New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-01-22
Romance OF q Bank Clerk.

A CURIOUS case is on trial al Brus-
sells, which excites considerable inter-
est in consequence OF the immense
amount of money involved, and the
long series of successful thefts which
it discloses. The person on trial is
Eugene TKindt, until recently clerk
in the Bank of Belgium. Against him
there are brought 149 distinct counts of
fraud, forgery and embezzlement, and
the aggregate of the amounts he has
stolen reaches the enormous total of
$4,600,000. He has practically plead
ed guilty, and the only object of the
trial is to determine his legal RESPONSE
bility and fix the penalty. T'KiDdt is
young man of excellent family, who
ten years ago presented himself to NJ.
Fortam as Chief Director of the Bank
of Belgium, and desired position as
junior clerk. His agreeable manners
and excellent business qualities won
for him the confidence. of his superiors,
and he was soon appointed Chief Clerk
of the Deposit Department. Immedi-
ately thereafter he began a series of
systematic robberics. The thrifty
burghers of Belgium reposed unlimited
confidence in the bank, and when once
their railway shares, bonds, scrip and
other securities were safely depos-
tied therein they gave themselves
no further anxiety concerning
them. The bank had free and
easy way of conducting its business,
and when securities were deposited,
the only entries made in the ledgers
were the name of the depositor and the
nature of his securities, but not the
"number" of the latter. As most of
the depositors kept no note of the num-
bers on their securities, the way was
open to unlimited embezzlement on the
part of T'Kindt. All he had to do to
raise money was to help himself to the
securities, and when the owner applied
for his shares he was given other
shares in the same railway-the de-
post of some other guileless patron of
the bank. T'Kindt distinguished him.
self by his agreeable and accommodate
ing manners toward depositors. He
detached their coupons for them, and
paid them their dividends at sight with
out any charge for commission; he al
lowed depositors to overdraw their &C.
counts; and when any of them were in
close place he cheerful)y lent them
money. Altogether he made it very
much an object to them to deal with
him, and very little an object to with
draw or even to handle their securities.
The nominal Manager of the bank left
everything to him, and things went
along smoothly and merrily.
One day an awkward occurrence took
place. M. Bischofsheim, well.
known fnancier, deposited 1858 shares
of a certain railway in the bank. A
few days later, he was astounded to find
these identical shares whose numbers
he had preserved deposited in
T'Kindt's name in the bank of which
he was himself Director. He went
at once to the Bank of Belgium and
asked to withdraw his shares. He ar
rived just as the bank was closing and
was put off till the next day. Then he
was again kept waiting for short
time, after which the shares, which in
the meantime had been withdrawn
from his own bank, were handed to
him over the counter. Not satisfied by
this curious transaction, he made q
formal complaint against the clerk,
who was summoned before the Board
of Directors, in September, 1875, to
make explanations. Not only did he
exculpate himself, but he gave such a
brilliant account of the prosperity of
the bank under his management, that
the Directors passed a vote of thanks
to him, and did not think it worth
| while to examine the securities in the
cellar. All this timeit was known that
the clerk, who was receiving salary
of $500 year, had a town house and q
country house, a picture gallery and a
racing stable, and was living in a
luxurious style generally, but the
Directors did not think it incum-
bent on them to inquire where
the funds for these extravagances came
from. Things went on as before, and,
during the next six months, the fast
young clerk pocketed over 81, 600, O00
without discovery. Unpleasant Incl
dents of the sort already described,
multiplied, however, and, in March.
1876, he absconded. He was arrested
ct Liverpool, just as he was about to
embark for America, and was found to
have in his travelling bag something
! over 81, 100000 in Belgian notes. IN
Lis confession, he says that the inspec.
ton Of his ledgers and deposits used t.
be made in the most careless way.
The Director, he says, /" would come
around after giving me q few days
i previous notice, glance at page d
my ledger and sign it. Then / would
be asked to produce q bundle Of securi
Il ties. and on nv returning from the eel