The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1859-03-31


brother-in-low Of Mr. Breslin-resident|
in the samo towu--and, though differ
ing in politics. they we're con6dentially'
intimate in Oh their relations, A mu.|
tuality Of interests and desires for sue.
cess in business and otherwise, had ce-
mented their relations TO degree not
usually found 10 exist. Mr. Gibson was
| a bold and interruptions odventurer I'M
/ business; but, previous Go tHe election
of Mr. Breslin as Treasurer in 1851,
had not reached any high point of sue
cess, either in his finances or In his
\ profession. Witnesses who had known
/ him for years testified that nt the time Of
MI. Bresln's election be was p0s5essodIof
but little property, one Of them fixing it'
as low as $4,000. Another, who had
known him twenty years, did not know
of his owning any real estate outside
of his fathers farm He was not then
the owner Of bank or raiIrood stock
anywhere, and the real estate he own
ed was limited in quantity, and all with
in the bounds of Seneca county.
HE "LAUNCHEs OUT" EXTENSIVELY.
! Upon Mr. Breslin's election he not
only became security himself, but was
active in procuring others to become so.
During the first year Of Mr. Breslin's 81
/ term Mr. Gibson does not seem to have
been engaged in any public financial
operations involving the use Of any
greater amount Of means than he could
have legitimately controlled, but during
the second year he seems to have launch.
ed out, not upon the "legal deep but
upon a financial sea- lie FIRST became
e stoUkholder in and President Of the
Tihin and Fort Wayne Railroad Com
pany, to which he seems to have paid
about SI4 600 In cash. Both he and
Breslin deny positively that any of the
money came from the State Treasury;
but the Committee state that there were
ono other known sources" from which
he could have obtained such an amount.
They also intimate that he was connect
ed, as the agent or partner Of Brcslin,
with some Of the bogus banking opera
tons alluded to above. Before the cx
piration Of Mr. Breslin's first term, be-
sides becoming President of this Rail
road Company Mr. Gibson had become
partner in the Banking House of VIM.
c. Hedges & Co., in Tifin 1t is to be
presumed that Mr. Breslin must, to
some extcLt, either through Gibson or
otherwise, have been of some service to
the firm, for Mr.. w. c. Hedges became
one Of the securities for Mr.. Broslin on
his second bond, at the request of Mr..
Gibyon, and upon his intimation that it
would result in some advantage to their
banking office.
He also embarked with johnson in
the Seneca County Bank, to which al.
lusion has already been made.
A MYSTERIOUS BANKING PROBLEM.
At the time Gibson purchased the
Seneca County Bank, 1854, he says he
thinks he was worth 100000. Where
did he get it, and in what did it consist
the people of Seneca county will ask.
He says it consisted ofaccouuts, notes and
real estate located in Ohio, Michigan,
| Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa. To en-
able him to purchase it he made collec.
ton Of his notes, accounts, &C., to the
amount of $4,000 or $40, 900, and sold
some real estate, and borrowed some
money. He paid into the bank S51, 900
in cash, all from his private meaus.---
The bank paid regularly large dividends
which he received; yet the loss in pre-
MUM, and depreciation of bonds sold
was $4,000, and in the effort to sus-
tain the bank, and redeem its circua-
ton, in 1857, from $4,000 to $4,000
more, as Gibson swears. How, with
this large loss, johnson and Gibson
were enabled to withdraw from the
bank, in 1857, the entire amount of
their capital in cash, is one Of the f.
nanoial problems which may be solved
at some future day.
RE CoNCEALs BREsLlN's pEFALCATIoN.
He took possession of his office Janu-
sry ! 4, 1856, and, as he now states, re-
ceived officially but S353,865 "a, when
he should have received S855 853 81, if
he had not before been concerned pri
vately in the abstraction of a part of IT,
On the 18th Of March, 1856, he makes
and publishes an official statement Of the
condition ofthe Treasury, specifying par
tioularly TO what account tho funds be-
longed, and Of what they consisted
showing that there was, on that day,
an unexpended balance in the Treasury
Of $1,000, ,225 %, thus, in just two
months after he became Treasurer, de-
claring TO the people that there was no
defalcatiou in the Treasury
! On the 29th Of March, 1856, ia a bt-
ter addressed to the Hon. Alfred Kelley,
| Chairman Of the Senate Committee on
! Finance, he stated that he had received
from John G. Brealin, late Treasurer.
from the l4th Of January TO the Sd Of
March, 1856, S836,1O1 81; and in his
6rst annual report Of November 18th.
| 1855, no acknowledged tho receipt Of
the entire amount due from his prede-
cessor, Mr.. Broslin, except the sum Of
| 5000 92 which, however, he had
charged to himself
During the same month the Senate
instructed It's Financial Committee TO
examine minutely into the condition Of
the Treasury, which resulted in their
finding 10 the Treasury, or under the
control Ofthe Treasurer, or accounted for
| by him in a satisfactory manner, all the
| funds which should have been therein.
| At that time Mn Gibson stated that his
predecessor had placed him in funds
necessary 10 meet his entire liability 10
the Treasury except el30,000; that in
regard TO che drafts, accounts, &o., re-