Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-02-06

+. ,,dc Of the contents of the vaults: and gentlemen
Id ARMED that the President had been wholly 'eie'
md GROSSLY negligent in failing to detect the
,hronch personal examination OF tins account DIS
,s emitting 10 cause the quarterly examination " w
Ills n he regularly and rlgdly made. But wi,'e W
[, did not deny that there had oeeh hes'. ~ III.
u on the part of the President, as oil the olhel II
a,ors in emitting these quarterly eNanilna,iohs ne
I'D wholly dissent from the opinion OF those VINO mann
,;neJ that the President was culpahle Tor la'ithS y
m,ta that uersoua examination OF inc account u VIZ
IN { Cr.cn which would have led To the drtectoh OF
i''i - -; lie conceived that those duties, the
no,,,I observance Of which, would have prevented
lilo overcbackn. of the private accounts OF bearers "
sneedilv detected il when II dld happen - 80
stitu,ed part of those details IN Tie iite'"ai nun"
m, n, of its affars which dad not ana cou'u ~:
n.rlv f, within the range and routine Of 'ie oa"a
dn,;es of the President of an extensive banking hs'
tuten like that Of the Bank of Virginia lney uesu
ed upon other officers and not upon the res'uo
from the nature of his office, could not pe
to keep up knowledge OF such details ui''ts'
inn 70 some partcular case. Gentlemen had deauoeu
the aroumen MI that the President should nave 'iau mn
self advised of the state OF the private accounts VI
ers from the terms of the 18th OF the or5ina'
tons Of the Bank by which II IS made the duly VI NV
President to supcrntend the conduct OF all persons
plovcd IN the bank terms which they construct -
mean that he should look every thing, and Should SUI
peryise the of every officer, from the cashie. ~
his bureau down 10 the Waterman at the saes' ~
h. thought those expressions were 10 be construed anu
taken in somewhat qualified and restricted sense,
The same argument founded upon them, when proved
that the President should have kept himself aavlsea "
the state of the account of Green and Mefflii, anu
thus been enabled to detect this detacation, proved
also that he should have made and kept hihisei "'
uuanicd with the OF all the accounts on Tue ooo"s
Of the bank least the absence Of any circumstance
inviting his attention particularly to the former, OF
creating any greater suspicion OF lrreguiarty III wan
in others, and such IS shown TO nave eAis'eu'
But for the President OF such an institution % heeP
himself advised OF the state Of the accounts Oh .e nun
drcd and odd banks and still more numerous private m
diyiduals who had dealings with II, would be PLAINLY
impossible. 1t would wholly superccce the aischafse
of his other more appropriate duties. VT Il" lhous"'
such duty only devolyed upon the President when
circumstances rendered his personal attention ne
cessorv in any particular case And this idea lie thought
fully borne and sustained by the order OF the Doao
of Directors of the 9th Of Feb lo9, which was 50 re-
rarded as explanatory and decaraory OF the Oh
the President and Cashier, and as enforcing certain au
ties be perormedb by the officers OF the bank by 'na
order measures be taken BRING the business III
arcar and periods were established, at which all the ac-
counts Of the bank, with the branches ana other oanAs
and individual dealers, TO be stated and paiahceo
and a particular mode directed 20 be observed IN
stating the accounts Of individual dealers: and, IL IN
striking such balances, the books Should be found not
TO arree certain duties required to be perform
ed by the book Keepers 10 the end that such vafia-
tons might be discovered and corrected means
was also provided, By which the Tellers were TO be
kept advised of the state Of the accounts OF dealers
and the balances credit, order that overdraitS
might be avoided; and whenever they did happen,
it was directed that they should be reported II
was then further provided, that the cashier should
see to the observance OF those orders and am aii-
ure of any Clerk, whose services were required Gl
der them, to be reported by hun 10 the fresi-
dent, with 4 10 the acton Of the Board II was
also made the duty Of the Cashier daily to inspect the
cash accounts OF the Bank, and 10 examine the Teller
