The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-01-15
Fraad and Forgery,

We published, briefly, last week, the death
of James S. Harden, Jr., son OF JAS. s.
Harden, treasurer and secretary of the W. NJ.
r. Il. 1t now seems that his death was
quite sudden, and Immediately following his
| death comes revelations of crookedness i'll
his transactions From the Baltimore Amer
ican of Wednesday we take the following ac-
count of some of the causes which probably
led to his hasty death:
During the illness and enforced absence from duty
of his father in August and September last youn?
Harden placed in charge OF the Office ana had
access to all the books, papers, and valu9DleS On
sides at Unontown, Carroll county. Maryland. lost
at the Western Maryland depot in this city, wallet
containing check for 81 275 drawn in his favor
the park Bank. of New York by Joseph T. Moore of
Montgomery county, and a promissory note: NJ
Sheppard consulted the detective firm OF Smith,
West & Lyons COL corning his loss; and after some
search they discOved that the check had been en-
dorscd by young Harden, presented at a bankers
Office in this city where he was known. and the
amount was paid to him on September 18th. The
story told by Harden to the detectives was that
stranger had approached h i'm and asked him If he
was acquainted with Mr.. Sheppard. llarden'Sroply
was that Mr. Sheppard lived on the road, and that
he knew him well. The Stranger then produced the
check and requested Harden as he was acquainted
with Mr. SheDhard to get it cashed for him. which
Harden, according to his own narrative did. OF
course the detectives bounced upon the story as
false and the stranger fictitious person Harden,
seeing that he was cOrnered acknowledged having
converted the money to his own uses by at once
the affair was hushed up for the time being. The
missing promssory note has not turned up yet, and
the supposition is that he destroyed it. The theory
is that Harden found the pocket-b0Ok in the depot
and being already i'll pccuniary straits, took advan
tage of the opportunity to replenish his eXchequer
to the amount specified on the face of the check
81 ,275.
For some reason the detectives suspected Harden
of being engaged in other crooked business, and an
inquiry revealed the fact that he had borrowed from
banks and from brokers three sums of $500 each,
giving his own note i'll each instance, and as cOiat
eral security what purpOrted To be certificates of de
post issued by the Safe Deposit Company ofthe de-
post of three lots of the funding coupons of the
Western Maryan Railroad Company, OF So 600 each
The certificates made out upon the regular
printed forms of the railroad company, and purpOrt
ed to be signed by VIM. $. Wisong secretary and
treasurer of the Safe Deposit Company. y cOmpar
ison and an application at the Safe Deposit office,
quickly revealed the fact that the signatures were
tOr-eries. No such coupons as named in the fraud
ulent certificates were, of course, ever deposited.
The three notes which the latter were given to Sc
cure fall due between January 18th and February L.
Besides borrowing money on the forged ccrtif-
Gates Harden negotiated another loan of $500 from
a prominent grain broker on $1,000 of genuine COu-
pons, which had come into his possession in the
routine of business and which he appropriated to
his own use, instead Of handing it over to the Safe
Deposit Company They belonged to a trust fund.
Young Harden is said 10 nave been engaged in grain
spcculatiOns which resulted unfortunately. He
leaves wife, but no children. The crooked trans
actions so far as discovered foot up $llOO0.