Lexington, June 5—“Not guilty” pronounced the 12 Davidson county men who considered the evidence in the charges of abstraction and willful misapplication of funds of the Bank of Thomasville against Jesse L. Armfield, former president of the institution, and Zed Griffith, former cashier, when they filed into the court room at noon Sunday and rendered their verdict.
Armfield, who throughout the trial showed the strain of the tremendous nervous strain he had been under during the past year and a half when the wheel of fortune turned against him, collapsed in his chair when he heard the words form the jury freeing him. Relatives rushed to him and a doctor gave first aid attention and he quickly revived to receive the congratulations of his family and friends. The family and close friends of the accused cashier were also jubilant.
Was No Surprise
Since the State closed its case and the defense had elected not put put up witnesses, the consensus of opinion among most of the court spectators seemed to be that the jury would act as it did. The case was considered rather remarkable from the fact that the defense was able to readily to build up its side of the case from the evidence of witnesses offered by the State. When the jury received the case after the completion of Judge Long’s charge at 11:30 Saturday night, it was announced that they would retire for the night and make up their verdict Sunday morning. It is reported that on the first ballot they stood 11 for acquittal and one for conviction.
Armfield Leaves
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Armfield, who had been in jail here since his return from Mexico City last February, left with his wife and other relatives for High Point to greet his aged parents and from there to his home at Greensboro.
The highest amount of bond to have ever been fixed in North Carolina for an offense of similar nature, if not for any bailable offense, was asked of Armfield when he reached here in the custody of Chief of Police G.B. Wimberly, of Thomasville, this being $175,000. Judge Long the following week reduced it to $90,000 and a few days later to $75,000, but wealthy relatives refused to make such a bond on the ground that it was excessive.
It is reported that recent negotiations have been conducted looking toward securing the indebtedness of Armfield to the Bank of Thomasville at the time of its failure, in addition to such securities as the bank then held and which will not pay anything like the amount involved.
The present status of these negotiations is not announced. Not many people from Thomasville and vicinity came to the trial except those summoned, except that during the closing argument for Armfield by A.L. Brooks of Greensboro last night, it was noted that the court room held many from that place.
From the front page of the Fayetteville Observer, June 5, 1922
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