Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-07
ROW He STOLE $4,000.
The Confession of the Clerk of New York
Business.iionse.

Business.iionse.
A New York telegram says: Young
Frederick Fishel, of this city. stole
$75, 900, spent it on woman and on
cards and the races, and ran away to
Canada. He is now prisoner at the
Police central office, and has made
confession. On the strength of his
confession his employers have begun
civil suits against Dave Johnson and
William Kirby to recover money lost
in betting, and have obtained orders of
arrest. Kirbyis in Ludlow-Street Jail.
Ii is said that suits against six banks
which cashed checks for Fishel are con-
templated.
Fishel was confidential book-keeper
for August Bernhe;m & Bauer, cloth
iers. On September II last, Charles
L. Berrheim told him to get his ac-
counts ready for balancing the follow
ing Monday, which was the 2lst. Fri
day, the 18th, was the Day Of Atone
ment, and the next day being the jew
ish Sabbath the clearinghouse was con-
sequently closed the three days preced-
ing Monday. When Monday came
Fishel was gone.
STEALING s75, 900 IN A YEAR.
In the course Of Che day there ar
rived letter in which Fishel confessed
in detail to having embezzled more than
s75, 900 in less than year. Examina-
ton of the books soon showed that if
anything be had understated the
amount. He was enabled to steal so
large a sum in so short time because
his employers continually discount
paper for their customers and con-
sequently keep on deposit sums
ranging from $4,000 to 100000.
Checks for large amounts are con-
ually drawn and as Fishel was trusted
implicitly he contrived to get no small
portion Of these checks paid to him.
His practice was when he handed several
bond.fd checks to Joseph Klutz,
junior member, who signed for the firm,
to include a check made payable to a
fictitious parsonage. He generally chose
for his mythical payee the name of
some customer with initials changed,
and Mr.. Klutz, not noticing the
change, signed the check with
the rest. Sometimes Fishel used the
entire name Of customer, and then,
while he had no trouble in getting Mr..
Klutz's signature, he had to forge the
endorsement. He covered the defcien-
cies caused by his check transactions by
making false entries in his books. His
favorite method when depositing drafts
and what money came under his control
was to allow a large percentage to meet
his checks and enter only the difference
in his accounts. In one case he utilized
s1lO, 000ou Of the $50, 900 he deposited
for thus making good his check transac-
tons.
OFF FOR CANADA.
After closing up on September 18th
Fishel took a night train for Canada.
He got friend who was going to the
West Indies to mail from Havana let
ter which he had written to his en-
ployers, thinking in that way to make
them believe he had gone to Cuba.
Search was made there for him by pri-
vate detectives. About November Goth
the firm appealed to Inspector Byrnes.
After getting Fishel indicted the In
spector gave the job Of finding him to
Detectives Dolan and Heidelberg, who
finally got trace of the fugitive through
letters he had mailed to friends in this
city.
On reaching Canada Fishel spent a
day or two in Hamilton, where he APP
paTently met brother defaulter, WHO
told him what he must do to avoid be-
ing captured. At any rate, he soon
gave proof that he knew the ropes by
going to Gravenhurst, a town not far
from Hamilton, where he put himself
under the care Of man named Mcy-
ers, whose business it is, according to
the detectives, to take care of fugitives
from American justice and to see that
Canada proves safe refuge for them.
Fishel paid Meyers els a week for
board and as much more for protection.
BACK IN NEW YORK.
After while Meyers, on the or, ,dnd
that it was dangerous to stav too long
in one place, took nm to ranch not
lar 'r0" raymond Station, which is
ar ',ut thirty-three miles from Craven
hurst. There Fishel paid $40 q week
board for himself and Myers. Heidel-
berg and Dolan learned in Christmas
. week that he was there and went after
t him. BY the time they reached
RAYMOND he had gone back to
( Grayenhurst. They followed and
D arrested him the day before New-Year's.
Q He consented to come back with them,
t and the detectives reached this city with
their prisoner on Saturday. Fishel told
u Inspector Byrnes that the money he
stole went in fast living, races, and
d cards. About eighteen months ago he
met one Nellie Fisher, and from the in
timacy he contracted with her he dates
his downfall. He provided her with q
cottage at Long Branch last summer
!. and on her return to town in the su
tumn fitted up handsome fiat in Sixth
:, avenue for her.
THOUSANDS GONE IN GAMBLING.
y Although his salary was $500 I
+ year, he could not indulge in this riot
Y GUS living without spending far NOR
! than that amount, and he began hi
Q cheek operations. He was soon obliged
o to extend these to meet his losses q
o the races and in gsmbling-houses which
he bad begun to frequent. Nearly every
penny be embezzled was wasted on hi
mistress or in gambling. lie says tina
: in johnson 4 Kirby's gsming-house, q
= 6 west Twenty-eighth street, he los
= eco, 1000, and thousands of dollars NOR
Z he distributed in gambling-houses il
: the same psighboIhood. At the Long
Branch, Jeroms-Psrk, and Coney
Island races he also lost heavily. HI
paid his losses generally in checks.
i "When vice prevails and impious mel
1 bear sway"
: | 1919 II