Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-09
The Man that Never Was Found Out.

ell of throughout the country. A man
enjoying unlimited confidence, having IL
falr 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 carrying on his business
by the aid of forged paper, but had until
now been able to conceal his steps. A
/ full confession was made to the court by
the guilty man, and this with his subse-
quent conduct after sentence TO the peni-
tenliary were made the occasion of COOL
deal OF comment in the newspal ers and
among business men or those who were
socially connected with the forger.
Two gentlemen, among others, were
talking the matter over one day, shortly
after the prison doors had closed upon
lialcroit, 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 cu pabilty of the banks which had for
long time received IIolcroft's paper
without any examination. from the gen
eral trust which they reposed in him.
Il" No bank or person has II right" he
exclaimed, to accept any securities with
out the closest scrutiny In the interest o
the community they are bound to ignore
entirely the character and reputation O
the mIn who offers his paper. and to ex-
erclSe the same care us u goldsmith who is
asked to buy Or advance 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 tested with
the utmost precaution."
"Woat you say, G ,lthwait." said the
younger man, " has Just ut this moment
the weight of this disaster to enforce it;
but you know very well that in ordinary
tines M one could maintain such vigor
Gus guard You do not Yourself look
sharply n every bank bill which passes
through ynr hands; you take it for granted
that the bulk of money in use is good, ami
only now and then are you on your guard
against II 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 | suppose they could have
taken advantage of legal bubbles and
STAYED off the final trial and perhaps got
him free after ALL"
Il doubt if it was altogether courage
on his part. | have he nd that he had
made up his mind to commit suicide when
ever the condition of his affairs should be
discovered, but when the time came he
could not bring himself to it. No, de-
pend upon it, to Il man of Ilolcroft's ma
ture, IL man of generous impulses, refined
tastes and weakened will there could be
nothing so torturing as to face his old
friends after the discovery; he would far
rather accept the solitude of the peniten-
tiary; and, besides, having II mental per-
ception of the operations of law, he would
regard term of years in the state prison
rs likely to expiate his crime, and satisfy
his outraged conscience; but it would not,
it would not"
:" No, it would not" said Farley, the
younger man. . A crime like Hocrofl's
reaches a great deal farther than you or
can trace it. and the man himself carries
IL mark in his consciousness which be can
not erase. | have always thought that
Shakespeare sounded the depths of human
sinfuneSs when he made Lady Macbeth.
even in her sleep, try in vain to rid herself
of the blood which the world did not know
10 be on her hands. All the perfumes 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 be.
lieve it. There is II ease in my mind now
of II man who carried about for years the
remembrance of an undiscovered sin, Il
sin which he believed wholly concealed
and ut length the confession was forced
from him hy the pressure from within,
and not from any external force"
" What were the circumstances?
These, if you will hear them: He
was IL young man in business here in town,
and doing fairly well. He had many
friends, and one in particular, a man older
than himself, with whom he was in the
habit of exchanging accommodations His
friend endorsed for him, and he endorsed
for his friend. 1t CHANGED that his friend
was burned out in the great fire. and hav-
ing no office he used this man safe rs a
depository for some bonds and other pa
perS. lie went off also for Journey,
saving that he should have no OCCASION to
disturb his deposit dnrinp his absence
which was to be for month. About a
week after he left, this man, whose affairs
had become somewhat embarrassed bv the
of value of considerable i6snr-
ance scrip which he .held. pot in a very
tight place. A note of his was comino
due, and he had no funds with which to
meet it, His own securities were nearly
worthless. and he was ut his wits end how
to raise the necessary sum He could fore,
see two payments due him in a fortnioht
which would be sufficient, but he had never
asked to have Il note renewed, and he h,d
II pride about it which made him now re-
fuse that relief. Then il occurred to him
that his friends deDosit would he av,;I,bln
II l'ls friend were on hand He had re-
celved temporary relief in this way before.
lhat liS friend was absent w,,s an annoy
anre anu he could not reach him, for he
was on the water. Under the circum-
stHnces, as he said TO himself, he was rs
much justified IN borrowing five Of his |
trends bonds for security in raising four
thousand dollars, ~ Il boy would be who |
should shake tree Tor apples, in the 'acci
denial absence of the farmer who hal |