The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-25
A COLLECTOR GONE WRONG.

He Sends a Written Confession OF
His Default for 5000 90.
The officers have been on the lookout for
R. L. Donelan, city collector for Andrew
Hanley, since Wednesday noon, who is a
confessed embezzler of 1906 96, and how
much more that is unconfessed Mr. Hanley
says he has not yet been able to determine.
Mr.. ID lnelan has been in the employ Of
Mr.. Hanley for the past three years, and
his employer did not doubt his honesty, al
though MIR. Hanley says his collector had
frequently been under the influence of liq-
uor, and after looking over this otfense re-
peatedly he had finally warned Mr.. Done
Ian that IL he repeated it he would be COM
PEELED to discharge him.
On Wednesday morning when Mr. Dom
elan reported at the store he was under the
influence of liquor, and Mr. HanleY in
formed him that his services would be no
longer required. Donelan left the store,
first bidding all the attaches good-by, and
telling them he was going to Atlanta. This
was about 10 o'clock in the morning.
About l o'clock in the afternoon
Mr.. Hanley received a letter, by the
hands of a messenger, from the dis
charged collector admitting that he
was defaulter to the amount of 500 SO,
and he carefully itemized every account
collected, the aggregate of which accounts
made up the Mount of the confessed en-
bezzlement Confession was also ma lie that
he had been embezzling collections ever
since Mr.. Sullivan, a former collector, had
left Mr.. Hanley's employ, which period,
Mr.. Hanley says, covers three years or
more.
Donelan confessed, in his letter, that at
one time his default had been as high as
$3.50, but that he had been reducing it, and
would eventually pay it all back. Mr..
Hanley says an investigation of the &C.
counts collected, which make up the 1905 96
shows that Mr.. Donelan collected every Que
of them betwee Oct. aud Is.
The practice of Mr.. Donelan, when asked
why some good accounts were not collected
was to say that the parties asked to let their
| accounts go over another month, and he
| would 80 mark them on the collection
book.
Donelan took occasion to give Mr.
| Hanley some advice. He wrote: II would
| advise you TO bond your next collector il
| you don't want the stealing to be kept up >
| There was a sang froid about the letter
| which was peculiarly cutting to the en-
| ployer whom he had wronged, and Mr.
Haniey at once put the matter in the
hands OF @ detective, but although
| Donelan was seen on the streets
at about noon Wednesday. he could
not be found that day nor night,
and no clew could be had yesterday of his
whereabouts kilograms ere sent to all
| the principal towns and cities on the lines
of railway centering here and the outgoing
steamships were narrowly watched but Don.
elan gave the officers the slip. The collector
said in his letter that he hasn't q cent left
of the money collected, but this Mr.. Hanley
does not believe. as the collections were so
recent He thinks, too, that Donelan may
have got more money, as when not collect
ing for the store he assisted as a salesman,
the daily cash transactions of which gave
him an opportunity for further pecula.
lions