"Johnston, a young man, told me he was hard up and asked
to use my bank account at the Commercial National. I let
him and endorsed his checks. My wife told me not to do it,
but I thought he was all right then. Well, he overdrew the
account, the check was protested, and when my name was
found they arrested me. I never knew any of the other men,
although I saw them around the office. They did too much
whispering, and I thought it did not look well."
Then, in a simple way, he went on to tell of his wife and his work in
the church. He produced a letter from the pastor of his church, the
Rev. Parker Stockdale:
"This introduces Mr. Cunningham, a member of my church. He
enjoys among us the reputation of a thorough gentleman and
a conscientious business man. He is a highly respected and
useful citizen. His honesty is beyond question."
He also had a letter from Col. Jonathan Merriam, former United States
pension agent, which was along the same lines.