The evening world., 1888-08-29
ATHIEVING U TRUSTEE
GREAT SCANDAL in THE WASHINGTON
SQUARE METHODIST CHURCH.
Treasurer Edward #. Stewart Locked Up In
tho Tombs for EmbezzIinE $500 Of the
C~ongregarioD's Money-u WINS n Fund
Raised to Pay OF a ~Mertsngo-His Em-
pIoyers Refuoe 60 Become nis Bail.

A defaulting church trustee spentlast night
in q Tombs cell, and is liable to spend many
more, rs there seems to be no inclination on
the part of his friends to bail him.
He is Edward +. Stewart, of 125 Berkeley
place, Brooklyn, and has been employed as
q salesman with the Wholesale millinery firm
of Hill a. Co., at broadway aud Canal street.
The amount which Stewart is alleged to
have stolen is So, 100, and the story Of the
larceny is told by. Charles E. MADDEN, the
builder, of 103 South Fifth avenue. on whose
complaint Stewart was indicted.
Mr.. Hadden is one of the trustees of the
Church. He says that Edward f. Stew
art, who was q prominent member
OF the congregation, was elected
o trustee on Dec. A, 1882, and at a meeting Of
the Board of Trustees Jour days later was
made Treasurer of the corporation.
In the month of October. 1884, a movement
was set ON foot which resulted in the raising
by subscription of sufficient money to lift
the debt of ell, 100 which had been
a burden on the church for many
years, This money was paid In to MIR.
Stewart as treasurer, and he was instructed
to satisfy the creditors of the church.
The indebtedness consisted of q mortgage
for 5000, three trustee notes of 81. 900 each,
and another mortgage for 90. 100 which had
been o lien on the church property since
1862.
On Dec. 20, 1884, Treasurer Stewart salts
fed the IS. 900 mortgage, and previous to that
had taken up the three notes.
Between March 10. 1856. and April 20. 1885,
he entered in his books this item of credit:
by bond and mortgage cancelled. .......... .ss, loo
This was a false entry, though it sufficed to
hoodwink Stewards fellow trustees, who
implicitly believed that their church was out
of debt.
The mortgage was still in the hands of
T.uooa M An1n~uNr ,f nna ur,IraA oyH
Seventy eighth street and Fordham venue,
the assignee of the mortgagor, and no part of
the principal had been paid.
The defaulting treasurer, however, was
very careful to pay the interest on the mort
gage from his own pocket, so that his ras.
cality would not be revealed.
He made payments of interest regularly
until March 10, 1888, when the holder of the
mortgage, Jas. NJ. Anderson, communicated
| the fact that a payment of interest was due.
| This communication was addressed to Rev.
John Riley THOMPSON, pastor of the church.
TIL information fell like q dynamite bomb
among the officials of the Washington Square
| Methodist Church, who had looked upon
| their treasurer as a man of s~trictest integrity
only to find him an migrate and q thief.
The matter was placed before Stewards
| fellow trustees, and 1t was decided to prose.
| cute him eriminally. He was indicted July
1G, but was travelling on the road for his en-
| ployers at the time, N was not arrested
until yesterday afternoon. .
Detective ergt. Thomas Herman tool
him into custody at Hill 81 Co.'s store in
| Broadway.
| Stewart was utterly broken down at the an.
| nouncement that he was arrested for grand
| larceny and did not know what to say.
His bail was fxed ut 81 GOO, but his em.
ployers refused to 90 on his bond, saying
I that Stewart had overdrawn his salary about
else.
Stewart is n ~fnelooling man, forty-foul
| years old. and has always borne the best o!
| regulations,
1t Is thought mat hvlng beyond MS income
| the church.
He refused to be interviewed this morning