Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-11
A WHOLE CITY DISMAYED.
THE NEW BRUNSWICK FAILURE,
The Banks Condition sui In Doubt-ry'na
TO Find Where the sioney wen'-The I'm
fortunate President.

| 9th 10 the Times saws: This has been q
day OF doubt and discomfort. The deposit
tore and stockholders In the broken ma
| tional bank have been unable 10 get any
idea, either hy hook or by crook, at which
end Of the horn they are coming out.
Absurd aud sensational rumors have
blown around like dead leaves in No
yeRber gale. Two new suicides were talked
| az around the post'ctlice before breakfast.
| Doposltors from remote towns who had
| lust heard the news OF the failure wandered
| around in search OF their money and def
| ni,c information. One farmer from Little
Washington may be quoted as fair IN
stance of the absolute trust placed In Cashier
Hin by people round about who knew him
from boy. This man and his economical
| wife, by careful scraplng and saving, had
| saved $4,000. when he came TO this town
last spring he gave ii TO Hill to- invest.
While Hill was writing out a receipt, the
farmer picked up his gloves and hurried
| out.
| "Oh, never mind that" he said ioeu-
| larly; 81 kin trust ye, ], guess. Ha !!
To-day the farmer wiped The tears from
his eyes with the tail Of his linen dustcr.
aud told his story 10 crowd OF loilerers
| around the bank. who believed themselves
| 10 he about as badly of as he was.
| Soon after Bank Examiner Shelley OPEN
| ed his books this morning n statement was
| sent out, purporiIng 10 come from him,
! that the depOsitors would undoubtedly get
| dollar for dollar. This had the effect OF
sending people of about their business
with renewed confidence, but it was hard
| TO fix the information on any solid founda-
ton. The nearest approach to 1t was this :
Mr.. shelley made the remark attributed TO
| him 10 Assistant-Ca Cashier Campbell. who
repeated it 10 Chiei.oi-Police Fitzgerald,
who in turn dropped it in fallow ground,
where he . was sure It would have
good public growth. To direct in
! quiries the Bank-EXaminer had nothing
! to say. About this time the new rumOrs
regarding the bank officers who still live
| began TO have effect. Mr.. Campbell told q
messcnger-boy sent down from his house
| that the report TINT he bad cut his throat
| was untrue. Director Stoddard appeared
| i'm person and quoted similar rumor re-
gaiding himself. All the directors were
| around and busy hut old Mr.. LetSen. The
| shock his nerves received when Mr.. Run
yon's body was found, and the subsequent
public excitement. have made him quite
| in, and he remained at home Under doc
| tors care.
One Of the first men to arrive at the bank
to-day was Detective Wood, Of PnkertOn's
agency, who hunted up much evidence in
the JaIrard ease abOu, year ago. lie re-
mained in the bank some time, and then
walked over to talk with Prosecutor Rice.
Most Of tie people remembered him, and
the public tongue wagged YociterOusly
again. Mr.. Rice proiessedt0 he profoundly
ignorant OF the detectives motives. but he
would not deny that he was looking up ey-
idoncc about the banS.
Have you any reason TO suspect that
any Of the directors are implicated in the
speculatiOn?" he was asked.
Il can't say that have" said Mr.. Rice,
deliberately. =" So far a. J know the direct
ors are all honorable men. From what few
inquiries have made to-day affairs at the
bank look little better
However. this much was ascertaned
from an upquestIonaDlcs source: When Mr..
Wood was working on the Jarrard case he
told Mr.. Rice that he had better keep an
eve on Hi. as he was speculating pretty
heavily. The attorney laughed at the idea
OF tle trusted man OF the town doing
anvihing dishonest. SIN, he looked
ar6unu some and drew bis own money
from the bank only q little while before
this crash came. 1t is pretty well
assured that The detectives are doing
their best to find out where Hill and
Runyon have been doing their specula-
ting, and how far the directors were cog
niZart Of il. The depositors and stock
holders cannot rid themselves OF the idea
that there has been criminal carelessncSs
somewhere. IL was fleely-eXpressed
opinion here to-day that some OF the d.
rectors might feel OF least little restless
before the week is out.
II is impossible to get at the precise facts
vet about the split in the Board over the
notice issued on Saturday that the surplus
OF the Lank bad been swept away, but that
the capi,aI was intact. Three OF the
directors nyer, Martin, and
WvckoG;- did not sign that statement.
These who did sign il say that these three
men were not there The best information
is that at least two Of these three men
were prescut at the meeting, but did
not sign the paper because It was ap-
parent to them that it was untrue, and that
Runyon was irretrieyably ruined. Besides,
l. aupcars from The last statement that The
surplus was only 100000, and on the au-
thoritv Of one Of the directors Hill and
Runyon letween them got away with much
over that amount. From this it seems that
il the directors statement was true some
OF them must have put their hands in their
pockets and filed up the hole made in the
capital stock.
~ con tell vou frankly" said director
Of the National Bank OF New Jersey to-day.
that a great effort is being made 10 cover
up the defcicrcy in Runyon's account and
saddle the rest Of the stealing, where II
belongs. on Hill. This has been opposed by
some members OF the Board, myself one oi
them. some Of his losses tha president had
made good before he stepped into the
closet and killed himself in 80 horrible a
way. The remainder Of the directors are
asked 10 put up that the bank may 20 on
with it, business. !, for one, VIII consent
70 20 such scheme. Under no circum-
stances will Tact a. director OF the bauh
again. though It pays dollar for dollar ana
resumes tomorrow. And ] VIII put no
money in to regain the credit Of the bank
il can help it,
"You have been asked for money!
questioned the Iimes'S reporter.
1--WE have all been asked for ii. have
Leen opposed to the policy OF silence. We
should have announced what we dlscO'-
cred day bv day as we finished our work.
hour by hour If depoSltors wanted IT,
Then the people would have had iaith.
Bul every lulIE ndo N"'NN"'.V '"'
pOsslble. Not q director would even ad-
nit that Hill had committed suicide.
though every one was morally certain OF IL
when he heard the news that he was dead.
Nearly all were willing TO help Runyoh
out. A few thought that things had gone
far enough; that clean breast should be
made: that Runyon should stand the con-
sequences OF his own acts"
"Did Runyon know this!'
"iIc did. He knew that II only one OF
the Board demanded II, his arrest wouId
follow. His best friends were those VINO
urged that be must stand by his own
works, and they Eel! it deeply, Tor they
| liked the man. With the others II was
simple matter OF personal business
whether 10 go on with the iauk ana get
their money back on dividends orr not. 20
| policy has been agreed upon by some 10
| deny evemtbng, 10 contradict the woIst
! features Of the truth, and make out ~
mild a case against Runyon and liili AZ
| possible, realizing that If the capital can oe
| kept intact the reputation OF the pank can
| be maintained in degree. honestly Wlsn
that could give YOU fair, square, hone'.
insight into the whole thing. cannot
now. But If this policy OF deniai anu an,
covering up goes on, 1 cer,alh! VIZ, n.
| and sign my name TO IL. NO one was
| more shocked than when President nun.
yon killed himself. He wasa good man. DuI
went astray wildly-yery wildly. ! icel