The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-06-07
The 50. Louis Ira gsdy.


wealthy and esteemed merchant of thirty
years standing in St. Louis, on Friday last,
caused most intesse and general excite
ment. More than 10, 900 persons are said
to have congregated in the streets at one
time, and in the midst of tie tornado of
public indignation the perpetrator of the
deed was in danger of being lynched. a
regiment of troops was called out, and
placed within and around the Jail, to vindi-
cate the law and preserve the public peace
The Republican, in giving an account Of
the motives that prompted the deed, on the
part of the assassin Thornton, says:
Some years ago the Boatmen's Saving
Institution was mysteriously robbed
of between $4,000 and $4,000, in notes
of the Bank of the State of Missouri, and
| gold. At that time, the business OF that in
stitution was done mainly in Missouri paper
and coin. Joseph W. Thontoi was Secre-
tary and principal book Keeper of the con-
Germ, and had filled that place from an early
period of its history. There were those
who. on the discovery of the abstraction of
! the funds. did lot hesitate TO point to him as
the guilty party. and for year or two he
was Ter the strict watch OF the police, and
| yet the Board retained him in his office for
some time afterward.
| Some inadequate efforts were made for
I the recovery of the stolen money, the
Board meanwhile pledging their individual
fortunes to the depositors to save them from
loss on account of the abstraction of so large
a sum The institution itself continued to
enjoy the public confidence, although no
! satisfactory information was ever obtained
I in regard TO the lost money. After time,
! Thornton was discharged or resigned his
place in the Office, and il was filled by some
one else. 1t is asonable to suppose that
he was still an object of suspicion and by
and by circumstances directed attention to
his movements. He kept deposit account
at the Boatmen's, and the Teller discovered
/ that he was in the habit, every week, or
whenever he made deposit OF presenting
/ one or more of the same notes which had
been paid out to him on some check, putting
them in with other Missouri Bank notes,
I suspected to be the proceeds of the robbery
already alluded to. His intention was,
doubtless, TO get all the stolen notes back
into the institution 10y this process, and thus
cover up the delinquency.
Two or three years ago Mr.. Thornton
caused TO be presented at the Bank of the
State OF Missouri, for redemption, some 81
200 of obliterated and soiled notes. This
excited suspicion, and on being questioned
as TO the manner in which they came into
his possession, it was stated that they were
found buried under the stump of tree, which
had been pulled up by a steamboat TO which
il had fastened It's cable, and that he had
purchased them. This increased the suspi-
eion. Mr.. Charles, president Of the State
Bank at that time, notified the ofhoo.s Of
the Boatmen's Institution OF the fact thus
discovered. At subsequent term of the
Grand Jury, Thornton was indicted fog
the enbezzlemeut Of the money of the Boat
mems Institution Mr. Charles, as his duty
required him to do, appeared before the
. Court and testified to all the facts within
his knowiedge-he could not escape. if he
had been DESTROYS of doing so, from his duty
in this respect ..
The Jury, on the trial OF the case, acquit-
ted Thornton OF the embexlement, and he
has since been going about the city. with
, rs IL would seem, very few associates OF
sympathizerS 1t is not to he concealed
; that though acquitted by the forms OF the
. law, the mass of the people believed him
guilty. The aSSassin-likc attack upon Mr.
Charles grew out of the circumstance which
We have just stated. He waylaid him-gave
him no warning - defend himself, but al
once commenced ring The attack wa:
The most dasl,-.Jily one that was ever
known, and seldom has less cause been
given for 50 foul an attempt TO commit mur
I4r