Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-04-05
THE GARDNER MYSTERY.
An Incident of New York Life.
From the New York Start ia 5
uIQgINC

4
From the New York Star.l
MISSING.
/ A young gentleman aged about twenty,
hight about hve teet eight inches, isnt aalr n
black pants, dark blue shooting jacket. and
small black fur cap; was suffering with a large
I boil at the left corner of his mouth; is sup
I posed to have been made away with for the
large sum of money which he carried in a
I bank portfolio chained to his wrist. Any in
( formation can be left at the - Bank, Broad
way, where liberal reward will be paid for
! the same.
Such was an advertisement which, sew
eral years ago, might have been seen in
every paper of the city of New York.
The missing man-whose name was Jas.
L. Gardner-was employed as clerk in
! the bank mentioned and, as part of his
daily duty, had started from Wall street,
where the bank was situated, to go to an
other bank, further uptown, for the pur-
/ pose of exchanging balances. When he
left the bank, his portfolio contained
over $50, 900 in convertible funds. The
usual time for his return having elapsed,
and the evening being well over and still
no news of him, the advertisement, as
quoted, had been sent to the press and
tnc uttccbiNcc anu puhCC hothiSu' A'o
good reason for suspecting Gardner OF
theft existed. The young man was well
known to the bank authorities and the
greatest confidence was placed in him.
He resided with a widowed mother in the
country, and his connections were Of the
best. Two other reasons existed that
forbade the idea of dishonesty One OF
these was the boil which gave him in
| tense pain, and with which, as most
I distinguishing mark, he WIS not likely
! to attempt to escape; and he other, that
( the amount that day in his possession
was nothing to that he frequently had
and if wrongly inclined, he would surely
Z have chosen day when he carried a
larger sum- During the mig ht no news
or tidings came, but in the morning an
officer Of the Broadway police squad
presented himself at the hank with In
( formation.
4 He had been on his beat near the City
Hall the day before, when a stage drew
up before him, and young gentleman
4 1.-THE description of whom he gave, and ii
! tailed precisely with that of the missing
clerk, beckoned to him to approach.
He did so and was told by his summoneI
that the other two persons in the stage
had come to words, and one had threat
ened him. These persons We're q young
lady, closely yelled, and rowdy-looklne
fellow of the Bowery species.
! Gardner said the lady had entered the
/ stage Immediately after him. and ere she
was seated the rowdy had entered and
addressed her. She removed to the other
side Of the stage, sitting down next to
/ Gardner, but the scoandrel lad followed
/ her, and pushed her over on to the bank
clerk. The lady had appealed to Gard.
ner for protection, but ere he could
speak the rowdy warned him not to in.
! terfere or he would pitch into, him; and
at this crisis the policeman was sum
moned. Both Gardner and the young
7 lady refusing to give the rowdy into Gus
tody, the policeman had to content him
self with removing him from the stage;
which being done, it proceeded on its
way up town. The boil on the face
easily identified Gardner, and as the
matter now stood it seemed as If
the rowdy had found some means
/ to signally revenge himself upon
! him. An advertisement for the stage
driver who drove the stage from which a
( passenger was removed brought that in
dividual, when some more light was
/ thrown on the mystery. He had driven
/ his two fares on up town, and when near
4 Canal street two gentlemen entered, a
7 description of whom he was unable to
give. These, with the two he had, were
] his only passengers, and at the corner of
Z Broome street they all alighted. On
( looking down into the stage he noticed
, the two gentlemen assisting Gardner to
leave the stage, and upon asking what
, was the matter, was told he had been ta-
+ ken sick. and that they-the gentleman
and lady-would see to him. He noticed
that Gardner walked between the two
+ and was upheld by their arms, as if he
was sick or drunk, the lady walking be-
hind; but, driving on, he had given no
more thought TO the matter till he heard
| of the advertisement calling upon him to
come forward Here all clues ended,
and though large sums of money as re-
wards were offered, and detectives and
officers placed on the alert, no tidings
were heard of the missing bank clerk.
And so FIVE years had passed by, when
one morning a note was placed IN the
hands Of an officer on duty, addressed 10
the Captain Of his precinct.
The writing and spelling were so bad,
and the note had been evidently carried
till it was about worn out and the writing
almost illegible, that it was with much
difficulty the following was deciphered:
:. II you wants to no about James L; Gard
ner, the bank clerk, y0us vii ind him in
the paper house, Broom street.
The bank authorities were immedi-
ately notified, and the detective who had
charge OF the case at its commencement
again took it up and with some hopes
OF success. =,
Broome street was at that time well
supplied with paper houses. Book stores,
paper warehouses. newspaper and print
ing establishments. together with rag
and waste-paper stores. made up med
ley ont Of which vas to be picked one
man
To work went the detectives, and
thoroughly they searched and closely