H. K. White Statement - Part 2

A. No Sir very seldom. Sometimes a little as I explained this morning there would probably be $150 or perhaps $200 in cash in the cash drawer in the safe and whenever it amounted to a hundred dollars or so and I made a deposit — I would take all the coin out of the drawer and deposit it.

Q. Was there any actual shortage in your cash account at any time?

A. No Sir. Not that I have any knowledge of.

Q. When you were chargeable with money that you had received for account of the company was there any shortage in it?

A. No Sir, not that I am aware of.

Q. That is the only explanation that you can make of that? A Yes

Q. Was there any question at all of any time between

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you and Genl Colton about there being anything short in your cash account?

A. No Sir, not at all. Never.

Q. Never complained that you did not account for everything that you had received?

A. No sir, not at all, never. I only handled the money as he gave it to me and I deposited in the bank.

Q. But these small amount that you received in coin?

A. No sir. No questions between him and me in regard to them.

Q. When you closed up your cash account and gave up charge of the books you gave him up everything you had?

A. Yes.

Q Did he make any complaint or question at all about your not having anything right?

A. No Sir, not to me.

[left margin note:] D 31. 32 $ 33

Q. D31, 32 & 33. Amount of charges paid to D D Colton

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[left margin note:] x C. W. The Litns entries in fund by Colton

$50, $100 and $20, making $170. There are no receipts for this amount or any sort of voucher which explains why that should be charged against the Company. Can you explain it?

A It must be money that he ordered me to draw. I cannot give any explanation. It was as he did a great many other things. He would come into the office and ask me to give him the money without making any explanation what it was for.

Q Why in all these cases, you being the bookkeeper and Secretary of the Company and knowing that there were other stockholders, why didn't you ask Gen Colton for you an explanation about these matters?

A Well you knew Gen Colton well. Gen Colton was a man who would as quick tell me it was none of my

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business. He was the manager of the Coal Company, and all I had to do was to obey his instructions or take my hat and go out of the office. That is all I have to say about it, and I cannot give any explanation any further. If he did not see fit to give me an explanation of why he drew a certain amount of money. I did not feel that it was my duty to ask him, because he to me was the Coal Company. I knew nobody else. I might feel that some things were a little crooked or wrong, but I was merely a clerk, merely a hireling. I did not feel like dictating to him or asking him why he did things thus and so, because he was to me the only man that I knew anything about in the Coal Company. At this same time I did not feel

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like doing any dishonest act to defraud the Company or anybody connected with it but I did not feel that I could say to Mr. Colton, or ask him why he ordered such things to be done or why he drew money and gave me no explanations. I know I never got a dollar benefit from the Coal Company except my salary.

Q. You felt then that if you had asked Mr. Colton for any explanation of these matters that you would run the chances of forfeiting your position by demanding it?

A. He would either give me no answer at all or give me an answer that I would not like.

[left margin note:] D 34

Q. The next item is D 34 June 17. 1871. Expenses D D C. currency Frederick Fox US currency $165.27. The charge is that is not a payment of any liability of the Company,

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