Litchfield enquirer., 1879-02-13
The Theory of Dedication and Suicide
 Elaborated.

Elaborated.
 The suicide of J. w. Barron, the Dexter | (Me.) savings bank treasurer, who was found bound gagged and unconscious in the outer vault of his bank on the evening of February 22d, 1878, and died soon after seems estab- lished beyond doubt, the deed having been committed because he was a defaulter for $3, 500. There were several suspicious cir cumstances about Barron's death, but no de- cided steps were taken to unravel the mystery until November 1st. Then the new treasurer discovered that Barron's sworn statement to the bank examiner had been tampersd with and made the liabilities of the bank $2, ,0O0 less than the actual amount. Barron's last statement to the examiner was audited by two of the trustees, and the books agreeing with it, it was approved A more minute examination showed, however, that the figures 1 and 8 in the original statement had been erased, and the and substituted, while in the sum charged to loans on collateral securities the figure had been substituted for O, making the sum loaned appear $12,7S9, instead of $1O, 7S6. These alterations had evidently been made after the statement had been audit | ed. An examination of the cash-books from November 1st, 1877, to February 22d, 1878, showed that, if the entries were correct, there ought to have been about $1, 500 in the bank. Sandwiched in among the regular entries, however, were items of various amounts, ag- gregating $1 500, which just balanced the ac- count. From Barron's cash book it appeared that $62O in cash should have been on hand, but no money was found A $500 bond en- tered on the books by Barron was advertised for, but never found, and the presumption is that the entry was made to cover deficit. An expert is now examining Barron's account for the past ten years and further developments l are expected.
 Barron is supposed to have been frightened into suicide by the suspension of the neigh | boring Newport bank, and the expectation of l a run on the Dexter bank in consequence, which he knew would expose his dedication. In Barrons desk was found copy of the trial of Scott and Dunlay, the Northampton (Mass. bank robbers, and he is supposed to have arranged details so that he would appear to have been treated in the same way that Cashier Whittlesy of the Northampton bank was, when the latter was gagged and forced to open his bank. No suspicious characters were seen in Dexter on the day of Barron's death, though it was so reported at first The phyi- clans who attended him decided that none of his external wounds could have been fatal, his symptoms being those of morphine poisoning :; and he did not die of heart disease or suffoca- tion either. There were no traces on Barron's
 
 Investigation showed that he could have easily locked himself in the vault taken poison handcuffed and gagged himself, and awaited death. This he is believed to have done. He had previously talked of suicide and inquired about various kinds of handcuffs, it is found. This is a sad seoual of dishonor to one whose death was considered so honorable. A ''Barron memorial church" was being erected at Dexter with funds contributed in Maine and other New England churches, through wish to honor his memory, while from $3, 900 to 4,OO0 was collected for his family. The lat ter were not in destitute circumstances, how ever, for Barron left them $8,00O life insu- rance.
 In the course of long article in which it shows the weakness of some of the evidence l cited in support of the suicide theory, the Bos- ton Journal says: Again, the detectives, in | apparent corroboration of their theory that Mir. Barron was in embarrassed circumstances, copy private memorandum of his, showing an in- ventory of his indebtedness in January and | February, 1878. But the memorandum shows precisely the opposite of what the detectives assume. It shows but one small item of in- debtedness, aside iron his insurance policies :; l it contains entries of three notes due to him j; | to him; and 1t shows that he had money Iii | hand for life insurance polio coming due March 13, and that the second policy was not | to fall due until three days after $250 would be paid to him by the bank. Again, the de- tectives note that the apparent discrepancy of $2 900 or whereabouts in his accounts was nearly coincident with the payment of $2,- QUO mortgage on his house but it is also stated on what seems to be the best authority, that | the town reports show that in February, 1S76 the town owed him $3, 45O, and that year la ter this amount had been paid It seems, to say the least, quite as likely that he paid off | the $2, 900 out of this sum as that he stole it from the bank.
 A special from Dexter to the Boston Herald says that Copeland Barron's administrator, could find nowhere in any of Barrons books, or among his accounts, any indication that he ever dealt in or that he ever made any specu- lations. In a word, all of his accounts proved him to be one of the most careful and prudent of men. From an examination of MT. Barron's books, it appears that at the time of his de- cease, he was worth about $3, 800, all in real estate, viz. $3 900 in house and lot, $400 in house where his mother lived, $400 where his wife's pareuts resided and $400 in half of a hill pasture. One of the first items found by the administrators in Barron's books was $500 in bonds and cash. MT. Copeland says that he has never been able to find any trace, either of the bonds or cash. He believes that MI. DdiIOu ldu IIlOucy duu UOuuS dD0uG his person when killed, and that the murder CTS took it upon the day of the tragedy. The town collector says that he left with MT. Bar ron $500 of the towns money. This amount he left at two different times at first $25O, and again 1850. The bank books indicate that the first sum was paid, but not the second sum of $35O. What Mir. Barron did with that sum, or what became of it, does not appear. It is probable that the collector will be held &C., countable for the account. Barron had $13- 900 life insurance, in four polices. Eight thousand dollars of this went to his family |: the remaining $5, 900 was assigned to the bank to cover any losses which the bank had sus- tained.
 A Lewiston dispatch says. The Dexter mystery is the chief topic of conversation here, and but few can be found who have any faith in the late development of the detectives. The Lewiston Journal has dispatch from Dexter which states that but few can be found there who credit the late rumors