The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-19
TIE DEXTER BANK.
Bank Examiner Titcomb's Investigation.
THE GIsT OF HIS REPORT.
No DefaIcatiom TO support the Suicide
Theory.

Bank Examiner Titcomb has concluded his
examination of the Dexter Savings Bank and
made up his report Necessarily the report
goes over much ground that has been thorough
~ explored before. The public has already
been informed through tho statement of the
Trustees and the letter of DR.. Warren publish.
ed in the PRESS as to the entries on the books
which are in controversy, so that 1t seems
superfuous to follow the Examiner in his
detailed statement and discussion OF them.
Those of our readers, however, who are in
terested to examine the successive steps by
which the Examiner arrives at his general
conclusions can find the full report in the
Argus of this morning.
The Examiner thanks tha officers Of the
bank for their courtesy and says that he has
made thorough examination of Mr.. Barron's
books from 1877 to his death, finding them In
fair condition with few errors. His conclusions
regarding the $4,000 item are thus expressed
Whatever may have been the object of this
somewhat crooked process by which this tran
saction is represented upon the books, the SUBJ
stantial resultant fact is, that Mr. Barron did
put his note for $1,000 without any equivalent
into the bank, that it was subsequently paid;
that the bank has got the'money, and that in
the end the transaction is correctly represented
upon these books.
Since the foregoing part of this report was
written, have seeA the statement of the trus-
tees, but find nothing in their account of the
matter to change the opinion l have already
expressed. They seem persistentv to ignore
any connection between these $4,000 entries
and Mr.. Barron's note. But the connection is
too plain to be set aside. The figures mean
this and nothing else They certainly 90 not
cover up any defalcation. IF there was any
snch before, it is there now. These figures do
not hide. If this view is correct, the lntlma-
ti0ns in their statement that the bank was
made to appear "$2 900 better than its actual
standing" that "Ghis 1900 was born OF moth
ing and is pure fiction" that sit was scheme
for bolstering up the condition of the bank by
ictitously raising the assests" and that all his
difficulties center around this exact sum OF ~
600 from July I'd to Nov. 18th" would seem TO
BE- uncalled for. If the bank aUds represented
$4,000 better than it was before, it was because
il was made so by Mr.. Batron's note. If it was
"bolstered up," it was bolstered by Mr.. Bar
ron's note. The So, 900 was not "born OF moth
ing' but of this same note-a lawful parentsge,
since; if it was not born in wedock it was after
wards acknowledged and adopted. l would not
recommend Mr.. Barron's mode of treating this
matter upon the books to youthful aspirants
after excellence in bookkeeping. L do not
justify it. Whether it is good taste for those who
have the money in their vaults to criticise too
severely the mode of its getting there will not
undertake to decide.
BE then gives long statement of other and
outside transactions which he sums up thus:
at will be perceived that the trustees in
their statement have added the $505, balance
of safe account, with which Mr.. Barron had
already charged himself as treasurer, to the
S7291 II, the balance of the days work Feb.
22d, instead of sabtracting it, taking differ
ence Of $1010, and thereby with the failure to
credit him with anything on the 81. W. B.
account making him de faulter to the amount
of 81 ,203 Sc This cannot be correct. He had
already, once, charged himself, as treasurer,
with this $505, and it cannot be charged again.
Moreover, when he did so, be created a faud,
under tn designation "safe," available to dis
charge the very liability he had created"
he thinks the dedication theory hinged on
this. that the trustees honestly entertained this
error, and then finding mystery about the
$4,000 note started the story.
He says President Bradbury saw a bond in the
bank drawer Feb. 21st, which was evidently
the one the trustees refer to as missing.
Lastly, he finds that on the settlement Bar
ron owed the bank twenty -one dollars and four
cents, which bis salary would more than pay,
and he thinks the solution of the question as
to his death must be looked for in other direc-
tons than in the state Of his accounts.