The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-11-09
a Fictitious Bank Exploded.

from tie L'GiO 1C'H EpFeSS o. to0tHT0GY.
At the commencement Of the week in
formation was given to the Chief Of Po-
lice that swindling operation was being
carried on in this city at No. 60 William
street, termed the Merchants Exchange
Bank, from which had issued bills 10 I;
very large amount, winch were circulated
West and South, and that the pretended
bank had no existence but upon the face
of the paper they had issued. The mat
ter was Immediately placed in the hands
Of Mr.. MeKellar, (clerk to the Chief Of
Police, who was SO successful about a
year ago in breaking up the operations
known as the Farmers and Merchants
Bank of Georgetown and the Merchants
Bank, Anacostia. Mr. Mcclellan asso-
ciated with him officer McPhcrsop, one Of
the Chiefs aids.
The bills are headed Merchants Ex-
change Bank, Anacostia, District of Co.
lumbia, and are signed by f. Z. Curtis
as cashier and H. Dewey as president,
and printed endorsement was across the
front of the bills, Redeemed at the Bank
Agency, 60 William street.
From an affidavit made by Fred. E.
Curtis, of No. los. Third avenue, it
appeared that between the 1st and the
10th of July, 1854, a person named Jones
came to him and said that there was a
new bank about to start, and that they
desired to have him as cashier. An in
quiry was made as to the salary the per-
sons were willing to pay, and request
made for day or two for consideration.
Mr.. Curtis, after consulting his then en-
ployer, agreed to take the situation, and
went to No. 60 William street, where he
was introduced to Holdenge Dewey.
Leonard Westbrook, Alfred Hyde, an
other person whose name he did not re-
collect, as the persons who were about to
institute the bank. He stated bis busi-
ness, accepted the situation, and was i'm.
mediately set to work to sign the bills as
cashier, which he did to the amount OF
$4,000. Also, that all the bills were
made and signed in the city of New Yook
and that there is no such bank in the
District of Columbia. The bills were al
SO signed by Dewey as president, and cir
culated most extensively in the West.
Mr.. George 6. Jones, of Cincinnati, a.
gent for the Cincinnati, Little Rock and
State Company, deposed that he made a
contract with Mr.. Dewey, who agreed to
purchase $4,000 worth of stock Of that
company at par, with the understanding
that the payment was to be made in the
notes of the Bank. $4,000 was paid,
and Mr.. Jones agreed to circulate them
in Arkansas upon the understanding that
when presented they were to be redeemed,
and that the bills should be quoted in
Thompson's Bank Detector on the same
footing as other country banks. This
was afterwards varied, as it was stated
that he did not know whether he could
get it inserted there, but would try, but
that an arrangement equally effective
would be made.
William A. Fincauld, 90 Wall street,
treasurer of the Hayerstraw Iron and
Mining Company deposed that on the 7th
of September, 1854, he made contract
with Messrs. Dewey, Westbrook, and
Hyde for Sl0,0 900 of the bills; $4,000 Of
the bills were given, and two checks, one
for $500 and the other for 81 500, The