Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-01-04
ABSCONDED!
Col. Jas. A Wallace, Cashier Of the
Bank Of Hopkinsville, Gone
With $4,000 tfthe
Banks Reserve s'e
Fund. gl
Who Would Have Thought i'll

| Ic lHOhb ScllSdllOuul OCCufTcnCt
that has electrified lIopkinsville fol
years was the absconding of Col. Jas
A. Wallace last Tuesday with $4,000
of the Bank of Hopkinsville's money
The news came like a thunderclaI
yesterday morning early and there
was scarcely a man in the city who
would believe 1t until the dreadful
and startling details were made pub
lie by the officers of the Bank.
A representative of the South
KENTUoKIAN called upon Mr.. Jnp.
c. Latham, President of the Bank,
early yesterday morning and learned
the full particulars.
On Monday, Dec. 81, Col. Wallace
proposed to Mr.. Latham to close the
Bank New Years day, but the latter
thought it best to keep open to ac-
commodate the people with change
and transact such business as could
be attended to on a National holiday.
Nothing was thought Of Col. Wal
lace's suggestion and when he did
not appear the next morning still nc
suspicious were aroused and Mr.,
Braden, assistant cashier, performed
the cashiers duties. At 3 o'clock
Tuesday Mr.. Bradcn received letter
from Col. Wallace written at Guth-
rie in which he said he had decided
TO hop over to Nashville to see Arch
itect Smith about the building of the
new G. p. Church and push up mat
ters, and thu caring he might not
return in time 10 open up Wednesday
he had put on the time lock and left
the right hand side of the safe un-
locked and the left hand locked as
usual. II will be home in time for
it, he wrote and added, "the special
deposits, such as will most likely be
needed, are in the right hand side.
Expect me home tonight Dan. y
though | may not be back till 3 Pm.
tomorrow" Not breath of suspi-
cion was aroused and the business of
the Bank went ahead Tuesday and
Wednesday as usual, but it was as
certained Wednesday night that Col.
Wallace had still not returned. Then
for the first timc the truth began to
dawn upon the minds of those inter-
ested and investigations Were made
with the result above stated. Tele-
grams were sent aud it was found
ont that he had not gone TO Nashville
but had bought ticket to Memphis
at Guthrie. II is conjectured that he
is well on his way to Mexico or
South America as he had the advan-
tage of two days and nights to travel
before the truth was discovered.
SKETCH OF col. WALLACE. sss
James a. Wallace was one of the
most prominent, public spirited and
universally esteemed citizens of Hop
kinsville and enjoyed the unlimited
confidence of all who knew him.
He was an elder and the main pillar
in the Cumberland Presbyterian
church here, is President of the Board
of Trustees of the Hopkinsville Pub
lie Schools, is a member of the
knights of Honor and Royal Area
nun Lodges and the head of the firm
of Wallace, Long & Garnctt the
leading fire insurance agency in this
city. He came to this city from
Owensboro before the war and was
for number of years cashier of the
old Kentucky Bank in this city
When the Bank of IIopkinsville was
organized in 1865 he was elected
Cashier and has held the position
continuously for 10 years. He is
connected by marriage with some of
the best families of this county and
has pleasant home, wife, two
married daughters, two other daugh-
tiers just out of school and a little son
about five years old. He is in his
53rd year, of medium statue, has black
beard, slightly sprinkled with gray,
is quick and energetic in all his
movements and is very methodical
in his habits. His duties as bank
cashier have been discharged with
clock-like regularity for % years. He
has always been regarded as a good
citizen, devout christian and q pol
ished gentleman, and his fall has set
tied like pail over the city. and the
excited people ask each other with
compressed lips and ashen faces
"Can it be true that Jim Wallace has
donesthis thing? There must be
some mistake
But il is not mistake. The aw.
full facts stare the public, his family
and his friends in the face. Almost
any man in the city would have
trusted him with the custody of al
he had, but it seems, that hitherto
honest man has fallen. 1t must bt
that he is not in his right mind Jas
A. Wallace as cool, designing, cal
culating robber of his friends is ;
thought that it sickens us to harbor
Still it looks that way. a
THE RANKS CREDIT NOT EXPECTED.
The money taken was part of til,
reserve fund of the Bank. This fun(
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