The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-15

I examination of MT. Purcell this morning. The more important tes- tirnony follows:
 c. MT. Purcell, in the course o1 your examination you have inti- mated that you haven't had any court experience before. Am I cor rect in that recollection of you hav- ing made that suggestion? A. You're correct. 1 e. At the time you took the oath as a witness to tell the truth, di6 you then understand that it was your duty to testify to only such parts as are within your personal knowledge.
 | A. Yes.
 Q. And you understand what the term personal knowledge" means assume? It means such parts as you personally known as distin- guished from conclusions, opinions guess or what somebody else told you?
 A. Yes.
 o. The testimony that you had given in connection with the various checks that were exhibited to you by MT. Alcorn, you were inquired of as to what certain things indi- cated to you. Do you remember that?
 A. Yes.
 Q. And you answered it indicated to you that the check was not aps proved by the board of finance ano that in some cases the number o1 the check was placed at different time than issued or words sub- stantially to that effect? A. Yes.
 o. Well, both of those answers were based on deductions made by you. Were they not? A. That's true. Q. So that you did not testify from any personal knowledge al all.
 A. Not in that connection, no. Purchase Orders o. Now, the same is true with respect to the purchasing orders that had been exhibited to you from which you made certain deductions based upon pencil marks or pencil numbers or typewriter names. A. What purchase order do you mean?
 Q. Any purchase order that has been exhibited to you. Don't you remember having been shown a purchase order written on a type writer on which was shown Dunn. A., I believe they were shown to me but didn't testify in that con- nection, in connection with that signature.
 e. didn't mean signatures. mean the word Dunn" appeared ir typewriter form on the so-callet purchase order.
 A. I wasn't asked that question
 Q. You don't recall? You were asked so many questions-I don'i blame you for not remembering. | e. Now, when you testified in re- spect to conclusions that you ar- rived at that certain items not hay ing been approved by the board ot finance-that was merely a deduc- ton or conclusion made by you without an atom of knowledge at all. That is correct? A. I think the question was "What do they indicate to you" and my answer was--I answered on that question.
 @. Yes. Your recollection is quite correct. My knowledge was that when you said it ind1cated-to you was merely guess and conclu- sion drawn by you without having actual knowledge of whether they were approved. A. We'll
 o. Could you answer yes or no? A. That isn't true in all cases.
 e. While you were only present on one occasion yourself before the Board of Finance you so testified? A. Yes. It wasn't necessary for me to be at the Board of Finance meeting.
 @. I didn't ask you that, did T. MT. Purcell. I thank you for the ob- servation, but I didn't ask. A. I testified to that. Had Knowledge
 Q. You were only present on one occasion. Now, from that time or for 8 period of about eight years, the Board of Finance periodically met, went through formality of holding a meeting-you had knowl- edg of that fact. A. I had knowledge that meet ings were held but don't know any, thing about formality.
 Q. Don't you know what I mean by going through g formality of holding meeting? Let me see if ] can't help you. You testified that no less than 511 claims were presented at Board of Finance meeting and the meeting lasted somewhere from IS minutes to half-hour. You also testified, if remember correctly