Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-13
A THIEYING CLERK.
Disappearance of "a Young Musician
Who Had Hseen Living Huxuri-
Ously mt Some Cost 10 Several
Wilmington yHercR.ants.

| VINO ttu Afeeh AixhhH tsuNurh
Ously at Some Cost 10 Severa
Wilmington Merchants.
On Monday morning, July 9th, Clar
ence Shank, manager of the musea
department of Samuel II. Bayuard''
establishment, Mt Fifth and Market streets
left town, telling his employer he was
going on two days jaunt. Since then
| he has never been heard from. Wher
several days had elapsed without word
from him. vague rumors were current
one of which TINT he was an embezzlei
reached the ears of n GAZETTE
| reporter, who went at once to Mr.. Bay.
nard for information. That gentleman,
10th to condemn his employe stated that
Shank was heavily in debt, but that he
expected him back to right matters, and
requested that nothing be published.
Now, however, Mr.. Baynard has given
up all hopes of ever again seeing his
crooked manager, and to a reporter Friday
morning said that since the fall of '83
Shank had been manager of his musical
department and that all the accounts con-
nected Herewith had been entrusted to
his care He proved a most successful
salesman and enjoyed the fullest conf
denoe of the firm.
During the full of last year, the musical
department did thriving business selling
many instruments on the installment
plan but, owing to the pressure of matters
in the main department, the auditing of
the books was overlooked until Januafy
LIST, 1885, when Mr.. Baynard discovered
that Shank had overdrawn between $500
and 5000 by pocketing collections and
charging himself with them on the books.
When asked for an explanation,
Shank bluntly acknowledged his fault,
but said that he was willing that part of
his stlary should go towards liquidating
his Indebtedness. 'sThis, however,
added Mr.. Baynard, she managed to
eyade doing. His books now appear
entirely straight and ,as far MS can learn,
he has appropriated no money since my
discovery. He has o jewelry bill with
this establishment amounting to 300
which is unpaid
Mr.. B,tynard concluded that he thought
the growing impatience of Shank's many
creditors was great inducement for him
to leave town. Among the losers by his
departure are the following: William B.
Sharp, $50; Granville Worrell, $50;
Stewart Il Jones, $50; M. L. Liehtenstein,
~ huuOy DObtPh
Murphey d Son, and others, few for less
and several for more than the amounts
named above.
Shank's wages from Baynard x Co.,
his salary as organist at the First Presby-
terian Church and other prequisites de-
rived from his fine musical abilities
brought him an income of over 81 200
per year. That this amount was not
requisite to satisfy his extravagant tastes
is shown in a description of his lodging
apartments at the handsome residence of
Mrs. Fipps on French street above Sixth,
seen by reporter Friday morning.
they consist of two good-sized rooms, the
floors of which are covered with rich
Administer carpet. Both apartments are
luxuriously furnished in furniture of
hard wood wrought in artistic designs
and expensive bric-a- brac abounds. An
attachment has been laid upon all
gorgeous fittings and furniture of the
rooms by Mr.. Baynard. 1t is also stated
that before Shank left town he sold the
contents of the rooms to gentleman for
800, the money enabling him to get out
of the city at once He failed to assign
the goods to the purchaser leaving him
without redress.
One OF SHANK S recent freaks OF eXtraYa-
gance was the furnishing of barber
| shop Mt No. 6 East Fifth street for f. s.
Lienhardt. This he did in great style
and went in debt for it. He then took
his beneficiary to the hotel of l.. p.
| Freye, and the barber left town suddenly
leaving Mr.. Freye in the lurch for an
amount in the neighhorhood of 1850.
The crooked musician was financially
interested in the cantata "Rebeeca'
given in the Opera House some time ago
and he furnished all tho costumes for the
participants. His loss by this is said tc
have reached 5000.
Shank's parents some time ago moved
TO Philadelphia, and they have informed
Mr.. Baynard that their hayward son
visited them on the evening of the day he
left this city. They have heard nothing
of him since and the mother is nearly
distracted.