Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-04-17
The Outrageous Bank Dedication.

count The town talk estimates it at $40 900 w,
give from last Mondays Compiler the following part
guitars OF thts atrncrous transaction:
ri; TiE e E Aiss2;a GE:Sf e c XHsnE1oy
:, The abscond'ng Of the first Teller of the Bank o
virginia, and The astounding deficit in the Bank funds
'"ce ucVeloped, have accustomed excitement in this
co, community which wc suppose was never equaed
ne extensive, highly respectable and popular connex
IONS OF the Teller, the cordial and universal esteem and
confidence entertained for him, give the discovery 81
's gum degree OF astonislmcnt and pain he
described. Words inadequate TO express the dis
tcssed state Of the public mind Nor the least painful
view OF the aitaIr is the tendency it must have &c
strengthen IN our breasts the feeling Of dsrust of the
honesty of our fellow men. VIM. B. Dubney's was n
sPotless reputation his general dreanor was popular
MS address, manly and polite his disposition kind and
accomnlodatins-add TO which he active, able
Bank officer No opponent would have stood in the
way OF ms promotion to the higher stations in the inst
tution should a vacancy have occurred. And when
snch man stoops to fraud, it is not surprising tina,
confidence should be disnayed and alarmcd-that she
should look abroad with tmid and suspicious glance
since she so late awokc but to weep
The deficit in the funds ofthe Bank is ascertain
Gu 10 be SoOO,OoO with perhaps the addition Of some
S'ootjO! No official announcement Of the exact
amount has been made. THIS will materially dcprcss
The energies and trade of our city. So much capital
taken from lis commerce must be serious drawback
Saturday, by virtue of warrant issued by his Honor
Tue Mayor, B w. Green of tins city arraigucd for
examination with reference to certain charges prefer.
red IN the said warrant. This warrant was issued at
the Instance and upon the information Of Anthony Ro-
benson, Esq, Cashier OF the Bank Of Virginia. and in
substance reccd 'that the said Green had aided coun.
scllcd and allotted with WIN e. Dabney, late Teller
OF the Bank Of Virginia. rlonousy TO enbczzc from
and detraud the said Bank of n certain large sum Of
money-at least To the amount of so, 900" Joseph
Mayo, Esq, aud ) 5 Baxter, Esq, Attorney General
appeared for the Commonwealth and Il. w Leigh and
james Lyons, Esqs for the prisoner Anthony Robin.
son. Esq, was first called witness for the prosccn-
tlon-and testified generally to the condition of the
cash drawer and vaults under charge Of Dahncy-and
with reference TO sundry rules and laws of the Bank in
It's manner OF conducting its business and with regard
to numerous other matters which ii would he tedious 10
enumeratc, and then proceeding to testify as Ia
the subject matter OF communications made to him hy
Green after the departure of Dbney and pre- vius 10
the commencement of this Experimentation upon
motion of prisoners counsel, the evidence contained
therein was excluded from being heard, upon the
ground that these communications were made by Green
under impression derived from the Cashier Robin
SOM through Mr. Lyons that prosecution was abou,
10 BE- commenced.
at allowed By witness that though no such pledge
or promise had been gwen asked yet he did NOT
doubt that the communications made under that
impression; 10 which impression HI. acts and sayings
had doubtless given color; and under the rule
law regulating such cases, the motion sustained
From the evidence Of Tins witness it appeared ta, ai.
Ter the sudden departure oi Dabnev, upon cXarn;l-
ton being instituted, there was found 4 deficiency in
the cash Of his drawer the amount Of thirty
to forty thousand dollars There were found, however
some checks Of b. W. Green's and some of his own,
placed as cash. and a few bills and receipts, &c.;-I
md upon extending the examination into the vault
DundrS Of checks Of the same description, and others
irawn by other houses III the city, were found lyin"
ntcrapcrscd through with bank notes, unlahccd,
loosely and carrle.sly laid down. Witness testified
hat 10 the amount of about thirty thousand dollars
here neither checks or any thing else 10 account
md that the gross amount which these checks were
placed for, was several hundreds ni thou
much distracted lron the funds of the
Bank. [lunor says, up t. last reports from the
ni,tcc FIVE hundred and forty thousand dollars Wit
ness further testified that notes from Green and
,ihcr papers found N the counter drawer: and
IOlc at Green : 10 DIbnry requesting the loan Of
=, 600 iDr day, and abiding 10 former iavors Of the
ort introduced This was the state Of things al:
or the departure Of Dabncy. Witness further tcsti
led that Green had credit AT the Bank and Tor some
lmc past had KEEP, arcontthcc He further ,cs;i.
