Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-08-24
ru,v,n Ronusarv i'm the Treasury.

DISPATCHES are circulating in the papers
throughout the country, announcing thaI
hanks have lost seventeen or twenty thousand
do>l,rs bv the abstraction OF their bills from
thc ComDtroller's Office, Treasury Department.
Mr. .IIulburd, Comptroller Of the Currency
las furnished the facts Of The case, when
arc as follows .-- ,oo, Aoo
On the 18th day Of September, 1904 Q ~
note OF the First National Bank OF Peru, II
iinois, was missed" from the Comptroller
Office: also, seven $50 notes OF other Western
national hanks. During 1865, several So ana
s5l notes of national banks Of New York and
Massachusetts, we're missed. In 1866, large
nnmhcr of notes Of the same denomination
were missed 10 January, 1867, 81, 5OO
worth Of notes OF the National Clty
Rank. LYNN, Mass, were missed; also,
package of notes of different denomIqaEons'
amounting to 1000, Of the First NatlonaI
Bank, Jersey City. / u
Compt. Hulburd, with the detectives, had
long been on the watch for the thief or thieves.
They finally fastened on the chief messenger,
colorcd man named j. IL. A. Schurcman, a.
the thief, and at once arrested MIN. .. ne osu
been employed in the Comptroller s once IRON
1861, and was considered trustworthy 10 every
sense. He was pompous and dlgnlheai "aS
held in much esteem by his fellows on the ou1
side. He kept and stills keeps a grocery S'ot'
on Capitol Hill, called ''The Excelsior :.
When arrested he was indignant; ne was ID
iured beyond measure; he would be ylndlcateo
SO he would and he was-ior the Grand y
| of the Criminal Court OF this District IN ECU
ruary 1867, indicted MIN.
Now. the Grand Jury that indicted SEIZURE
man was declared to be illegally drawn, o.
| there was some hitch or other about 1t, when
nrevented this important case being tried a
once. The court would not discharge the &C
cused, but released him on giving bond OF $40
| 600. which he did without trouble.
When the Criminal Court met last June thu
case was to have been tried, but the court dl!
not get through with what are called the ''Jal
cases. before they adjourned, and the case
went over until next term. In the meantime
Schureman continues to keep his grocery, nj
own counsel and his liberty. The proof agalns
him is said, by those who ought to Know Il
be very disagrecabe to him, at least so Tar as
! the So, 900 are concerned.
It appears that the accused Was entrustet
with packages and bundles OF notes, designed
for the national banks-in fact, he was entrus
ted with any and all valuabes about the Office
The national bank notes which he is charged
with stealing were all genuine, Of course, saw
and except they had not received the signature
of the president and cashier r. Of the bank to'
which they were intended: These signature
Sohurcman IS charged in the Indictment witt
forging.
The statement that the banks are the loser
is incorrect. They lose pothing, the notes no
having reached them before they were stoel
and the bank officers names certified upo1
them. The Government loses the entlF
been discharged from the Comptrollera otNc
MAY LIST 1861 there has not been . note los
| or missed.
Alter the heavy robberies were discovered
the Comptroller issued a circular, dated Ma
7, 1867, in which he informed all the bank
and banking institutions throughout the coun
try, of the robberies, giving numbers OF notes
names Of banks etc. He also gave full
statement Of the matter in his report to Con
eress, dated December 9, 1867 Wash. Ecp
|