Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-12-28
THE NAN THAT NEVER WAS
FOUND OUT.

FOUND OUT.
There had been scandalous affair in the
city of P which was much talked of
throughout the country. A man enjoying
unlimited confidence, having fair name in
business, in society and in the church. had
suddenly been convicted of forgery. NO
one becomes very base all at once says the
adage, and the disclosure was made that this
man of trust had for many years been carry
ing on his business by the aid of forged pa
per- but had until now been able to conceal
his steps A full confession was made to tine
court by the guilty man, and this with his
subsequent conduct after sentence to the pen
itentiary were made the occasion of a good
dealof comment in the newspapers and among
business men or those who We're socially CON
nected with the forger.
Two gentlemen, among others. were talk
ing the matter over one day, shortly after the
prison doors had closed upon Holcroft, and
he was lost to sight for five years. They
were sitting in the private Office of the elder
of the two near the close of the business day.
The feature of the case which most impressed
the elder was the culpability of the banks
which had for a long time received Holcroft's
paper without any examination, from the gen
eral trust which they reposed in him.
mo bank or person has a right he ex-
claimed. ito accept any securities without the
closest scrutiny. In the interest of the COM
munity they are bound to ignore entirely the
character and reputation of the man who of
fers his paper. and to exercise the same care
as a goldsmith who is asked to buy or ad-
vance money on any precious stones which
may be offered to him. 1t is not the name on
the face of the paper only, but the names on
the back which should be inspected and test
ed with the utmost precaution.
laN All ..tI Ia.
younger man, has just at this moment the
weight Of this disaster to enforce it but you
know very well that in ordinary times no one
can maintain such vigorous guard. You do
not yourself look sharply at every bank bill
which passes through your hands; you take it
for granted that the bulk of money in use is
good. nd only now and then are you on your
guard against a counterfeit issue. What is to
me the most remarkable about Holcroft's case
is the courage with which he and his family
accepted the consequences, and let the law
take its course. He made no effort to escape,
and his friends made none to keep him out Of
prison. They had money enough, and sup
pose they could have taken advantage of legal
bubbles and STAYED off the final trial and per-
haps got him free after all"
Il doubt if it was altogether courage on his
part. heard that he had made up his mind
whenever his affairs should be discovered to
commit suicide, but when the time came he
could not bring himself to it. No, depend
upon it, to a man of Holcrofts nature, man
of generous impulses refined tastes, and
weakened will, there could be nothing so tor
turing as to face his old friends after the dis
coyery lie would far rather accept the soil
tude of the penitentiary and, besides, hav-
ing mental perception of the operations OF
law, he would regard a term of years i'll the
state prison ms likely to expiate his crime, and
satisfy his outraged conscience but it would
not, it would not"
NO it would not" said Farley, the young
er man. "A crime like Holcrofts reaches a
great deal farther than You or l can trace it,
and the man himself carries a mark in his
consciousness which he cannot erase have
always thought that Shakespeare sounded the
depths of human sinfulness when he made
Lady Macbeth even in her sleep try in vain to
rid herself of the blood which the world did
not know to be on her hands. ''All the per-
fumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
hand" No one can believe that any good act
he does afterward will blot out his sin He
may believe this theoretically of some one
else, but he will not himself sin and believe
it. There is a case in my mind now of n man
who carried about for years the remembrance
Of an undiscovered sin, a sin which he believ-
ed wholly concealed and mt length the confes-
sion was forced from him by the pressure
from within and not from any external
| force"
"What were the circumstances y
These, if you will hear them. He was a
| Young man in business here in town, and do.
| ing fairly well. He had many friends, and
| one in particular, a man little older than him
| self with whom he was i'll the habit of ex-
changing accommodations. His friend Ell
| dorsed for him and he endorsed for his friend
II. I -, f,i.y hum nod nutT II
the great fire. and having no office he used
this mans safe as a depository for some bond,
and other papers He went off also for q
| Journey. saying that he should have no occa
| sion to disturb his deposit during his absence,
| which was to be for a month. About weel
| after he left this man, whose affairs had be
come somewhat embarrassed by the shrinkagt
of value of considerable insurance scrip whicl
he held, got into very tight place. mote
| of his was coming due, and he had no funds
with which to meet it, His own securities
were nearly worthless, and he was at his witt
end how to raise the necessary sum. lie
could foresee two payments due him in a fort
night which would be sufficient, but he neve1
| vet had asked to have q note renewed, and he
| had a pride about it which made him now re
fuse that relief Then it occurred to him tina
his friends deposit would be available if hi
friend were on hand. He had received tenn
porary relief in this way before. That hi
friend was absent was an annoyance, and 1t
could not reach him, for he was on the water
Under the circumstances, as he said to him
self, he was as much justified in borrowing
five of his friends bonds for security in rails
ing four thousand dollars, ms a boy would b.
who should shake tree for apples, in the nc
cidental absence of the farmer, who had oftel
| given him as many as he wanted. However
he left this for q last resort; but when the da.
came he had not succeeded in raising the mon
ey by any other means, andhe took this meth
cd. A few hours afterward the original hold
er of the note came to him almost with tear
in his eyes he had had the note discounte
a month previously, and now, knowing tn
critical condition in which every one stood, h
had been in terror lest the maker of the not
should be unable to pay it, and the ban
should call upon him, which would be the on
ly thing needed to string him up, as he said
There really seemed to be a sort of specia
Providence in it all, said our friend to himself
for he had begun to feel a little uneasy.
Meanwhile the loan which he had raise
by means of these bonds was a short one, an
he expected to meet it by the two payment
shortly to fall due. What was his dismay
when the day for them came, to learn of tn
failure of the house largest in his debt, and
be waited upon by the smaller house with
request for an extension. His friend was
return in three days and something must b