Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-07-08

| with foreclosure. They are now paid by
the earnings of the company, and TO fore
close would cut short their own pay"
The same question was also asked Of one
Of the gentlemen Interested as trustees of
the mortgage loan. He replied that ho
was unable to say what would be done,
hut he thought whatever action was taken
| by the trustees would be in harmony with
the board of directors.
The bank accounts have been examined
and all found correct except that of the
Provident Life and Trust Company, which
was found to bo S3,07i GG, when there
should have been balance of over
| S3S,000. The two 81 900 Lehigh Valley
railroad bonds which Wilson took were
abstracted from the oompany's box in the
vaults of the Fidelity Trust and Safe De-
posit Company, and were probably sold
The deepest sympathy is expressed for
| Wilson on every hand, especially among
his neighbors and friends, byhwhom he
WIS very highly esteemed. They believe
that the man is heart-broken, and point
TO passage in his letter TO President Gill
lingham to substantiate this view. In this
he says;
My heart and life is broke. | care little
| for myself, but what of my wife and friends
who have believed IN me and trusted me
| took this great burden on myself alone
and you don't know what that word means
| three years ago last June, because had
been partly responsible and had not courage
| to bear tho shame as long as could hide II I;
| yet / have born and hidden 1t, nnd ap-
peared happy and cheerful while the
| oanker was eating at my vitals. am
an old man before my time. | could
not talk TO you about 1t. l only want to
say that Mr. Lesley and are alone re,pon-
slble for all the wrong that has been done.
We hnve deceived our friends and superior
officers as you have been deceived. We
have made use OF innocent friends In the
company to buy, sell and borrow on bonds.
| People who thought us above suspicion
have trusted us and our word. May God
| forgive me Dear old Mr.. Gray had no OPP
portunity except by chance Of finding 1t
| out. MIR. Lesley and l alone must bear IL,
| as we alone did 1t, and now / must 20,
whether lar away to distant lands 10 live
living death, old, poor and friendless, or TO
remain quietly at home till rst--O God,
| how need rest land then come back to
submit to the penalty deserve, have not
| yet decided.
The portion Of the letter which Presi-
dent Gillingham refuses to give out gives
instructions how to proceed to straighten
ont the company's tangled affairs. Wilson
had no extrayagances, and it is probable
that the greater part of the money taken in
latter years was used 10 pay the interest
on the bonds first issued. II is thought
that fully $36,000 was required last year
to pay the interest on the overissued
bonds. Wilson's only indulgence was
that he spent great deal of money on
his home Ht Forty first street and Balti
more avenue. The house is very pretty
one, and the grounds around are
kept in perfect order. Among his
real estate operations was the
Penn Guarantee Association, in which
he was Interested with Lesley and
others. The association was formed in
1878 for the purpose of purchasing and
improving real estate and dealing in
securities pertaining TO real estate. There
were 400 shares, half of which were
owned by Henry V. Lesley, and the re-
mRinder as follows Robert James Nee,
80 shares Frederick T.. Swope, 9Oshares;
W. Bedford, 10 shares, and James A. L.
Wilson, 10 shares. Wilson, Bedford and
Swope were the directors of the concern,
] and the operations of the company were
almost entirely confined TO West Phila-
delphia.
Samuel d. Huey, who has been retained
as Wilson's counsel, was busy all day in
examining the accounts and personal
effects of his client. He would say but
little about the matter, and said II he CON
cluded 10 make any statement it would
not he for several days. "IE Alr. Wilson
in town p was asked of him. mo; that
is, not to my knowledge he replied Mr..
IIuey spent several hours cstsrtay at the
house Of Mr. Wilson, and also had CON
sultation with the officers of the company.
Chief of Detectives Kelly yesterday
said that every effort was being made to
apprehend the fugitives, but he confessed
that he had not the slightest elcw to their
whereabouts The warrants are in the
hands of Detective Miller, and the entire
police department has been supplied with
descriptions, and vernl photographs are
in the possession ! the detectives.
Some of the holders Of tho bonds were
Yesterday inclined TO lind fault with the
management of the company. They
claimed that wheR the Sl5, 900 shortage
in Lesley's accounts was discovered, over
three years ago, the books should have
been thoroughly examined nj that time,
when the fraud would have certainly
been discovered. The directors, however,
rested satisfied on obtaining restitution of
the full amount from Lesley.
HOW THE FRAUD WAS wol.KEp.
Philadelphia Press Friday.
10 swindle the Delaware IL Chesapeake
Canal Company was very simple matter.
The venerable Andrew G. Gray, now
dead, was the president. He had i'm
plicit confidence in Lesley until he
(Losley) embezzled Sl5, 900 and was dis
missed, and in Wilson, Lesley's cousin,
after that. Unlike other institutions, the
certificates which represented first mort
gage bonds were printed instead of being
engraved. They could be readily
initiated by any printer in the
city were that necessary. II was
not necessary for the bonds TO remain
in their original form. They were not as
signed as by other corporations. A new
purchaser merely brought his certificate
TO the company, and il was taken and de-
stroyed and new certificate was given to
him. No record was kept of the amount
or number, except that which wns shown
by the "stubsn Of the certificate book. A
person could take in n IS, 900 certificate
and have il divided up intoas many small
certificates as he wished. If he wanted
five 81 900 certificates he could get them.
President Gray, before he would go home
TO New Castle, used to sign these ceriifi
Gates in blank. Only the treasurer's name
and filling up of blanks We're needed tc
make them negotiable. II was not ever
necessary to have bogus blanks printed
or to forge the presidents name.
WOMAN IN TUE CASE.
Q An investigation lends to the belief thai
d the first dishonest step was taken 10y
Lesley, and ihat il was prompted by hll
infatuation for Il woman named Mary II
crawford the wife of Charles ii. Oraw
ford. now living at 1890 North Eighteenth
a street. Wilson soon became involved u
: the transactions. Mrs. Crawford livet
q with her husband, CHARLES IL. Crawford
: ON Master street, and IN lS7S they wer'
\ mempers of congregation that en-
y Jenyored 10 establish Presbyterian
church in the old Forrest Alansion n
. Broad and Master streets. u. v. Leslie.
: was one of the elders, and he ana IN
o Crawfords speedily became intimate MI
Crawford was on the road then Tor II lhrB
6 patelt medicine house and went hwil
= from home for four or five months. Whil
away Mrs. Crawford WINS taken SICK an
a Lesley came in ns n spiritual adviser Sh
ii becano better and then n scanhi
/, oncnrred. which resulted in Mr.. Crawlor
bpinp summoned home. Mr.. Crawfor
10 fonnd two letters which confirmed hi
y ensrieions, and in 1879 he had Leslie
"a arrested, charged with adultery iof in
(" sake Of his daughter MIR. Crawford settle
" the suit, and his wife promised that IN
!, wrong would not be repeated. In 1881
y divorce was granted Mrs. CrawIord' ut