The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-10-15

san Francisco, Oct. 6, 1879.
nr-HrAx Avn MS TEIAyS

moctn since the failure OF tue SO cniieO
| Pioneer Land and Loan Bank and the
/ departure OF G Duncan, who com
! bined the Secretary, Cashier. President
and Board Of Trustees and general d.
| rector in his own person. Duncan sue
ceeded. by the All of Influential friends,
! in secludlng himself for nearly SIX
/ months after the failure of his bank,
but was finally captured ia 6 building
on Kearney street IL company with a
Young woman, whom Duncan is said TO
have ruined previous to lis failure
How far true this is can only be con-
jectured, but it is positively known
that sac was there at the time Of his
arrest. and did everything in her power
70 save the old man from what then
appeared 10 be lite in San Quentin
1t was surmised at the time of Dun
cans arrest, aud is since generally be-
lieved, that in his effort to save his
bank be had rescrtsd to all manner OF
means to raise money. hoping from day
to day that the pressing demands of his
depositors would cease, and that he aud
his bank would again be restored to their
wonted position in financial circles
Tast time never arrived, and since May,
1873, Duncan has been languishius in
the county Jail awaiting conviction CT
acqui,tal on fourteen charges Of forgery
and fraud. During this period lac has
been tried five times. and in every In
stance, through some mysterious means
only known to jury manipulators. the
jury have disagreed. From one Of the
depositors have CLEANED the following.
which may account for the Hardness of
Justice: In 1874 Duncan commenced che
erection of the building on the south
east corner Of California and Montgom-
cry streets. known as the Safe Deposit
building The estimated cost Of this
magnificent structure, together with the
land on which it stands, also the vaults,
(Which alone cost 500, OOO) was 81 ,OOO,-
OoO This money, it is charged by the
depo>itors of tho bank. was furnished
by Duncan out of the funds Of the hank.
and that in equity the building prop
erly belongs to the bank and not to the
Safe Deposit Company, and for the
possession of which suit has been COM
Menced.
The forseries committed by Duncan
most easily proved are those Oh the Safe
Deposit Company, and in consequence
of which tho Company has been Eeavy
loser. Immediately after the arrest of
Duncan the Deposit Company retained
two of the abl,st lawyers TO assist in
the prosecution of Duncan. l will here
add that Duncan also managed the af-
fairs of the Safe Deposit Company with
the same absolute power as he did those
of the bank. in consequence of which
he alone can furnish such information
as will show the relative condition of
each with the other. The dcpositors,
having instituted suit against the Safe
Deposit Company for the recovery Of
what they consider their property, lave
set the latter thinking and they have
in all probability concluded that they
can much better afford to lose the $50
900 forged by Duncan than lose their
building; so the result. will probably
be the acquittal of Duncan on his next
trial. The compromise, as l under.
stand it. IS that the Safe Deposit Com
pany are to withdraw from the prose-
cution aud furnish Duncan with means
of defense. In the event of his acquit-
tai he is to show that not one dollar of
the depositors' money was ever used in
the construction Of the Safe Deposit
building. BY this means it will be seen
that there will not be the least possible
chance Of the depositors OF the bank
ever receiving dollar Of their money
There arc many who sympathiss with
Duncan. They hold that he could not
help the banks failure, aud that he has
not saved anything from the wreck.
and therefore consider that, having al
ready undergone eighteen months i'm
prisonmeHt. he has been sufficiently
punished
| TIE WALKING MATCH,
Which commenced ct the Pavilion last
Thur sday night, has been the only topic
Of conversation since General Grants
derartnre for the Yosemite valley. The
start. which WAS made by thirty mine
contestants clad in all manner of walk.
ing suits. was very pretty sight. The
management left nothing undone 70.
the comfort and convenience Of the
public. and the result was very large
attendance Of spectators; as many IS
eight thousand being present at the
start. who were loud in their praise Of
those who have contributed to the sue.
cess Of the match. which was assured
from The beginning.
| yorrtNG.
| The new Appraisers building. which
has been in course OF construction fer
three years, is now nearing completion.
1t is located on tho northeast corner OF
Sansome and Washington streets, and
when finished, will greatly improve the
hitherto unattractiyeness OF that por-
ton Of :be city. TIE cost OF the
building will fall very little short Of a
million dollars
Business in oil branches Of trade has
greatly improved during the past week,
! - 49,,