settlements, and compare them with the cash account;
and any material variance that might occur was to ne
reported 10 the President, with view to the acton oil
the Board Now, Mr. Lee would ask, if not
nes from this ORDER, that those duties, tie perform
ance Of which would have detected the overdras OF
Green's account did not clearly dcvore upon other Of
ccrs and that the attention Of tine President was not
expected 10 be drawn tins SUBJECT unless appeal
were made 10 him, and ms aid invoked By the Cash
Ter, By the very OF the ORDER the Cashier was
the person selected that those officers performed
the duties required; he to whom The general su-
OF this branch entrGsted and he was
10 report omissions OF duty, on the part OF any OF
those officers any variance between the cash account
and the Trllcrs settlements, 10 the President. Upon
such report being made them that officers attention
was called 10 the subject, and his action invoked 1t
does appear that any such report was nj any time
made no such delinquency as IS contemplated by that
order OF those duties which would have prevented or
speedily detected the oyerdraits, was ever reported
he In: Cashier In The President for the ompaint
which 10 have been made against Dabney, by
The Cashier OF minor aud TRIVIAL oi:isSions 81
duy not such as conld create any Suspicion o! his
tidelity-and, III truth, the Cashier could make no
such report for he never had the slightest suspicion
OF Da5ucy improper disposition OF the iund entrusted
10 him, lie would NOT have entrusted hun win the
large amount Of money that he did suffer him TO retain,
over and above the necessary Tor the daily iransac-
TORS of the Bank Mr. L. therefore, thought that the
..rcme raj superintendent ol;he President was ci-
feet modified ami restricted by this order; and IN the
absence Of any compliant on the part .! the Cashier OF
any such ii the prescribed duties, the perform
ancc Of which would have detected the orcrdraits the
President might well be excused, II he not fully
justified, for believing that those duties had all been du-
~ aad faithfully performed, and tina. his ignorance Of
the actual state OF things tins score, could not be I'M
puted 10 HIM crime.
But Mr.. Lee said he did not think the President was
ccnsurabe for allowing the Cashier TO permit Dabney
TO retain IN his possession the very large sums OF mo.
ncy beyond the necessary wants OF The day and
that he, well the other Directors was also censn-
rabe for falling 10 have the quarterly examinations
OF the vaults Of the Bank regularly made The omis.
SONS Of duty, doubtless, proceeded from the very
great confidence reposcd by the President and Direct
urs in the Cashier, founded the uniform correct
ness of his accounts and from tho md unior
,unac confidence rcpuscd by the President, well
the Cashier in the First Teller \ ID for all tins conf
dcncr far It related 10 the honesty aud integrity Of
Tie Cashier there every Justification Ills character
III THIS respect, has well and fully stood the test and
shore the brighter for tho ordeal through which it has
passed He had long served the Bank, first as Teller,
then as Cashier, had been from time 10 time entrusted
with millions Of money, and had ever faithfully admit
nsered and accounted for them 10 the uttermos far
thing. Had he been watchu and vigilant as he
honest and upright, that body might have been spared
the necessity OF the investigation IN which It was
gagged But his consciousness of rccttude had,
perhaps, rendered HIM less prone 10 suspect the homes
" Of others And as 10 the confidence rcPosed, as
well By the President the Cashier, in the fidelity Of
the FIRST Teller much might be said in excuse for
it, Confidence IS plant Of slow growtl-let, in
this case, it might well be urged that sufficient time
had elapsed for full expansion and Development
Dabney had been for years the service Of tie Bank
and the universal esteem in which he had been held
this community, from his youth upwards, the respect
ability Of his cxions, his family his general deport
and manners, his habits of business and economy
all seemed to preclude the possibility that he could
bezzle the moneys Of the Bank for his own benefit
much that lie could connye at the populations OF
ndv hy he hp cd