The Portland daily press., 1879-03-17
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THE DEXTER BANK.
The Recent Statement, of the Trustees Eek
amined by DIR. Warren.

MR.. ERroR:-Ths public will feel obliged
to the officers Of the Dexter Savings Bank fol
the ofh3'ai statement they have made in rels.
tlon to tie much talked of accounts of their
late treasure-, M. Barron Il would, 1 sub
NIT, have been better if they had mpiy given
the facts and figures, without the inst, u inrs
OF dishonest intent against him whose lips are
sealed from all reply in the silence of the
grave.
This statement confirms those which had
been made before by Mr.. Bolster, and Mr..
Murch, the expert, in relation to the somewhat
confused entries of the cash book and the
petty memorandum book used by Mr.. B. But,
on careful consideration of them, cannot re.
sist the conviction that the difficulties have
been much exaggerated. venture to suggest
that they are no greater than would be found
in the memoranda of many accountants if they
were suddenly taken away without a moments
time for perfec.ing their entries and leaving
them in state that would be self explanatory
Who does not know that brief, imperfect and
incomplete jottings of items are very CUSTOM
airy, which none but their authors could under
stand, and which, if subjected to such an or
deal as those left by this deceased treasurer,
might be tortured to the support of almost any
charge of evil intent or crime?
am no expert in affairs of this kind, but
looking in common-sense way at the figures
here given us, it does seem to me that they
present no very inexplicable problem, much
less any evidence whatever of dishonesty. The
accounts SO presented may all be reduced to
these:
1. Those relating to the increase of the as.
sets of the bank $4,000 by an alteration of the
figures.
2. Those of the petty cashbook from Jan. s,
to Feb %, inclusive.
3. Those which purport to show the amount
OF cash on hand Feb %, the day of Mr.. B. g
death.
1. The first of these, though going more
fully into detail, shows only what in substance
has been published before. The sworn
statement made to Mr. Bolster, the Bank Ex-
aminer, Nov. 5, 1877, represented the tota1
loans of the bank on securities as $40, 1880,
and the total liabilities as $21S,31911. On the
general deposit book they stand respectively as
$12, 7S9, so and 1920, 319 IL. A ca reful examin.
alton shows that on this book the
figures had at first agreed With the sworn
statement. bat subsequently the 0 in the secur-
tiles had been erased and put in its stead,
and the Is in the liabilities similarly changed
to 20, making in both cases $4,000 inserted.
On the account Of "loans aud mortgages of
real estate" is a similar alteration of figures,
showing that the amounts had ben diminished
$1,000. The dire ctors themselves avow the
opinion that this $4,000, whatever its nature,
was the same thing that appeared 10 the loan
account as above. They think that it was
transferred from the mortgage to the loan &C.
count in November, the former being dimin-
isbed and the latter increased by that amount.
Now, submit that these alterations IN both
accounts are properly explained by the gift of
Mr.. b. to the bank of $4,000, made By HIN to
cover the loss arising from the "LeAvitt loan"
The reasons and the mode of making that gift
are we'll known. That it was real and not
pretended gift is certain, for the bank has ac-
tudtly received the money. 1t is very possible
that it Was hrst made before August 1877, 10
the form OF mortgage on his house, which
was included in the mortgage account as rem
dered to Mr., Bolster at the time when the d.
rectors thong bit the figures were changed, 1t
was transferred to the loan account by altera-
ton of the figures, as stated. AT the same
time the mysterious entry ("Dr. Nov. II, G. B.
$2000'') was made which thesdirectors made
such ado about.
''On examining the sc. B.'' no such item can be
found. there is absolutely nothing 10 support this
$1,000 appearing on the ledger. This same $1,000,
tor aught that we can see, was this Nov. IL,
dumped bodily into the ledger. 1t is born of MOTH
ing and is pure fcion, bat thereafter entered into
all The accounts
Doubtless it was dumped bodily" as a gift
would be apt to be. That it was not formally
entered on the cash book is accounted for by
the fact that it was priUate gift, known only
to himself and never even suspected by his
nearest friends till the note and insurance
policy which secured it, were found among his
private papers after his death. Yet because it
was gift it seems to these gentlemen wholly
inexplIcabIe. Under their manipulations and
innuendoes Mr.. Barron is made to be one of
those who
500 good BY stealth and blush to find it-crimen'
2-The petty cash-book, rom Jan. S,h to
Feb. 22i inclusive Toe entries here are
frsgmentary and imperfect, such entries are
apt to be, but the substance OF them is gwen by
the directors as follows:
DR.. CT.