led that III his official character he had forbidden
rcrn checks TO be received unless funds IN the
Bank These checks has been tus received for near
: year. Several Bank Directors called, who
csiiiird generally to the same facts.
cdr II. j. MilcrtcSiiic, that lir sometimes acted as
ID Teller in the Bank, and that ii was within his
knowledge upon It's being reported 10 Dahncy that
here were funds to meet Green's checks then
lrawn, that Dabney had afterwards said that tho said
checks were paid.
''rhese the material points of the evidence |
rainst III" ""c"~"A IT." r-""! "In- -: '''~ ',.""
el for The defence manly, that acts Of ovcrdraw
ng were common among men above suspicion, who
we're never prosecuted and that Green had drawn these
,!ccks without criminal mt"nt--t" which rcpl led
" the other SIDE that this distinction III The must
,. made that unlike the other supposed by tuun-
cl in which the transaction was known 10 the Bank
md went on the Lsoks, this bore evidence of being
designed be- secret and fraudulent, and herein lay
he ust of the charge The defence further contend
=. that these checks had been regularly paid by Green
|, the time or The time Of drawing, but from the
.ar,rssncss of his manner of dong business had been
eft in the hands of Dabncy, and lad been thus sub
,titutcd bv hun (Dabncy) for money by him abstract
3D. Thus throwing the nnus of the pccunary stua-
Ion on Green and the burden of guilt on Dabncy |
Many witnesses some officers other Banks, were
introduced 10 prove Green's careless manner, and that
he same facts had happened III transactions with them
The defence further cnncndcd that Green could moi
received THIS money, since 1t would have render
ID HIM entirely easy his business, while 1t had been
IN evidence that he had been pushed very ha:d for funds
Ia meet his payments, all Of which replied 10 III
succcIlcs Of some cn.ih Ivy the opposing Counsel. Al
Ter lengthy discussion. lasting from \. NJ until ~
F. NJ Green Was duly passed on lor further ryauina
ton: but was released from custody upon Application o!
his Counsel, giving bal in tie sum of live thousand
dollars.
,.Wha, the termination OF the affair is TO he, what
lmoun, Of ruin be brought upon individuals by the
affair and the failure OF Green time only can disclose
The matter however, 10 our eyes, was involved IN
cloud of my stcry, which the examination tended little
to disslPate
Ii is due 10 the People 10 have this matter thoroughly
nrobed 10 the bottom, and the true offenders held up
10 the public Indignation. We are happy TO iind by
the following paragraph from Wednesdays Compiler,
that an official nvcStgat is ordered. l. ought to be
full searching complete We shall never be safe the
public morals be pure until these chartered
Institutions shall become thoroughly amenabc 10 the
tribunal of the public; until they are completely re-
formed; better regulated srcrny rcstrctcd and
hubble offenders fully exposed and strictly punished
,sThe Executive has under the law of 81 appointed
Attorney. General Baxter and Mcssrs Holden Rhodes
and Jos Jackson, commissioners 10 examine into the
condition of the Virginia Bank, and report tlcrenpon.
They commenced the examination yesterday and viii
prosecute il steadily until completed. Mr. Jackson IS
Chief Clerk in the lst Auditors Office, and Is one of
the best accountants in the State. We are sure the
expose of these gentlemen will be as full and sasiac-
tory possible.
iooiLrr scrae in HE Drama.-Icstcrdays Compiler
states that "Bcnjamin w. Green again brought
before his Honor, the Mayor, yesterday under new
al Il