The Banker Who Let His Subordinates Do the Stealing—and Bet the Jury Wouldn't Believe the Witnesses
At North Yakima, Banker Edmiston is mounting no defense of his own, betting instead that the prosecution's witnesses—including a bootblack who once fired five shots at him—will be discredited.
Harry Carstens, of this city, returned yesterday from North Yakima, where he has been in attendance at the trial of Banker Edmiston, who is under indictment for receiving deposits in the Walla Walla Savings Bank when he knew it to be insolvent. Mr. Carstens, in speaking of the trial, says:
"While Mr. Edmiston is not putting in any evidence for the defense in this case, he is reserving it for the other cases. He is relying on the insufficiency of the evidence of the prosecution, and on points of law, in order to secure an acquittal. The feeling of the witnesses against him is strong and apparent, and their own consciousness of their position under indictment for worse crimes is so great that the weight of their testimony is discounted. One of the witnesses is Tobit the bootblack, who fired five shots at Edmiston on the street one day. On the stand he is very bitter, and not much is thought of his testimony.
"It is not claimed that Edmiston personally took the money, but that he allowed his subordinates to take it. They are the cashier, Phipps, and the manager, and they both are under indictment for forging fraudulent mortgages for the purpose of raising funds for the bank."
“"It is not claimed that Edmiston personally took the money, but that he allowed his subordinates to take it."”
The Walla Walla Savings Bank case was a Gilded Age white-collar prosecution, with the accused arguing that underlings—not he—forged mortgages and took deposits. Modern financial-fraud trials still turn on the same questions of intent, delegation and witness credibility.
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