Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-13
KN0X'S FOES AT THE HUB.
CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS ONE
OF THEIR THREATS.

Their Charges Fourteen in Number
Grave Accusations in the Pacific Bank
Failure-The Comptroller PrOnOunces
the Complaints Old and Already Re
futed and He has no Fear.
BOsTON, April 12.-William A. Paine.
Secretary OF the committee Of share
holders OF the Pacific Bank, said this
evening that on Tuesday last a series of
charges against Comptroller Knox were
forwarded to the House Committee on
Banking and Currency in Washington,
which is now investigating the affairs of
that bank. 'sThese charges" he said.
care IA in number and contain entirely
new evidence duplicating Comptroller
Knox. At the time of the previous hear
ing before the House Committee on
Banking and Currency we had been
too much hurried. owing to the death
Of Mr.. Ives and a change in our counsel,
to put these later charges in proper form,
so we delayed their presentation till now
in order to make them complete in every
detail, both as regards the allegations and
the evidence supporting them, / am not
at liberty to say what these charges are,
because Mr.. Knox is to appear before the
House committee on Tuesday next, when
these charges will be formally presented.
aging to Mr.. Knox, and are abundantly
supported by incOntestable proofs.
The first of the fourteen charges refers
t9 another prominent bank in Boston,
with which also Comptroller Knox was
identified. One prominent shareholder of
the latter bank, who owned 5000, 600 worth
of stock in the Pacific Bank, has declared
that if the House Committee on Banking
and Currency does not proceed in the mat
ter as would seem just and proper from
the serious nature OF the charges present.
ed, he will at once institute criminal pro-
ceedings against Mr.. Knox.
MR.. KNOX,s STATEMENT.
WAsHINGTON, April 12.-The Commit
tee on Banking and Currency has called
upon Comptroller Knox TOR all papers and
correspondence in his Office relating to
the Pacific National Bank of Boston. A
number of charges against Mr.. Knox,
have been placed before the committee
since the recent investigation by the sec
retary of the committee of the shaTehOld-
ers of the Pacific Bank. A copy of these
charges was handed to the Comptroller
to-day, in order that he might answer
them. A member of the committee says
that with some exceptions, they are SINH
lar to those previously filed before the
committee, and that the new charges are
that Mr.. BenyOn, President Of the
defunct bank, was a defaulter
when appointed, and that Mr..
Knox knew it; that Mr.. Knox knew
that the bank was Insolyent when the
capital stock was increased in 1879 and
again in 1881. The Comptroller said to
reporter of the Associated Press tonight:
There is not a single allegation, though
they are fourteen in number, that has
not already been answered in a pamphlet
containing my statement. There is no
proof whatever accompanying the allega-
tiOns. They are simply a repetition
Of the statements made by the attorney of
the stockholders before the Banking and
Currency Committee. My whole action
in reference to the officers of the Pacific
Bank was based on the reports of the
bank examiner, and chiefly on the reports
of the directors themselves who are agents
of the shareholders. The only question
that can arise is in reference to my con-
struction of the law and that is for the
courts to decide. The complaints of the
shareholders have arisen from the fact
that suits are being prosecuted as vigor-
OuS bV as pOSsible as the law requires