The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-05-07
From The St. Louis Democrat, April 9th.
NJ fol

This community was greatly surprised, on
Yesterday, to hear that the cash account Of
Geo, 0. Atherton, Teller of the Southern
Bank of this city, was short TO the amount
of several thousand dollars. Mr.. Athereon
was for many years q clerk in the ola State
bank, has been Teller in .hhe Southern ever
since its organic Ton, and has been gener.
ally known to this community as man OF
strict integrity. Since his arrest he acknowl-
edges that he has been appropriating TO
himself a portion of the deposits of the bank
for some time past, until the amount of his
distractions has reached the sum Of $685.
| 900.
| In full confession Of the whole matter,
| he has told what he has done with the money,
He says he had loanedi it, or the greater part
of it, $47 900, to Raynor and Co., of this
city, of which firm his brother inlaw is a
member.
We understand the bank has taken extra
securities, which, together with the bonds,
will be amply sufficient, it is thought, to
cover all losses.
The manner of this defalcation and the
mode of concealment adopted are new and
ingenious. Mr.. Atherton, when he desired
to abstract money, would put both the de-
post ticket and money in his private drawer,
so that, the deposit ticket, not being on file,
the book keeper Of course could not enter
on the ledger that amount.
These discrepancies between the deposit
ors bank book and the individual ledger
could not be found out, until the bank book
was sent to be balanced j when Mr.. A., al
ways on the look out for those pass books,
would make out ticket for the amount he
had retained on that account, and put it on
that account, and put it on file to be credit
ed.
But in doing this he would put in drawer
the deposit ticket of some other depositor of
that day. In this way he took moneys and
used them, which he never allowed to be
credited to the parties until there was ne
cessity for it to save exposure. We are glad
to know that the amount is no larger and
that the bank is well secured.
This affair mad not affected, nor will 1t af-
feet the standing Of the Bank, which is de-
servcd!y popular institution, and is man
aged by men of the first business Qualifca-
ton.
At about 10 o'cl OK Monday night, the
president, cashier and several Of the Direct
ors Of the bank, called at the Police Office,
and desired aid in securing one Of their tie >
. lcrs, whose name they declined to give, but
whom they accused Of having embezx,cd the
banks funds to a large extent-to what
amount they also declined stating. They
were apprchensive that the guilty man was
about leaving the city. if, indeed. he had not
already escaped. Capt. FraIv, of the Night
Guard, at once despatched Sergeant Moore,
ID ~,
of the Southern Bank. to the residence Gcs-
ignat"d, as that Of the teller, on BiIdle, be-
tween FIrthtecnth and Sixteenth SITS. The
private tntchman was sent to identify the
person to be arrested-whllc policeman was
placed on patrol at the bank, which is on
Pine, near Main street.
The residence, an elegant three story edi-
fee. was found wrapped in silence and dark
ness, and with the doors fastened. An az
phcatlon for admission occasioned evident
alarm, rs the windows above opened and
closed, andno other immediate response was
given. y noise was heard us of some per
son attempting to leave the promises, and
Sergeant Moore entered the yard, where he
found person whom he knew not to be the
! accused, but who is his brother-in-l Law. The
door was at length opened, and Geo. O.
Anterior was pointed out as the victim of
this folly and crime. lie sat writing at q Ia
bic. The officers thought they perceived
evidences of preparation on his part tC
leave. Their unwelcome entrance had also
to be endured by Mrs. Anterior, who sank
powerless into her chair; beneath the crush
ing inli"ton. He was conducted to the
Police Office, where he made an apparently
unrcserved acknowledgment of his guilt.
Yesterday he waived the preliminary ez-
animation before the committing magistrate.
and was placed in Jail, to come forth and
plead guilty at the bar Of the Criminal
Court.
Here are wofully, weighty and uDspeaka-
bly, significant facts. They should preach
loudly to every one-to the highest and Sc
curest- of the insdious and ineritabnJ
crushing nature of crime.
The event recalls the mysterious fire at
the Missouri State Bank on Main Street,
above year ago. Anterior was then en-
gagged there, and was left writing at a late
hour in the office. The origin of the fire
was never satisfactorily explained; nor do
we know that serious suspicion attached to
Athert0n on that occasion,