The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-09-01
THE BnOOKI.YN DEFALCATION

1t hardly seems possible that a man could
cody and deliberately steal over two hun
drcd and forty thousand dollar, and escape
detection More than that and that the
parties, from whom it should have been
stolen, should have been in entire ignorance
Of the theft; that the nan should come in
and 90 out from among them, day after
day, still handling and controlling more
and more of the same funds constantly we
know not but daily-adding to his pccula-
tons, and vet not a breath of e"sriei.," Of
acning 10 nm. Yet such was and is the
case of Rodman, late secretary of the
Brooklyn trust company. and deputy
city treasurer. 1t was known or ought to
have been known, that he was engaged in
business operations or speculations that re-
quired the use of larger cash capital than
he could legitimatey command, yet no
suspicious were excited. His dcfalcation
to the trust company may, perhaps, be
satisfactorily explained by his relations
with and to the defaulting president, but
that was mere drop in the bucket. Two
hundred and eight thousand dollars tilchcd
from the city treasury, and not the least
suspicion was entertained that anything
was wrong. When the defalcation was
discovered in the funds of the trust com.
pany, and he was confesscdly one Of the
beneflciaries thereof. he was still allowed
access to the public funds. What COM
mentary does this afford upon the manner
of transacting the financial affairs of the
city; the class of men appointed to places
of responsibility and trust. and the char
actcr of their subordinates. An eminent
statesman-as remarkable for his ability as
for his spotlcss integrity -once said that
every man had his price. The idea that
he meant to convey was. that the human
heart was so constituted that there were
certain temptations impossible for it to re-
sist There is too much truth in the say
ing, and especially is it forciblc at tho
present day. when wealth can command
influence position. power and office. VIVA
right, then, has an official receiving and
'i'. w Nii'u
sands Of dollars to leave such temptations
in the way of his subortlinates:
The pecuniary loss, to be sure, in th
casc, fell upon the principal, and To thu
honor Of CORTLAND A. Sprague, the cit,
treasurer. be it said that he promptly sacri
feed every dollar Of his private fortune
and saved the city harmless from loss Blu
is he entirely free from moral guilt: III
knew his subordinatcs, or he should no
have appointed them. Yet his most trust
ed subordinate, the man standing next il
position to him, his own deputy, is allowe
the opportunity of stealing two hundre
and eight Thousand dollars Was eve
such moral and mental blindness seen be
fore? In one position of peculiar trust, Ii
was discovered as a defaulter and pecu
lator, vet the thought is not suggested tina,
with greater facilities and fewer guards, h
would take advantage of his opportunitic
1t seems strange that the mere fact that h
was engaged in large business enterprise
and speculations-a he must have been
have made way with so large sums {
money-should not have put the parties il
terested on the enquiry. 1t seems sti
stranger that man who could have d
liberately planned the robbery Of his en-
ployer and patron-for he must hay
known that he was primarily liable TO Il
city and of ample pecuniary responsible
to cover the same-and, at the same tim
while pretending to act for the trust con
pany, save them from all responsible.
should not have displayed such evidence
of moral obliquity as would have arouse
the suspicious of even an obtuse man.
is equally strange that such man cou
have originally obtained the appointmel
of secretary of respectable trust compan
the deputy treasurership of so large eli
as Brooklyn, or even responsible cler
ship in either that having obtained Il
appointments, he could have obtained got
and sufficient bondsmen-reputable m,
too-or that he should have 40 long a