The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-24
FISH AND OTHER spECULAToRs.
With a Few Remarks Concerning Bank e
aminers.

3mtnerS.
Gath, in Minneapolis Tribune.
Fish's oifense was allowing a boy like Ward,
with hardly superficial scrupulousness to get
control of his affairs. He had sons who were
prudent and considerable, and some OF them
older than Ward but he allowed this interloper
to come between him and his sons. though the
sons were in the bank as clerks, and he thus de-
prived his sons both of their influence and
career. What the people are interested in, now
that MIR. Fish has been convicted, is the security
of the banks. 1t seems, during this trial. that
the president really was the servant of few al
his directors, Ward being one. and that they
would make loans to themselves and risk the
deposits of the general public. Unquestionably,
ability is required in the president of national
bank, and ability and moral health generally go
together. 1t does not take man long to find
out that lying and cheating disparages his abil-
ity, and that there is no necessity for them.
The government had its regular bank exam
ers appointed by the Comptroller, who was Mr..
knox, and these men appear either to have
known nothing about the bank to have been un-
able to fathom the frauds there, or they pre-
ferred a present to doing their duty. 1t seems
to me that when the penitentary is called in to
punish recusants, these bank examiners ought
somehow to be put on trial, for there is no So
curity for a national bank except in these in
vestigatons by the experts of the government
We behold the singular fact within the same
fortnight of the president of one bank, Mr..
Seney. who was essentially speculator selling
his paintings for over $4,000 and the president
of another bank, Mr.. Fish, being convicted by
United States jury of Encouragement i
From what hear, neither person has any
means. The elder Fish may find conso
lation in the fact that somebody has to take
care of hiAfor few years. His proposition
had been to go out to Mexico and manage a
tramway there to carry ore from the differ
ent mines to the smelters. Hutchinson, the
broker, who was turned out of the stock ex
change for swindling one of his customers to thu
extent of So 000 900 or 81 000 600 was considered
virtuous enough to become the leading spirit IL
another bank in Wall street, and that recently
broke, and he has run off to Europe, leaving
fine Methodist church here to which he wal
a contributor, about $50, 900. Each of thesl
men has had his ecclesiastical connection
Ward began as treasurer in Dr. Storrss Sunday
school in Brooklyn, and deposited the collections
in the Marine bank, and Mr. Fish's brother re
Gently told me that the Sunday school had sine,
ascertained that the collections were used for
speculation and that he was short finally with tia
Sunday school, Seney was the son of Meth
odist minister and took large hand in endov-
ing Methodist institutions. Hutchinson was
prominent Methodist, and always had family
prayers and grace at the table. 1t may be sad
that these are only incidental, and / think 20
too but among other facts they are to be stated
There is no necessity of any suppression d
these matters They possibly teach us that We
ought to be guided by facts and not by appear.
ances, and that ones relations TO his fellow man
are the facts, while his relations to his MakN
must necessarily be the appearances.