Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-05-05
GREAT BANK DEFALCATION
$751; A Abstrae ted by the Teller.

sss.oo0 Abstrae ted by the Teller.
From The 81. Louis Democrat. April 81,
This community was greatly surprised on
yesterday. to hear that the cash account OF
Geo. o. Atherton, Teller of the Southern
Bank of this city, was short to the amount
of several thousand dollars. Mr. Atber,on
was Tor many years a clerk in the old Stale
Bank, has been Teller in the Southern.
ever since it's organization, and has been
generally known to this community as a
man of strict integrity. Since his arrest he
acknowledges that he has been sppropria-
ting to himself portion of the deposits Of
the bank for some time past, until the
amour: of his distractions has reached the
sum of $53. .Oe0. t
In fill con tession of the whole matter
he has told what he has doae with the money
He saws he mad loaned it. or the greater pari
of it, $47 600, to Raynor & Co.. OF this city
of VII lch firm his broth. rim law is mem-
b,r. I-T-r
The manner of this defs lcation and the
mode of cOncealment adopted are new and
ingenious. Mr.. Atherion, when he desired
to abstract money, put both the deposit
ticket and money il his private drawer, so
that, the deposit ticket not being on the 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 De ioand out until the bank book
was sent to be balanced. when Mr.. Aihcr-
ton, always ON the lookout Tor those pass
books, would make out deposit ticket tol
the amount he had retained OF that account
and put it on the f e TO be credited.
But in doing this. he would put in his
drawer the deposit ticket of some other de
depositor of that day. In this way he tool
moneys and used them, which he never al.
lowed to be cred ted to the parties until tn ere
was necessity for 1t To save exposure.
This affair had not affected, nor will i
affect, the standing OF the bank, which il
deservedly popular insttui ion. and is man
aged oy men of the first business quaIfira
| tien ..i'
At about 10 o'clock Monday night, tn
President, Cashier, and several of the direc
tors of the Bank, called at the police Office
and desired aid in securing the person O
one of their tellers, whose name they de
cliDed to give, but whom they accused o
having embezzIed the banks fund to lary
extent-to what amount they also dec
stating. They were apprehen<ive that tn
guilty man WIS about leaving the city, II
indeed, he had not already escaped. Capt
/ Fealy, of the Night Guard, at once dispatch
ed Sel geant Moore, Officer O'Learv, an
the private watchman of the Southern Bank
to the residence designated as that of tn
teller, on Biddle, between Flireenth an
Sixteenth streets. The private waichma
was sent to identify the person TO be arrest
ed, while policeman was placed on patro
at the bank, which is on Pine, near Mai
street.
The residence, an elegant three-story ed
ifice, was found wrapped in silence and dar /
ness, and with The doors fastened. An az
p.ication for admission occasioned eviden
alarm, as the windows above opened an
closed, and no other immediate response wa
given. A noise was heard as of some perso
atte mpting to leave the premises, and Sci
=. gesnt Moore entered the yard, where h
found person whom he knew not to ue tn
: accused but who is his brother-in law. TIL
door was at length opened, and G sorge {
Athertrn was pointed out as the victim q
:, his folly and crime. He sat writing at
table. The officers thought they r, eivs
evidences of a preparation on his part ;
leave. Their unwe lcome entrance had ais
} to be endured by Mrs Atherton, who san
Power ess into her chair. beneath The crust
, ing infection. He was conducted to tn
= Police Office, where he gave his name, a n
> made apparently unreserved acknowledge
zen # his guilt.
; Yesterday he VA we'd the preliminary eA
am natinn before he commit t ng mug is'rat,
, and was aced Jnil, to come forth an
T; plead guilty at the bar Of the Crimin'
! Court.
J The event reals the mystic ,inus fire ,
the Missouri State Bank. on Main stree
t above Il year ago AIherton was then rr
P gagged there, and Was lett writing at la,
, hour in the office. The origin of the iii
, was never satisfactorily explained; nor
? we know that serious suspicion was attacf
8 ed to Atherron on that occasion.