New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-17
THEFTS FROM A GREAT FIRM
WHAT ARNOLD, CONSTABLE & co. FOUND.

- n-,rt.d IN THE tribune on June 81 the day
after the last of the persons supposed 10 nave
engaged IN il had been arrested An examlna'iou
Of the books Of the firm made 10 discover 'he
amount of money lost through the swlndle mas re-
vcaled the fact that the firms losses W.
not restricted to the amount Hen'ioH,u
in be publication three weeks ago, but that an ola
mi trusted employe had been guilty OF Irregular
tes which would swell the losses, one report SAID
70 $4,000. The facts previously stated were IN
brief these
OPERATIONS OF OLEARY AND HIS ACCoNFhChS'
On June "a Arnold, Constable Il Co. discovered
that for long time they had been paying Tor Soous
alleged to have been purchased from mytmcai
firms which, of course, were never delivered Inc
nersous engaged III the dishonest scheme were Cor
,ebus O. Leary. of No. $40 East tfteenth-st.; MIS-
Belinda T. Burke of No. 400 East Seventeenth-sl';
vrs. Burke's son Joseph, a young man III 'no
milk business and william DeVhn a porter e-I-
.lr.J bv the firm. OLesry previous 10 some
ime in 1853. had been employed by Arnold Con
table A. 60. in the capacity of receiving clerk IN
n ,ro,,e,,s d,nortmeut. II was his business to
cceive the goods purchased for that depaI heu'
sv,,,i,e them and certify TO their arrival III tAe
,o-o nv an endorsement of the BILL which after re-
-eiviur the signatures of three checking clerks
went TO the cashier for payment The iact th'' III
tle course of time these clerks began 10 sign dI
hills which he sent 10 them in purely pertunc'ory
maner. suggested oO'LeUy that he migh' pun III
fictitious bills and himself secure the money. 10
tli~ end he enlisted Mrs. Burke IN the enterprise.
He sent IN bills for underwear purportlng 10 come
from " r. Burke. had the cashier send the chechs
by mail instead of by messenger TO the suppoSeu
manufacturers and was himself the receiver OIL
them He secured money in this manner seyeraI
times but hen lost his place with Arlold, Con-
l.. - f|T 81
of the conspiracy. Now Dcvhn entered
in.o the thieying plot lie had been
twelve years ia the service of tho firm and was es-
tecmed an honest man. He procured for O'Leary
hills containing the Signature of the new Receiving
crcck a IMAM named Lynn. OLcarv forged the
uep,turc to a fictitious bin for S3Oo2 % and
,iupcd 1t into pile Of genuine bills on Lynne
desk lie got the money as before and henceiortl
pevliu vas relied ON to put tho bills nm the way OF
collection. The Young man Joseph Burke v1s IN
struucutnl M getting tho checks casheL On June
- a check mido ont in payment of a bogus hiu for
5000 ~ was sent 10y messenger in7te&d OF by man.
and the uou-cN,stouce ot tlc manufacturing brn
confirmed the suspicion which had entered Che
minds of the merchant, that they had hc"n the
victims OF fraud. Tho case was put in the hand"
Of detectives and the arrest, followed.
Yesterday O'Lcary. against whom i've mdict-
ments had been found, pleaded gallty before Re
cordrr smyth. Ills counsel sought 60 secure light
entenco but the Recorder sent him to PRISON loi
five years. sIyug that man who stole from those
who paid him the wages by which he lived was un-
worthy of mercy.
CASHIER sEYMOCR's IRREGULARITIES.
An examination of the books had disclosed that
there irregularities also III tie accounts OF the
cashier Mr. Seymour At first il was sad that he
had made Al over-draft amounting 20 $4,000.
e. aftl .4t,r-
fdeuce of the firm he was not arrested,
ns Le turned over what property he had in settle
ment Of his defalcatlon. 1t is now reported that
the discrepancy in hIs accounts NAY reach $4,000.
Nr Seymour has been living liz Brooklyn in style
which has caused comment and which brought hlm
under suspicion. He also had = country-sc OIL
Long Island.
The confidential uan Of Arnold. Constable & Co.
l. Henry c. Pedder lie has charge OF the firms
credits and real estate and is nearest of all the en-
poyes 10 the partners. When tie discoveries
Of the frauds were made Mt. Pedcer was
in Europe. He had gone abroad early IN Nay.
taking his family with him and combining pleasure
with some business IL relation TO the Partisan
branch Of the firm. He was requested byteiegraph
70 o1eturn home at once and he did SO, arriving on
the seryia on Monday OF this week. He
went Immediately 10 the business house
Of Arnold. Constable d Co., but
did not reach his home in Orange, y J., until yes
terday afternoon. Hi detention here Le attributed
u the illness Of has vile.
WHAT Nh. PEDDER SAYS.
Mr.. Peddcr was visited by a TRIBUNE re-
porter at his home last evening. He is
one # the favored mortlas who live in
Llewellyn Park a lovely tract Of country
diversified with hills and ravInes, covered with
magnificent trees, and having its macadamized
roads borderea with greeusward and great ribbons
of yauegated plants There are between twenty
five and thirty dwellings inside the park, but none
Is comparable with that of Sir. Pedder,
who went there about two wears ago. In Orange 1t
Is sad that his house Is the coslea, dldmosJ etU-
ttul ~ the town. Mt. Pcdt,r mas a passion LOT
literature. lie owns moro than Oue-hat oI the
Sl0O. ZOO share capitaI of The Manhattan Magazine
Company and several articles from his pen have
appeared IL the pages OF the magazine. Tie rs also
the author of two or three books on questions ot
TeIgon and social science. Exquisite books ill
hs library and rare taste aud indifference To cost
are exhibited IN carvings, furniture pictures ana
rugs which beautifV his home. Mr. PeddeT. when
asked about the IRE guaIitics which had been dis
covered IN the business OF Arnold, Constable Co.,
was anxious that the speci hcatlOns should be ey-
a.. Being told the facts about the accounts OF
Nj. seymour SUBSTANTIALLY as theN have been
stated IN the foregoing narrative. he admitted their
correctness, but said that the sum would not reach
snywhere near $4,000. lie said the discovery
OF seymour IRE gularities has preceded the dis
covery of the OLeary forgery and fraud and that
q ssatisfaciory settlement had been arrived az he
tween the firm and Mr seymour HIS own reia-
h0ns with the iru he sand, were still what they
had been. More han this he declined 20 say.
lli.k. Arnold aud Frederick A. Constable. oithe
fm. declined to give any inf forustIon on the subj
iect The former said he had no hope Thar the
facts would he long concealed but he public could
pront nothing bY knowledge " them. d4 lltN
were private transactions between the FIRM and lts
smpoy6s and so for the present no would say Hoth-
PIE When TIC time came. however. lac would not
hesitate " to put the knife in deep.
Nr. srYMou1s SUDDEN DEPARTURE.
IninUNr repurtor called al MIR soymoufa
houae ia BruoAlin lsat night bat repeated
Pings al tho dp0r-hrn failed to bring
saf response Tho window hhnda were drawn
partly down aud the ihpet shutters closed Tho