Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-05-21
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/ rameroy's tSew YorA) Democrat.
About, q r.. N. on Saturday, r. L.
Taintor. cashier OF tho Atlantic Ma
tIonai Bank, Of No. IL Nassau street,
I entered the private Office Of Freder.
lex ID. Tappan, president Of the Gal-
latin Nafionaf in Bank Wall street,
and saluting him Informed him that
he was cashier OF tho Atlantic Nation.
al Bank and a tefaulter. to tte extent
Of $i00, 900. Mr.. Tappan sprang from
his chair and confronting tho man
who had SO cooliy made 90 remarks.
fble q confession, asked him why lie
had come TO him,with such . statement
Taintor, thoroughly self-posessed,
sacd that II was because Mr.. Tap.
pan was Chairman Of the Clearing.
house Committee, and he wished to
! reliDguish bis trust into the hands of
/ that ofIicor. Scarcely able to believe
what he had heard, Mr.. Tappan
again asked why he had come to
lin Ia ninko such q terrible confess
-i.n. and Tainior replied that tho
bn+k ssfirials were, about to make
aIn cxa,.iisaison OF his books,
and fs cAi,rea'ment was no longer
itos-ib'r. hc wished TO avert q scene
i,y anticipating their action, although
he knew ~ what cost 1t would be to
| himself.
! Mr.. Tappan instructed him to re-
turn TO the bank, and there await his
own ron,in. with the other members
OF the Clearinghouse Committee.
Taintnr returned to the Atlantic Ma
.iional Bank, and Mr.. Tappan immc-
fdia,elv tclegraphed TO the other men,
bers of The Committee, Messrs Ca
dup, Haycs, Hunter, Leverich, and
PeISins, to meet him in order that
they might proceed 10 Investigate the
condition of the bank.
Between two and three p. N. they
entered the Atlantic National Dank,
where matters were going on rs usual
Taintor doing his work, and giving
instructions to his ssubordinatos.
Tho Committee, finding that the
bank was so, hopelessly ins0lvent, did
not make as thorough m exdinina-
tion as they would have done il there
had been any doubt. They discov.
cred, however, that the default was
between $4O0, 600 and $4S5;0O0 as fol-
lows: $150,00O worth of property de-
posted in tho bank for safe keeping;
$75, 900 in gold, represented by tick
cts for $25 600 and $50, 900 in the CASH
ier's drawer, and securities deposited
| with bank rs tho collateral on loans.
| Throughout the whole afternoon
Taintor preserved the most imper-
turbab!e denaeanor, never betraving
the slightest emotion, but relaxing oc-
casi0nally into facetious mood, when
he would address some commonplace
witicism to tho unfortunate deposi-
! tors, who, ignorant of his share in
| their misfortunes, did not resent his
words rs they would have done If
J they had known the truth. During
the examination he was frequently
called upon to answer questions and
explain some details OF the entries
and he always responded with i'm
passive alacrity. The examination
finished, deputy Marshall, who bore
a warrant issued by Commissioner
Osborn OH the complaint of District
Attorney Bliss, made on evidence
furnished by the Committee, took
Taintor into custody, and transfer
red him to Ludlow street Jail. Tain
tor is about thirty-three years OF
age, below the medium height, neat
in dress, youthful and rather prepos-
sessing in appearance. He GENES
from an excellent family in Windham
Conn.,, and his fatheris capitalist
aud owner OF stock in the Gallatin
National Bank. Young Taintor, af-
ter coming in this city, began as a
clerk in the Union Bank, and rose
from that position to be teller in the
American Exchange Bank, where he
was employed several yoars.
Recommended highly to Mr.. South
worth, he went to the Atlantic seven
!. years ago as general accountant.
His accuracy having been proven he
was made first assistant cashier,
and five years ago cashier. He Is
married, and has family at New
Rochelle. So far as is known he has
never been dissolute or extrayagant,
living within his salary, and accord
ing to his own story, a passion for
stock gambling alone has led him
into his difficulties. His speculation
began almost with his installation as
cashier, but heretofore hc has always
been able to have straight accounts on
inspection days, or at least to make
them appear SO to his confiding supe-
riars.
RECENT RoRBERIEs AND DEFALcA-
TIONS.
). The following are among the more
prominent forgeries and defaults i'll
this city, within a few years past.
I Henry B. jenkins, cashier OF the
Phenix Bank, was arrested on Au-
gust IL, 1865, on charge of embez-
ziiug the funds of the bank. 1t was
asccrtained that he made way with
$500 900, which he had spent on
lewd women. He was sentenced for
a term of years, and died in prison.
i On August 16, 1865, less than o
week after the arrest of jenkins,
Wall street was electrified by the an
nouncement that Edwin i. Kctchum,
the heaviest stock and gold specula-
tor on the Exchange, member of the
firm of Norris Ketchum, Son & Co.,
and rcputcd to be worth several
millions i'll his own right, was mis-
;. sing, and that he had forged gold ccr-
tiiicates an1 other collaterals to a
very large amount. On.thesc, as COL
laterals, he had borrowed sums
amounting in the aggregate to more
than 2,OO0,0 900. Nearly every down
town bank and most of the promi-
nent banking and brokeage houses
were victimized to a greater or less
amount. Ketchtim subsequently sur
rendered himself, was found guilty,
and sentenced to tive.years' imprison-
ment.
John Ross. prominent broker, on
May 5, 1866, by series of skiilful
forgeries OF u number of tho down.
town banks, obtained:gold certificates
and cash to the amount of $500, 600,
and escaped with his booty to South
America.
! A tin box containing bonds aud
railroad securities valued at nearly
$500, 900, belonging 10 Crocker, Wood
& Co., ship chandiers and commission
merchants at No. so South street, was
stolen from the vault of the Marine
Bank on August 25, 1866.