The Washington critic., 1886-09-25
BARTHOLOMEW.


man of simple and mcthodical habits,
who lived economically, used neither
whisky nor tobacco, worked hard, and
conducted himself In every relation OF
life with propriety. Neither did he use
the cloak of religion to conceal his real
character. TO all appearance he was
rather above than below the average
good citizen.
Yet, in the respect that he was an
invetcrate borrower of money, at times
and on occasions when II must have
been evident to him, as q business man,
that the chances OF his being able II
meet his obligations were all against
him; and in the further respect that he
took frequent advantage of his rcputel
wealth to impose upon friends who hal
full faith in the soundncss Of his credit,
he must have been Deliberately aud In.
tentionally dishonest, So that what
ever personal virtues he possessed, or
however good au example he set in his
daily walk and conversation, they
count for little or nothing now.
The usual plea will probably be
made in his case rs in that of many
Others who have gone wrong in like
manner, that by stress of adverse cir
cumstances he was forced to the adop-
tion of desperate subterfuge5 and ex-
pedients In order to escape from the
network of ruin that was coiling
around him.
But there was an audacity in Bar.
tholomew's operations not character
istic of weak man struggling in the
meshes of mlsfortune-a systematic
continuity of purpose running through
years Of devious methods, which Is
entirely incompatible with the theory
that he was led into temptation by
sharp and unexpected contingencies.
He seems to have proceeded upon
the assumption that dishonesty in.
stead Of honesty, is the best policy.
1t evidently never entered into his
head to call nalt upon himself, to
make known his embarrassments, to
own up his insolvency and take the
consequences like man. The plea
of inexperience is not admissible, for
he had forty to fifty years of active
business life behind him. Neither
may his youth be adduced in mitiga.
tion, for he was fast reaching the
allotted age Of man when deepest in
his Gelinquencies. Neither was he a
wild and reckless speculator, gam
Il nr1 F,p
Through none of these channels lay
his pathway to disgrace and ignomini-
Gus exile. His perversity was of an
innate, calculating sort, that grew upon
him like cancer and ate out his moral
scruples.
How many more of the same dan
cerous class--more dangerous by the
very reason of their exemplary manner
of. living-are now in position to make
shipwreck of themselves and their
friends and their creditors? How
many great corporations are harborin g
confidential officials, advisers or agents,
with the same inborn bent toward
knavery, but in whose outward guile
lessness an unwary reliance is placed?
How many good" men like George
NJ. Bartholomew, who neither smoke
nor drink, are toying with the sacred
trust funds Of the poor and dollar by
dollar converting them to their own
nefarious uses?
The defalcations and embezzlem ment:
Of the past few weeks in Hartford
Boston and elsewhere have fallen upon
the public with the startling impres
siveness of earthquake shocks. They
are symptomatic of radical moral dis
orders as the latter are of vast physica
arrangements. Is there no way ol
preventing their recurrence? Lesson
after lesson seems to go unheeded, ant
day after day the old story is repeated
How long are the small investors oi
the community, the holders of In
surance policies, the general financia
interests of the country to be left at the
mercy of reputable citizens who do mo-
drink or smoke, but who 1W steal?
THE spirit of compromise seems tc
be abroad in the Canadian flsherle
matter. In the Adams case, which /
being tried before Chief Justice Nc
Donald, at Halifax, it was yesterda,
decided that the captain of the seize,
vessel would have to go to that city L
give his evidence, but that the crey
could give theirs before commits
fioner in Boston. The counsel for tn
United States held that all the testi
mony could be given in the Unite
States, while the Canadian prosecutin
officer contended that Captain an
crew both should be compelled to ties
tify in Halifax.
ANOTHER crime, for which the En-
glish system of compartment cars
directly responsible, has just come t
light. 1t must have been committe
hours before its discovery and then
was only found out by newsboy VIII
saw blood dripping from one of th
compartments of first class carriag
when the train stopped in Londor
The officials entered the compartmer
and found gentleman lying on tn
floor in dying condition. There wa
deep wound on his forehead whic
had been made by some sharp instrr
ment, and the scull was fractured
There is no clue to the murderer. On
would think that even the stubbor
Englishman would learn by eXper
ence TO do away with the ant
quated system of slowing passenger
away in stuffy boxes where they ma