Daily Republican., 1886-07-02
Tho Wilson Defalcation,

circles, but nothing new of importance
was developed. at the office of the
company matters were comparatively
quiet. When the Office opened for the
day 3 business q considerable number
OF bondholders, having their certifl-
Gates with them, made Inquiries as to
the status Of their holdings, and ia each
case the response Of Assistant Secretary
Hutchinson was that no interest could
be paid until the books are overhauled
and the company ascertains just how
matters stand.
Quite q number Of those who called
at the office expressed to President Gil
lingham their sympathy for the misfor.
tune which had come upon the COM
pany. and their confidence In the man
agement. People, many of them ladies,
continued to call during the day 81
intervals until the hour Of closing the
office arrived. In all cases where peo-
pie brought their certificates a memo
randum was made of the number OF the
certificate, It's amount, date and In
whose favor 1t was drawn, and this
course will be continued until the
amount Of bonds outstanding may be
definitely asdertained. In this way q
record Of 205 certificates was taken yes
terday, but the aggregate amount rep.
resented by them had not been COM
|puted when the Office closed. Two ex-
|psrt bookkeepers began work on the
books yesterday morning and continued
their labors until late In the afternoon.
During the morning r. o. McMurtrie,
George M. Dallas and George L. Craw
ford, EsQs., the counsel for the company,
N a mr. in taf To-, lei
President Gillingham.
Mr GillinEham, when spoken to late
In the afternoon. said that the com
pany will have no further statement to
make for publication until they ascer-
tain the result of the examination OF
the company's books and obtain q
record Of the outstanding bonds. He
said 1t was impossible at present to
pick out the spurious certificates, and
would be obliged to wait until the
record is completed and the books and
certificates are carefully inspected.
The subject Of foreclosure was men.
toned to him as having been a matter
of conjecture in various quarters, but
he said that he had heard nothing Of
the matter, and that none of the bond
holders had intimated foreclosure 10
him.
As to the missing treasurer and the
Whereabouts of Lesley he had no fur.
ther information TO communicate, and
the matter was virtually in the same
condition as the day before. The war
rants sworn out before Magistrate
Thompson for the arrest of Wilson aud
Lesley, charge Wilson with the larceny
of two Lehieh Valley Railroad Com
pRny bonds OF 81, 900 each, and with the
embezzlemenr OF sc, 900 and upwards
IN cash Lesley Is accused of aiding and
assisting Wilson in these offences.
Samuel b. Huey, counsel for Wilson,
had a long consultation yesterday with
the wife OF the missing man, bat de-
clined to communicate the result of it
for publication. To "Public ledger"
Mr.. Huey said:
IL have been in consultation on the
matter of the defalcation for several
hours, but l do not yet see my way
clear 10 give anything for publication.
| am, however, doing all / CAD in that
direction and hope to succeed very
soon."
"Is W ilson in the cit5?" asked the
reporter.
az have nothing to say on that sub
ject, !" replied Mr.. Huey.
''Is he likely TO surrender bimself?"
az hope socn to be able to have some.
thing for the papers," was the answer.
LEsLY AND WILSON'S INNER LIFE
There is one gentleman In Philadel
phia, says the Philadelphia Times, at
least who was not surprised at the ex
plosion in the Chesapeake and Della
ware Canal Compsny's affairs or the
sad plight In which j. A. l.. Wilson, irs
treasurer, appears before the public.
He IL @ leading lawyer, who in the
course OF his practice came into the pos
session OF facts running back several
years that prepared him for the expose
that startled the city on Wednesday {.
He said yesterday to Times reporter:
There II nothing in Wilson's shortage
or the company's embarrassment that
astonishts nae, and it is a wonder the
collapse did nbt come sooner.
AS long ago as 1879 was engaged as
attorney for Charles II. Crawford in
litigation With Henry V. Lesley, the
predecessor of Wilson, and learned then
of the enormous drain that was being
Llade on the canal company's funds.
Lesley had alienated the affections OF
Crawford's wife and was twice arrested
for adultery. The first case against him
in 1879 was settled by the return OF a
verdict of not guilty, but 1t cost the &C.
cused several thousand dollars, He was
then involved in tie divorce suit
brought by Mary Il. Crawford against
Charles H. Crawford In 1880, and this
was another expensive proceeding for
LESLEY.
"In the course of these suits 1t was
shown that Mrs. Crawford had drawn
from Lesley betw cen $40. 600 and $50, 600
year, outside of the expenses of the
litigation In which he became involved
through his relations with her. After
her divorce he installed her in grand
style at 1903 Walnut street, aud she
was complete master of his finances as
well as affections. There was hardly
any limit 10 her demands upon him for
money, and of course the supply oame
from the treasury of the canal com-
pany.
aThe letters he wrote to her when he
WAS called away from the city were
more like the efferveeeing effusions OF a
boy fresh from college to his first love.
They we're coupbed In the most ardent
language and he seemed TO be miserable
without her company. Hundreds OF
these letters are still In existence. Les-l
ley WAS last arrested for adultery q lit-l
tie over two years ago. While his re-
lations with Mrs. Crawford were the
subject Of investigation In the courts l
that his friend and confidant at
the canal company's headquarters,
Wilson, was also being plucktd by q
woman.
''The latter is the daughter of most |
parents living in West
Philadelphia, who knew nothing of the |
criminal intimacy che has maintained
with Wilson for years. She was fire.
auently with Mrs. Crawford, who in. |
formed me that Wilson lavished money
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