Sword helped found Serve Canada, a privateyouth service in Toronto. He resigned from thegroup last summer when word of a district attorneyinvestigation broke.

Friends of the two former Harvard students saidthey have a hard time believing the accused areguilty.

Barnes said Lee was genuinely devoted toEvening With Champions.

"I would never believe that Chaz took thismoney, just because he was so dedicated to EveningWith Champions," Barnes said yesterday. "This isnot the Chaz that I know."

Charlie Davidson, who owns the Andover Shopwhere Lee worked, said he thought of his formeremployee "as my son."

"I've owned it for 40 years, and I've neverbeen fonder of anybody in all those years than Iwas of him," Davidson said. "This is such a shock.He was so considerate, such a wonderful worker, soconcerned with doing everything properly."

Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57, whoinvestigated when the money was first discoveredmissing last summer, said yesterday that at thetime he "couldn't foresee any easy explanation[other] than that someone had taken the money."

"If the facts alleged in the indictment areaccurate, then I feel personally that it was avery, very serious and very awful violation oftrust," Jewett said. "If this is true as alleged,it certainly was reprehensible."

But Jewett said he wanted to reserve judgmentalcomments until after the case has beenadjudicated