The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-02-11
Nine Years Of Theft.
New York nmss.

ness world. Mr.. Turney, the paying tel
Ter Of the bank, has confessed to @defal'
cation amounting to more than 100000
As usual, the thief ia the very last man
who would have been suspected Of such
crime. He was reputable in his life,
puuctual at his post, and chad no bad
habiu.n He lived within his income, and
was generally trusted and respected. Yet
for nearly ten years, be has been stealing
from the bank, muddling away his plum.
der in speculations in Wall street. Be-
cause he was trusted and respected, It was
easier for him to rob his employers than
Il would have been II be had been n roys-
terer, or a gay" young man. And this
only shows that a well managed financial
institution does moi, and should not
trust implicitly its employees; itdoes trust
a system by which an absolute check is
placed upon those employee. There was
no such system in the Bank. of North
America. It Is not necessary here to go
into details. It's sufficient to say that
Turney stole the banks money to specu.
late with; that his thefts extended over a
series Of years, and that he was not found
out until, an investigation being expected,
he went 10 his superiors and confessed his
robbery.
Tender.hearted people who dislike un-
pleasant epithets may demur at calling q
thief by his right name. In this case 1t
appears that Turney took the banks
money to use in speculation in the Stock
Exchange. OF course he expected to
replace what he had distracted. BE was
not . vulgar thief, who snatched bank
notes out OF the cash drawer and went
on riotous carouse. He merely abor-
rowed' The money Of his employers with
the honest intention Of returning it when
his speculations prospered. His specu-
lations did not prosper and he took more
money. In this way he squandered
money which was not his until he had
FILTERED away large sum. he would
repay II he won; II he lost-but this was
contingency which is never faced BY
the amateur gambler. Therefore the
Paying Teller Of the Bank Of North
America is to-day seli.conyicted thief.
Business people have various phrases for
the disguise Of Turney's crime. II is an
outrage to call so reputable gentleman
thief. But, morally, he Is Just as much
thief as one who might have slipped
behind the guarded counter Of the bank
and then ran away with 500, 600 in his
hands. Turney stole the money TO buy
stocks and gold with. 1t was not his
money, any more than il was the money
OF the office clerk who turned the key Of
the safe In, which 1t was deposited at
night. II he had been lucky in his ven.
lures (which he was mott, he might have
paid back what he had taken Even then
be would have been no less thief, al.
though he had secretly made restitution.
Ignorant outsiders will not dare to
question the methods by which bank
conducts It's business, There is mighty
maze in such management, which mere
laymen, IMMERSED In the mysteries oil
book. keeping and finance, cannot be ex.
pec,ed to understand, much less criticise.
Nevertheless, we will venture to say that
there must be defect somewhere In a
system Of accounts which enables man
10 steal from a bank, year alter year,
without detection. By some hocus.pocps,
which we do not pretend TO be able to
explain, the cashier Of the Bank OF North
America was daily hoodwinked. SINH
larry. It was the business Of the President
and Directors OF the Bank TO examine its
sfTairs from time to time, In order to see
II everything was straight and business
like. II they did examine the affairs oil
the concern, they were unable 10 detect
series Of theils extending over ninO
years.
OF course, il the managers OF q bank,
who are supposed toexercise dailysuPer.
vision over their business, can be thus
imposed upon, the Bank Examiners are
much more easily satisfied with false ap.
pearances. The bank officers do not SC
behind the falsified accounts, apparently
The Bank Examiners have even smaller
facilities for piercing the cunning wall oil
/ uRuTGa NUlCu ulFuOUtbb ClhHOyNo haJ
have erected TO deceive their employers
The precise method by which Turney and
his accomplice imposed upon the mana
gers Of the Bank OF North America Is moi
yet made known. 1t ia promised that the
trick shall be exposed ia order that Other
artless managers shall be on their guard
But it ia not likely that any article Of
phenomenal depth Of cunning will be
uniolded. Trusty, smart, highly respect
able, bald headed gentlemen, who specu
late in stocks in their intervals OF duty a
the Tellet's desk, can easily impose OF
their employers. Such men have th,
confidence OF their superiors; aud theii
superiors trust their employees and lie
their patent safeguards rust. Not lonl
ago, when great defalcation was discov
cred in this city, the Times asked how
many confidential clerks would read tn,
details Of the affair with certain sens'
Of guilt and insecurity. Probably, Mr.
Tufney was one who read with fear ant
trembling.