Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-31
AFTER TELLER HINCKLEY.
TRACKING THE WEST SIDE BANK
DEFAULTER.

RAJ htNNN u n 4. W r. SADE DAM
DEFAULTER.
Was He on the Steamship Juniata9-
Capt Daggett's Description of the Sus-
Peosed Passenger and His Strange |
Behavior-The Pinkertons en- His |
Tran.
rumor that the defaulting Paying
Teller Hinckley Of the West Side Savings
Bank OF New York, who absconded last
week with sci, 900 Of the banks money, was
in Savannah, has created quite a stir in
police circles. Chief Of Police Anderson
is in receipt Of kilograms from Pinkerton's
Agency giving description Of the de-
iaulting teller and asking lookout to be
kept for him upon the arrival Of the
steamer Juuiata. which sailed from Phila-
deluhia last Saturday. The telegram did
not reach here until after the
/ steamer had landed, but the matter
] was placed in the hands of Detective
/ Kaufman. with instructions TO look up
the man il he was to be found. II was
not difficult TO determine which one Of the
! passengers was Hinckley if he was on
/ board at all. for there was only one pas
/ s0nEer on the ship. The description given
/ I'm the telegram was Of a man about 30
/ Years old. Of medium height and weight,
/ hut having the appearance of a man I'M
/ der 30, with light complexion. dark-red
| whiskers and mOustache. and plainly
/ dressed. The description of the passen-
I ger on the Juniata cOTrespOnded in many
/ particulars with that Of Hinc6lev, but
| owing TO the arrival of the telegram long
| after the ship had reached her dock, II
was impossible 10 locate the wanted indl-
! vilual.
/ Capt. Daerett. when asked for the ships
passenger-list. reported that only one pas
I snnger bad been brought out, a young
man giving his name as ". A. Smith, APP
p3rently about - years Of age, Of medium
I build with smooth face and sandy
] moustache. plainly dressed in an ordinary
suit Of clothes and wearing a straw hat.
Upon being informed Of the telegram
which had been received, and the sus-
picIOn that the passenger was the default
inc bank teller. Capt. Daggett recalled his
strange conduct and behavior during the
a few minutes before we left the
wharf at Philadelphia" said the Captain,
"a young man answering to the descrip-
tiOn I have just given. hurried on board
! carving a small satchel. He was the
| only passenger. and presented an
excursion ticket TO Savannah.
was busy with my duties. and
had no opportunity of making his
| acquaintance until supper, when with
| the purser we We're seated at the table.
Being the only passenger l was anxious
% make the trip as agreeable and pleas
l ant as possible for him. l soon gave up
anv attempt to enter into a conversation.
for I saw it was impossible. About the
l only reply / could get in response to the
I natural courtesy of the table was a glum
grunt whenever he was asked II he would
be served with any particular dish. He
/ seemed disinclined fir m some motive to
..rrH.. rnrHH rH7tar-z cat TDr
] finally concluded. after a study Of
his features and his foreign appear
/ auce. that he was a Norwegian and
I without sufficient knowledge Of English
% talk fuently, and so kept quiet.
| After supper / saw nothing more Of him
! until the next day. when he came on
I deck and finally walked forward TO the
pilot house, all the time seeming to resist
1 any effort 10 talk. During the rest Of the
I trip he kept by himself. but, suppOsing
I him 10 be a foreigner. nothing was thought
{ of his movements. and I had not the
I slightest thought Cf his being defaulter
or any other criminal. A singular thing
Z ha ppeued shortly after we left the wharf
/ at Philadelphia. which may give some
hight upon the matter. As the stranger
walked up TO the Purser's
office to exchange his passage ticket
Purser Burns. in a jOvial way, in
I quired: w. A. Smith, or W. c. Smith.
w. A. was the reply. The purser re-
! marked the singular coincidence that he
should have happened to call the name
Smith. together with the strangers
initials. inasmuch as il was the first name
/ that suggested itself. and might have
/ been Brown or Jones or any other name
that had occurred to his mind. After
receiving his ticket, the stranger walked
away without any response TO the pur-
/ ser's courtesy.
Before arriving here Mr.. Burns cleverly
/ managed TO yet into some sort Of CONVEX
sati0n by asking him if he was going
! further than Savannah. ITO Macon"
| was the reply. From this point they
/ drifted on until Smith said that
he was going there to work.
Mt. Burns is acquainted in Macon. and
discovered that Smith had friends there.
z This was about all that was seen Of him
until the ship was coming into the wharf,
I where Capt. DagEett saw him standing on
the deck with his satchel in his hand.
Being busy with the vessel" said the
Captain. 4 took no notice Of the
stranger. and didn't see him
after be left the deck. Whether he was
Hinckley OF not l have not the slightest
idea, but l would give five dollars to find
ont Just for the satisfaction of knowing.
If he was the sharpest bank-teller in New
I York as he has been called, he
didn't show il, and if there was
I S96.ooo in the satchel which he
I had he carried il very uncOncernedly.
Detective Kaufman traced the stranger
Z from the ship through the city to the Cen
[ tral depot. where ne left about an hour
I after the snip landed. Nothing further
Z has been learned Of his whereabouts or
I identify aud no attempt, so far as
Is kuown- has been made 10 trace him.
f The police are confident that he is the
+ man. but they are not authorized to fol-
low him UP. Ii their suspicious are cor