Evening star., 1932-06-01
L|NK|NS IS BARRED
IN C0BLENTz TRIAL
Defense Prevents Washing.
ton Real Estate Man From
Taking Stand.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CUMBERLAND. Nd, June 1.-The
State was checked today in its at
tempt to put George r Lirkins of
Washington D. c., president CT the
George w. Linkins Co, a real estate
firm, on the stand in the trial of
Emory L. Cobentz
The defense objected on the ground
there was no reason to have the States
expert without having several which
the defense will bring here from Wash
ington. The defense said it had not
been advised of the States intention
and would not be prepared today
Linkins is TO testify as to the value
Of washington realty in connection
with securities held by the Central
Trust Co. of Frederick, which closed
its doors September 2. Ccblentz, as
president of the bank is charged with
receiving a deposit when he knew the
bank was insolvent.
French CorreCts Testimony.
William B. French. treasurer of the
Central Securities Co and the Blue
Ridge Securities Co. of Frederick, sub
salaries of the Central Trust Co. re-
sumed his testimony. French sought
to correct statement he made yes
terday that note of the Walbrook Sc
curities Co. for S1097 1872 .76. was worth
less and declared today it had a value
Of Se08c2 20 and the company had as
sets of 2l.764 per cent to meet it.
This caused the defense to attack
French's qualifications as a witness.
although he was not testifying as an
expert, but an officer of the company
The testimony of both yesterday and
today, analvZing the account was or
dered stricken out. French held he
testified as an accountant and not an
expert. The two statements offered BY
the State as to what the Walbrcok
Securities Co. owed, however. were ad-
mltted as evidence and the court said
the matter could be gone into later.
S95, 600 ncte, now held by the First
National Bank. of Signers. Pittsburgh,
was the next item on which French
was examined The npto had five
signers, among them Coblentz R Paul
Smith and John S. Hershey, French
said. This was a note of the Guaran-
tors Investment Co.
Wardman Evidence Given.
No interest had been paid on a note
of William H. Staley of Frederick,
French said, and when he asked for a
payment, he met with no success.
French went into detail yesterday in
connection with the loans made Harry
Wardman of Washington and concerns
in which he has been interested A
note for S2l ,69055, executed by Ward
man: three notes totaling 22,5O550 of
the Wardman Realty & Construction
Co and Wardman debentures, obliga-
tons of the Wardr1an Realty & Con-
Struction Co. involving S302, 500 of s
per cent securities, were dissected
French said he met with no success in
attempting to make collections.
Paper to the amount of 81 500 000,rep-
resenting loan to the Blue Ridge Sc
curities Co. a $4,000 note of the Fred
erick Realty Co., which has gone out of
business; a $4,000 note of w. Eugene
Sanders, an employe of the Central
Trust Co., and S25,0 900 note of Claude
Hahn, stenographer, were all dWelt
upon in the testimony. French had
list of holdings which he said he and
CoblentG had gone over, some being
marked good and others doubtful.
James j. Burning, jr., Pittsburgh real
estate man, was put on the stand as an
expert in real estate appraisal and his
testimony was admitted after much OBJ
lection on the part of the defense. He
valued building on Center avenue in
Pittsburgh at S51 1000 on which the
Pittsburgh Investment Securities Co.
had 100000 bond issue and Central
Trust Co. had two of its bonds of $780,
900 each.