Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-11-02
HE IS ARRESTED AT HIS OWN
REQUEST.
A Remarkable Murder Trial In
South Carolina.
what Blaine Has to Say of the
Coming Cabinet.
ARrPUDiATI0MIsT APPOINTED POSTMASTER
OF LYNcHBURG.

was evidently expecting arrest. He said
he would not give bail, and thathe was
content to pass his life in Jail. 81 shall
never be seen on Broad street again." he
exclaimed. when Baldwin was before
u.s. said a Director to a Tribune reporter,
' he -rre~red anxious to make a clean
breast OF the matter. He said he fully
realized the nature Of his crime.'' ''There
is no excuse for my misdeeds," he said,
land / now see what I should have seen
years ago. l stand before you tonight q
perjurer, a forger, q ~falsifier and q crimi-
mall" l think he said in conclusion
"1ou ought to send for officers and put
me under arrest for Incorporating your
money and the money of other persons.
1t is your duty to send me to jail, and I
only ask one privilege, that of going home
to inform my wife and family Of my mis-
deeds. They know nothing about this
thing. l never expect to go to the bank,
but l expect to go to jail, and from there
to State Prison, and there / will have tn
end my days. If Ihad not been too much
of a coward l would not be here to tell nv
story. l would have shot myself. But
since l have chosen to live, 1 must suffer-"
A member of the Board of Directors who
has lost all by the failure says Baldwin
talked with tears in his eyes while confess
ing, but smoked a pipe vigorously to
counterfeit his nervousness.
Oscar l.. Baldwin, the defaulting CASH
Ter, is q son of Caleb Baldwin, and entered
the Mechanics Bank as a boy, occupyinga
minor position. He rose gradually until
1852, when he became assistant cashier.
At about the beginning of the war he sue
ceeded as cashier, and has occupied that
position ever since. He was prominent
in public and social life, and was a Direc-
tor in the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance
Company. This p once offered
him a prominent position, but he refused it.
His salary as cashier was 81, 900 per year.
personally he was popular, and his rela-
tives and friends include the most promi.
nent people in Newark. For several years
Baldwin has been engaged in speculation
In wall street, and it is believed that the
misfortunes of the bank are due TO this
fact. That there have been causes for \
failure in addition to speculation il
known, but the bulk of the money has mn.
doubleday been sunk in speculation. The
stockholders Of the bank are liable for the
full amount of their holdings. That is to
say each stockholder for 500 must nav
Slo0, besides losing the value Of his stock.
The Government Bank Examiner arrived
at the bank yesterday, and with the aid of
clerks began an examination. The Me.
chanics' Bank was chartered in 1881. aud
organized as a national bank in 1865. The
actual loss, it ID believed, will reach
", 400. 900. The 'afidavits upon which
Baldwin was arrested allege a confession
OF the crime and that the abstractions
were covered up by false entries that the
amount taken exceeds 80, 600, 900, and that
the bank is insolvent-and ruined. What
this implies can be imagined from the fact
That the Mechanics Bank has hitherto
stood in the very front rank among other
banks, and has been the most prosneroua
during the half century of its existence.
and has been paying dividends Of Ia ner
cent n z per cent semi.annuslly. In
fact the Mechanics was considered the
strongest and safest bank In Newark. al
most too prudent and conservative, It's
Board OF Directors include some of the
weaithiest and foremost citizens Of the
city. How the loss will be distributed
cannot now be known. 1t isreported that
there will be some very painful and ruin.
GUS commercial after -claps in the wav of
failures Of houses which the Mechanics
Bank had been carrying. Nugent stated
Yesterday that the amount discounted by
the bank for his firm is only about $780,
oO0, a comparatively small amount of the
defalcation. Nugent offered this morning
to confess judgment for $500, 600 on his
Indebtedness. Nugent, when arrested,
SAID he might owe the bank money. He
could not say whether he was indebted to
~ as as 100000. Baldwin was q
man OF unimpeachable character. il mar.
ried and the father OF four children, In
social circles he was regarded as one OF the
leaders, and his reputation az q f~inancier
was unexceptionable.
Blaine on Grantism.
New York, Nov. 1.-The Herald's
Washington special says: Blaine has OK.
pressed freely in very recent conversation
his views as to the next Cabinet. As for
himself he will retire in December. The
Cabinet he says will be Grant from ton to
bottom after Jan. /. He thinks Freling-
huysen will be Secretary of State. Fol-
ger was recommended by Grant and
Conkling to Garfield for Secretary of the
Treasury last Winter. The business AZ.
engagements of James in New YORK will
probably makes vacancy in the Postmas-
ter-Generalship after Jan. /, and an un-
doubted stalwart will be appointed in his
place. As to whether Lincoln will or Will
not go. Blaine did not express himself. II
Ia reported here on good authority that
Grant is urging Beale for the NAVY De- |
partment, and 1t is known thatBeale ia any
for the nomination. Grants init |
macy with him has been marked. He was
guest during his recent visit 10
Washington. The recent nomination of
a particularly stalwart Grant
man, to the First Assistant Postmaster
is regarded as significant. |
He has practically control Of the appoint
nent OF all Postmastsrs under those OF
he first class.
Noted Murder Trial In the south.
ABBEyILLE Is. o., Nov. Jeff Davids,
Who was convicted Of murder six years ago,
vas acquitted to-day and set at liberty. 1t
s one of the most remarkable cases on rec
,rd. Davids is a negro. 70 years old. He
vas convicted OF the murder OF his former
an old white farmer, and his maid
N sister, who lived near Dog Springs in
county. The evidence upon which the
was convicted was entirely cir.
,umstantial, bat pointed 30 clearly to him
IS the slayer as to leave little room to doubt
lis guilt. Since his conviction he has
mounted the scaffold Eve times prepared
o meet the penalty Of the law for his al
eyed offense. On one occasion the moose
ras adjusted about his neck and the sher-
# stood ready to pull the trap and give
he fatal fall. Five minutes later this would
ave been accomplished, but a messenger
overed with dust galloped up to the post
ALLOWING to the officers to hold on. The
espite he bore from the Governor was re-
just in the nick Of time. Davids
ways persisted in denying his guilt. He
ad remained an inmate of the Jail so long
nat he had come to like prison life. When
Q was acquitted he babe the jailer q tear
farewell. The old man said be would