Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-03-29

! TIE Merchants BANk SCIC10E--COnsi6e--
{ sble excitement was occ2sioaed IN S;Ste street
/ yesterday morning, By tie announcement Ihzt
/ Mr.. Thomas ". Hooper, the paving teller Of
{ the Merchants Bank, had committed salclde.
I Il seems that in examining the ;ells-'s leash
account on Monday. the President was IN
1 duceds-in consequence Of an unusual amount
I Of bills OF one O. tive other banks,-to question
him with regard 70 the nstfs-. The teller re-
/ Piled that his cash WIS correct, and. up0n ex-
animation. his account with the bank was
found 10 be 50. The President was a. the
bank early yesterday morning, being sill sus-
plciOus that al was not right. and renewed
the inquiry Of Mr.. Hooper why II was that he
had on hand 50 large an amount Of bills OF the
GFocers and Atlantic banks. The reply was
no. entirely satisfactory, and NJ Hooper sem
ed displezsed that the matter should be press
ed, IN view Of the fact that his sscash account
had been found TO be correct. This was about
nine O'Clock in the morning. Mr.. haven
said his duty demanded close inquiry. and
Ar Hooper replied that this was tue, and ez-
pressed the hope that the inquiry ould be
persued without delay. He seemed cheerful
about the narGeT. At the close Of this con-
ye-sston. and without returning 70 his desk,
he left the bank, and nothing was heard Of
him until about half-pasi ten O'Clock, when
the porter found his l5feless body suspended
from beam IN the cellar Of the bank build
ing. The porter, greatly frightened, and
without having recognized the bCdv, informed
the directors Of the bank that "1sn had
hung himself in the cellar Il appears that
Immediately after leaving the bank, he pro
ceeded 20 = store in Commercial street, pur-
chased clothes line, and with i returned 10
the basement OF the bank. He doubled the
cord, and having male moose in one end, tied
the other 70 beam IN the ceiling. The hal
Ter thus adjusted, he got upon e stool, tied his
legs last. put bis neck into the Moose. and al
lowed his body 70 suspend. Three strands Of
the rope we're found 70 be broken, and Il Is
supposed that this was occasioHed BY the first
shock.
Inquiry was now instituted as 70 the pres
enee Of 50 large number OF the bills Of other
banks, and Il supposed that on Monday al
teEnoon, when Nj. Hooper knew thai the
cash was 10 be examined BY the directors, he
obtained, on certified checks, through the
agency OF E broker, NJ. Augustus ). Peabody,
the sun Of SIS. O90 from the Atlantic Bank,
and an e9ual sum from the Groee-s' Bank
L was also escertained that he Borrowed some
5000 from 3 friend.
The directors re-exanined lie ''cssh ac-
count Of the late leller, and found L u be
correct; and 80 far as they have been able to
ascertain. none Of the Merchants Bank funds
hare been enbezzlei. The telleEs Of tie At
Iantic and Grocers- Banks-who loaned $780,
600 Of their employers funds On unguthoriz-
ed and Illegal certificates, and that, too, in
the face Of the statement 0. the broker, Nr.
Peabody. that the directors Of the Merchants
Bank were about % examine their telleTs. cash
account, and that M. Hooper wanted the
money IN order 70 make It goodwill ind i
difficult 10 gre an explanation which shall BE
satisfactory for conduct 50 INV srrsltl1le---
What has been done with the money raised
BY AIr. Hooper does not yet appear 70 any de-
gree q certainty, but II Is supposed that ne
has been dzbblIng II stock operations
Mr.. Hooper was 7f-y years old. He
leaves vile and three children. he had been
connected with tie Merchants Bank ~ : per
iod Of twenty four years
Coroner Smith has summoned iury q IN
quest over the boCy.
Since the above was written, we have head
Of two ether parties from whom loans were
obtained BY Ar. Hooper, to the amount Of
SIS, 900, which makes the total anount Dor
rowed-to make his s'cash account Ii Tor
inspeetion-to be $4,000. Had the teller
committed self destruction On Sunday. the
burden which has now fallen on the GroceFs'
aud Atlantic Banks, and individuals would
have fallen on the Merchants Bank.