
accused of embezzlement and limited
that everything would be explained
later. He hasn't explained yet.
Whether he will go on the stand in
his own behalf in the trial this week
remains to be seen.
The trial of Sullivan did not get
under way ut Hcrtford until 9:30
o'clock Thursday morning. He is in
dicted TO begin with on only one
count. charging him with embezzle-
ment of S14.25000 and the wilful
miSapplicatiOn of so many Liberty
Bonds. the property of james s. Me-
Nider. If the State fails to convict
upon this count. other indictment 5
are pending. One report has it that
he is accused on something like forty
counts all told.
Sullivan is represented by an i'm
= posing array of counsel. Meekins Il
Mcmillan. Aydlett & Simpson; Col.
Harry StubbS. of WILLIAMSON. and
e. ROyden Pugh. This is the bat
terry of lawyers that will try to con-
vince the jury ut Hertford that Sui
livan is poor, innocent victim of
circumstances and ought to go scot
free along with all other alleged bank
= dcfaulters in North Carolina. J. {.
Il. Ehringhaus, Solicitor for the
State is assisted by {. w. Whedbee,
of Hertford.
The jurors. selected from Il special
vcnire. are w. ii. Garrett, Tarlie
Twine. J. II. Byrd, J. W. Ferrell
VIM. Riddick. J. Il. Hare. Joshua
Winslow. \. II. Stallings, ]. +. Jack
son. ". X. Hendren. ]. 3. Holmes
I.