The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-05

BANK swINDLER OF THE AGE-cULPABLE NEG.
LIGENCE OF THE DIRECToRS-FIFTERN YEARS
IN PRISON.
London Times.
Brought to trial 90 tho h of November last,
Eug. Tkint de Roodenbeke hes, after q month
of hearing been found guilty of 1A9 distinct
sets of theft. and sentenced TO fifteen years
solitary confinement career makes him
stand out even among the many authors OF
gigantic frauds who have given something
like distinctive character to tho criminal ten
denotes Of this generation.
About twenty years ago be went into the
Bank of Belginm a SUPPLEMENTARY clerk.
Gradually he rose until be became the head OF
bhe department which ls charged with The
management of the securities committed to
the bank. Although he had no private for
tune, he was coon one of the largest and most
intrepid spectators on the Bonree. He eni-
ployed no fewer than twenty-five agents to
conduct his gigantic operations in Bfuesela
0nd Paris. Within five yeare one OF these
Rsntleusn bought for him seourities costing
462, 1913 393 francs. and sold Others TO the value
of 46l 1928 III francs Another bought for him
to the extent of l07 1853 COZ fraucs, and sold to
the amount of 10Y 297 972 fraGcs The com.
mission of Que Of the ogco5s came to sbout
$500. These transactions dit credit to the
audacity of bank clerk with Sslary OF 6 165
year But his euccess was not equal to MS
boldness
He was in truth, the uo,I unluoky Of speeu.
lators, for hs lHst from trst to last about half
million sterling on the Bodrse. 30 far his
mishars be traced bat be must have
allowed great deal more OF the bsnk's money
to clip into the hands of more fortIpate gam
blers than himself. He was q rich man, never
theless, until tho coming of the evil day when
he had to take a ticket to Lon don, ouly to run
into the tolls of the law at Queenstown. In
1875 he estinated his fortune at ESQ 600, and
his yearly iucome at GSO00. Even after his
career had been rudely cut short, and when be
was passing through Liverpool on tue way to
the haven of tao Unitsd States, ho was able to
ask, and TO get, nearly five thonssnd pounds
worth of change in dollars for Bank of Bsl-
9iom notes. TX Mt is clearly o mao or Renlns
in his own wNy.
But the most extraordinary part of his story
touches the manner in which he got the money.
His method was NJ 1sterpiece OF simplicity
end nudacity. 1t was his business 10 keep an
account If all the securities Deposited IN the
bank. Hs had access to them only throcgh
She secretary, NJ, Heyvaert ~ho kept tre key
of the stroug-room in which they Were placed,
and never allowed 1t to go out OF his poeses-
sion. Every moruing, at zen, I'kint sent q
messenger to him with a list OF the corpors
which would be needed during the day, aud
that cfficial was allowed t, take such docu-
ments he pleased. Such was tne secretsry's
trust in TKint that he did not think of oom-
pairing the papers taken out with the liot
given iu tho daily memorandum, nor of in-
Quiring whether the bundle of documents
which was returned each night wGs exactly
the Same thBt which had beeu delivered in
the morning. He did not take {; Q trouble
even to count them. Ia the interval some OF
tho securities were stolen aud the theft care
fully concealed.
Such . practice could not continue for year
after year without raising euspicions out of
doors. T'Kint's speculatioDs on the BonrSe
could not be bidder; bis manifest wealth must
have been q subjtct of keen curiosity and ct
last, in Septemh her, 1875 be seemed to DO caught
in the act of fragrant robbsry. Belgian Son-
stor named Bssbofshem, who bad placed the
vouchers for 1 .S59 preference shares in the
custody of the bank, had reason to believe that
they had been sold, and, in order to see
whether his euspcions were well founded, he
Al1akh Nnl6 HIEn n IA
delivered to him on particular day.
They were placed in bis hands at the ap'
pointed time but, on examining the numbers,
he found that they were the very shares which
T'Kint bad disposed of in two lots. The thief
had, however, bought them buck in time to
place them in the hands of the owner, and 1t
was afterward discovered that to get the money
requisite for the redemption, he had stolen the
vouchers of 400 shares in the Grand Luxem'
bourg Railway.
When taxed with the sale of III. Bisschofs
heim's property, he coolly replied that he had
oonfonnded that gentleman's shares with bis
own, and the excuse was compiHcently Ro-
cepted by h: Fortamps. the manager of tie
bank. Indeed, it would have been impossible
for him to have carried on his frauds unless he
had been aided nv at least the culpabe negli-
gence of that CfIioisl. A much harsher name
was given to tho managers conduct by the
Pablo Prosecutor; for Fortsmps stood in the
dock with T'Kint, and he has shared in the
condemnation, although he has received
mnch lighter sentence.
Then, however, came what might have
seemed @ more formidable danger, for N. Van
devin, one of the directors, was appointed to
examine all the securities. Bat T'Kint was
warned of the danger in ample time; he was
warned by Fortamps, the manager, and,
strange to say, by ID. Vsndevin himself. So
very clever person had little diff Guilty, there
fore, in preparing for the scrutiny by stay ing
at the bank for several evenings after the other
clerks had gone home, and fobricating sche
dulles to take the place of those he had stolen.
he carried on the work of forgery ct the very
time when NJ. Vandevin was leisnrely proceed
ing with the scrutiny. Nay, 80 bold had he
become that he stole securities in the midst of
the investigation.
MiBled by forged papers and plausible ex.
plantations, n, Vandevin signed certificate
that all the securities were in proper order,
with the exception of fives and even in the case
of these be suggested that the documents be-