Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-03-19
Local Men Are Called to
Stand In Sperry Case
Continued From Page one)

| ing to the jury and his reasons for
the conclusions drawn by him. Upon
! being questioned as to how errors
/ are corrected, he answered ''by MAX
/ ing proper journal entries"
! AT 1880 D. M, Attorney Gilmore re-
! quested that he be allowed to pu"
! several character witnesses on hte
I stand The request was granted.
/ The witnesses were then called in the
4 following order James Logic, gem
eral manager of the Douglas Dis
| patch e. J. Huxtable, Douglas post
( master; w. c. Hathaway; e. w
! Graves, vice president of the First
1 National bank; George Dave, super
I intendent of the C. and A. smelter;
4 Percy Bowden, Douglas chief of po-
| lice H. w. Williams, assistant cash
/ ier of the Bank of Douglas; H. G.
1 Stillman, secretary Business Mems
| Protective association; A. e. Hinton,
mayor of the city of Douglas, also
! connected with the Phelps Dodge
corporation; James H. Barrett, fore
man of the timing and plumbing
room of the Copper Queen smelted;
Fl. A. Wmberley, who is in the mems
all testified to having lived in Doug
las for many years and of knowing
Sperry for a long time, and that his
reputation for honesty had always
! been good.
Piper again took the stand and
continued with his tracing of ac-
counts Gilmore made another re-
quest to, have three if his witnesses
put on the stand while Piper contin-
ued, as they We're in hurry to re-
turn to Douglas. These witnesses
were H. A. Wimberley, T. M Massey
and James Barrett. After being
sworn, Barrett went on the stand.
He told of meeting between him
self and A. j. McKinnon, in which
! McKinnon urged him to go to Sperry
and talk to him about the shortage
and try to persuade him to pay up
He testified McKinnon told him that
if Sperry would pay up that they
would call everything off and help
him get a good position. He said
that he later went to Sperry and
that Sperry had said: Jim, I'm not
guilty. and 1 told him. 'Well, AL
bert, stand pat if you are not guilty"
There was no cross examination.
Wimberley then took the stand.
He told Gilmore, in answer to his
questions, that his firm had two in
surance policies which were cancelled
in June, 1924, and a new policy taken
out so that it would come due in
January. He stated in answer to the
question, ''Why did you have these
two policies cancelled?': Business is
better in January, and that they had
it come due then because they were
better fitted to pay then" He said
that the perlnium on one of the
policies was 1851 and on the other
$4S75, and that the amount of pre-
MUM on the new policy was $207,
and that they had given a check for
the difference between the refund
and the total amount. When asked
what was done with the refund he
replied: I'VE were given credit on
the policy After a short cross ex-
animation of the witness, T. M. Mas |
sey took the stand. He stated that
he had lived in Douglas since Sep
tember, 1925, and had known Sperry
and D. c. O'Neil for about the asme
length of time. He testified that some
time in the summer of 1926 he had
had a conversation with O'Neil in !
his place of business in reference to
Sperry's trouble. He stated that he
did no tremember who approached the |
subject of the shortage first. In
answer to the question, do you re-
member what O'Neil said to you with |
reference to Seperry at that time?"
Massey replied: "Why don't you call
and see him in regard to this matter
and get the matetr Strengthened up
before it is too late?" He answered
"no" to the question, Did O'Neil
at that time state how much Sperry
was involved?" He said that he had
told O'Neil at this conversation that
I do not care to be mixed up in it,
did you tell Sperry at any timer
guizzed Gilmore. He said that before
Sperry was arrested he had broached
the subject to him. In the cross ex-
animation, he stated that ONeil had
told him "It would be a good plan
for you to see Albert and talk to
him. At the end of the cross ex-
animation, Piper again went on the
stand under cross examination. He
related his previous experience as an
auditor, accountant ETC.
In the cross examination, Attorney
Murray brought out the fact that all
the balances struck by Piper were
/ identical with those made by Dough-
Gritty. Piper was still on the stand
under eros sexamination when court
adjourned at o'clock.