Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-13
"a FORTUNE IN A RAvINE.
President McNeil's Plan for COncsaliBE
tho Money and Securities stolen.
From t@e Ne,0 York Tribune.

President NoNeirs Plan for COncealiDE
tho Money and Securities stolen.
From t8e Ne,0 York Tribune
( Boston, Jan. SIN the last two days
some remarkable developments have been
made in the robbery OF the Lancaster Ma
! tiOnGl Bank, the story OF which reads like
a romance. The arrest Of Charles II. Neo,
/ OF the West Rutland (Nt) Marble Com
pany, ON Tuesday, charged with partici.
pating with Mcneil in ro0bing the Ian
caster bank has been mentioned. 1t
! seems that Neo was taken to Clinton,
/ where he was closeted for about three
| hours with Chief Wade, Of the State
/ police. and finally made a startling con-
/ fessiOn. After going to the Lancaster
| bank with Mcneil one night last week,
and stealing all the money and securities
/ they could from the bank they started
| North. He lett Mcneil at Rutland, and
! the latter went on to Canada. probably.
| Pressed hard. he admitted that he and
! Neil gave l.. ), Barnum, bOOkkeeper for
| the West Rutland Marble Company, Of
which DR.. Nelson is President, two satch-
| els. He also admitted that DR.. Nelson
was present when this delivery was made.
| Neo and Mcneil assured Barnum that
these satchels had no connection with the
! Lancaster bank troubles. Barnum agreed
TO take these satchels to some place and
| conceal them. Barnum appears 10 be in
nOcent Of all evil intent. Armed with this
| Information, Officer Dyson went TO Rut-
! land on Wednesday night, and on Thurs
! day morning called on Barnum, He bore
! letter from Veo Baruum said that from
what Yeo had told him he hRd no suspi-
cion that anything was wrong. When the
satchels were given to HIM he took team
and drove eighteen miles to TinmOuth.
! AT this place he LETT the team with
! cousin, and taking an old Wash-boiler, put
the satchels into it, threw it over his
shoulder and went 10 the mountain. On
| reaching a rocky cavity be threw The
boiler and satchels Into it, covering them
with rocks. He then returned to the
| Marble COmpany's Office and told DIR.
Nelson where he had concealed the
satchels. After VeO was ar
rested on Tuesday Dr.. Mel
son told Barnum to gO TO the mountain
in Tinmouth and remove the satchels.
He made an evaslve reply, and that night
Nelson lett Rutland. The morning after
NeO was arrested Mrs. Nelson went to
Barnum's Office ana told him that Nelson
wanted him TO meet him that night on the
Pttsdeld road, and TO be sure and have
the satcbes. Barnum did not meet him,
and told Mrs. Nelson the whole story.
After talking the matter over with her he
decided TO inform the bank, but before be
~
| ter was handed him he read il over twice,
looked at it intently to satisfy himself
that the signature of Joseph Veo was not
a forgery, and then, turning to Dyson,
said
Come with me-"
They went out the door Of the little
office, crossed the Delaware and Hudson
track, and clambered up the steep and
icy side Of the hill till they were 100 feet
nj mora a hQVp tho Office Ga0idpI
to 90 for the sGtchels and a team was
procured. When they reached the place
on the mountain the clerk stepped down
into a little SPOT followed out by nature
between two great rocks, pulled aside
some heavy rocks and disclosed the two
satches in the old wash boiler He
! stopped down, pulled out one of the
| satchels, aud mOtiOned TO Mr.. Dyson to
take the other. just then it began to rain
in torrents, and before they could get 60
place of shelter they wers Grenched to
the skin. One bag, made of alligatOr's
skin. contained SjO, 900 in interest bearing
bonds Of the West Rutland Marble Com
pany, quantity Of bonds and certificates
| of the Wyoming Beet Company and The
Low Cattle Company. These had been
badly soaked with rain and melted snow,
and could not be examined without injur-
ing them. In the other bag was found
/ McNeiPs personal letters and a number
/ of alleged certificates, which had been
claimed by a Lowell music dealer on col
lateral which he had deposited as security
for notes which the bank had discounted
for him. These certificates
were found to be leases
which mad been given for pianos and
other instruments leased or bought On in
staliments. The music dealer saws that
these certificates represent $l3, 0O0. There
were also found several c0ecks payable TO
! McNeiPs order. several trinkets. railroad
tickets, etc. The most important find IN
the bag was $l5 goo in bank bills, done up
in packages. Several of the bills had been
distracted from two or three of the pack
ages. Tie value Of the securities recoy-
cred is about Sl65,0G0.
+ Mcneil mad with him 5000 in gold coin,
and doubtless expected ultimately to re-
ceive the contents OF the bags, but he took
an unsafe way to insure the security OF
his doodle"
Nelson was arrested last night in Rut-
land. Bank Examiner Gatchell swOre
out in the District Court at Clinton "a
complaint which charges Nelson on Dec.
% with feloniously aud mallciously in
citing William Il. Mcneil TO commit
larceny in a building, OF National bsy k
notes amounting to $4,000, .egal-te nder
notes to the same amount, and $l0o0 in
gold coin. the property OF the Lancaster
| National bank. Nelson is a sOn-iu-law OF
DR.. Tourgee, the head Of the New England
Conservatory of Music. He was married
short time ago.
Henry G. Forester, cashier OF the bank
was arrested tonight for being an access
sorry before the fact to the larceny by
President Mcneil. He obtained bail in
the sum of $4,000,