The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-26
M0ORE'S MONSTER STEAL
THE TOTAL MAY RUN UP CLOSE
TO $1,OOo,Ooo.

He is at His Home Ready to Face Any
thing tho Company May Have in
Store for Him-He Talks to Re-
porter-Other Companies Involved
in the Grab.
INDIANAPOLIs, Jan. p. Joseph A. Moore,
the defaulting insurance agent, has not yet
been arrested, and no criminal proceedings
have been begun against him. He resting
in seclusion in the city and positively re-
fuses to see anybody or say anything for
publication about his troubles w. G.
Abbott, vice-presdent of the Connecticut
Mutual Company, is here with a professional
! account and it was through their efforts
that Moore's discrepancy was made public.
1t is thought the defalcation will be consid-
eraby in excess of $500,000 He was also
agent for the German-American Firemen's
Fund, City of London aud Imperial of Lon
don insurance companies, and is supposed to
| be short in his accounts with them.
Nothing definite is known about this, how
ever
MOORE INTERVIEWED.
A reporter to-day succeeded in obtaining
an interview with defaulter Moore, who is
at present closely combining himself to his
reaidenc in the city. He talked with CON
considerable freedom, denying rumors that
dep stors in his bank would suffer. He
stated that he had tured over to the Con-
nectcut Mutual company property worth
100000. When asked if he knew what
course the officers Of the insurance company
would pursue, he said: ~ have no idea Of
their plans l am simply waiting for de-
velop nents, and am entirely in their
hands"
READY TO FACE THE MUSIC. %
81 want it understood that l have re-
mained here to face the consequence of my
acts Of my own accord. When | was in
! formed that Mr.. Abbott, the secretary Of
the company, was coming to investigate
my affairs, | had plenty of time TO leave
tho country and save myself com
plotely l decided to stay right here,
and when Mr.. Abbott arrived ! told
him the whole truth about the condition
OF tho business. did not conceal anything
however trivial, and | then said to him that
proposed to remain here | told him he
could al yays tind me whoa he wanted me,
and promised him that l would not com
NIT suicide, 50 here ! am waiting for any
| thing that may come.n
BEGINNING OF HIS TROUBLES.
Moore's troubles date from 1880.
"In 1892. said he, "a law
was passed prohibiting foreign cor
pOratous from bringing suit in the fed
eral court. That destroyed my business.
For two or three years | did nothing at all,
and became very deSpondeut. just before
that a short time l had gone into bank
ruptcy, and an intimate friend who had
indorsed my paper was a heavy loser.
always considered that ] was in
honor bound TO pay him and
it was in an attempt to do this that my
present troubles really began. / had no
| l. 1. l.
and at the same time was striving to pay
my friend the money ne had lost by me. l
had loaned great sums of money for the
company l represented, taking real estate
security.
UNABLE TO COLLECT.
after the panic the borrowers were un-
| able to pay off the mortgage and the
property fell back into our hands. II had
deprecated greatly in value and was run
down in very bad repair. | felt myself
more or less in fault at having placed loans
so badly, though in reality did the best |
| could. ] was extremely sensitive on this
point. l saw the company losing thousands
( Of dollars on investments that had
! been made upon my Judgment.
Many time felt as though l should lose
my mind. | was beset on every side, and
felt bound to do something to relieve myself,
and yet there was nothing could do. At
| J1lS JOlHJ WeuU 10 4NeW j OTk ana DBRdu
! to speculate in stocks. / had fair success,
too, and made some money, but whenever |
came back here lost my head and every
thing went wrong"
ONE FACT CONCEALED.
Moore declined TO say how much he had
lost in stock speculation 1t is obvious that
his irregularities with the company have
existed for years, yet nothing had been
| done on the part Of the company until Jan
| | this year. II is current report that Col.
| Green, the president Of the company, has
known for more than year that Moore
was embarrassed, if not a defaulter
and it is asserted Though
the secretary Of the company
denies that statement) that the vice pres-
dent Of the company, John NJ. Taylor, as
serted to the general officers of the company
years ago that Uoore's accounts could not
be right and that something vas radically
wrong. 1t is believed by these that the de-
falcation amounted TO $500, 900 two or three
years ago, and that now, together with
shortages in other departments of his busi-
ness, they viii reach $3.50, ,000 If not more.
Secretary Abbott, however, to-day ex-
pressed his belief that the detalcations
would not exceed $500 COO.