Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-15
NEPHEW
RObS His ToO-COnfding Relative of
a Good-Sized Fortune.
BOLD THEFT BY A PITTSBURG BOY.
BE Escapes, but His Confederate in Crime
is Arrested.
A NOTED sPORTSMAN'S HARD LUCK

NEW YORK, May 14--Leslie E. Macleod
is in the Tombs, and the police are bunting
for Robert L. Wallace. They are charged
with the robbery of over $50, 600 from John
H. Wallace, the veteran editor and proprle-
tor of 'Wallace's Monthly" which is known
the country over as an authority On matters
relating TO trotting horses and also OF the
standard works "Wallace's American Trot-
ting Register" and "Wallace's Year Book.
Robert L. Wallace is relative of Editor
Wallace, and Macleod was associate editor
of Wallace's Monthly.
John h. Wallace is a bachelor with
ruddy, clean shaven face, twinkling blue
eyes and hair silvered by his 60 goodly
years. He has been interested in the breed
ing of fine horses for 40 years. He began
the pu blication of "Wallaee' American Stud
Book" in the West in 1861. The work be-
came standard of its kind, and in 1867 Mr..
Wallace added a trotting breeders supple
ment, which in 1871 he developed into the
well-known ''TrottIng Register"
His monthly is the official organ of the
National Association of Trotting Horse
Breeders, and has been published in this
city since 1875. The offices are now in the
Stewart building.
ADOPTED HIS PITTSBURG RELATIVE.
He has made over 100000 out of his
publications, and being hearty, whole
souled kind of man, without chick or child
of his own, he took as a protege several
years ago the son of a Pittsburg Wallace,
who is in the Government employ there.
The lads grandfather was cousin of MIR.
Wallace's iather. Robert L., this was the
1ad IN l.ah hair IN he fhnnSaO0S
that "Uncle" Wallace had laid away Un-
Gle Wallace became very fond of him and
trusted him implicitly. Robert, or bot"
as his benefactor affectionatelT called him,
will not be q years old until next July, but
he was made assistant treasurer of the pub
fishing establishment carried the key to
Mr.. Wallace's safe and had access to his
check-book and all his private papers.
Last Wednesday morning Bob did not
appear at the office. He did not appear
during the dav. As he was ordinarily
punctual enough Mr. Wallace thought he
must be sick, and that afternoon went up to
"Bob's" boarding house, No. 4S7 West
Twenty-second street, to see about it,
why, Robert left in hurry this morn
ing, taking his trunk" said Mrs. Charles
Gumbart, the landlady. "He said he was
going to Boston on business"
As Mr.. Wallace knew of no business that
the lad could have in Boston-certainly
none connected with the ofice-he began to
think. He did good deal more thinking
after he had returned to the office and looked
at his bankbook that evening, and still more
on Thursday morning when he visited his
box at the Bankers Safe Deposit Company's
vaults at No. 4 Wall street.
NOTHING LEFT BUT A DEFICIT.
The box in the safety deposit vault, in
which there had been over S35 900 Of gilt
edged stocks and bonds, was empty, and
enough cash had been drawn from Mr. Wal
lace's account at the bank to make the total
shortage nearly S54, 900. Robert L. Wallace,
'nephew" and prospective heir, was the
only person who had access to the bank |
book and the private compartment in the |
safewhere the safety vault key was kept,
and it was pretty evident that he had drawn
in advance on his prospects as heir before he
hurried off that Wednesday morning ION
business to Boston,"
Mr. Wallace notified Inspector Byrnes of |
the robbery, and the latter decided to arrest |
Macleod on suspicion of completely. Mac |
1eod is very we'll known to breeders of trot- |
ting horses all over the country. Although |
only % years old, be is said to be particu- |
1arly well informed horseman and a tren-
chant writer. He came to New York from
Prince Edward Island, and has been in the |
Wallace office nearly four years. He was
made associate editor Of "Wallace's Month |
"" year ago. Macleod is peculiar look |
ing man, with large, square head, very
small and somewhat fishv eyes, and mar
row chin. He wears spectacles, which in
crease his singular appearance. He is un- |
married.
BOB WAS INFLUENCED.
Macleod and young Bob" Wallace were !
much together, and the supposition is that !
the older man Influenced the other. Mac /
leod is said to drink freely. "Bob, " how /
ever, was given a very good character by
Mr.. and Mrs Gumbart at the West Twenty |
second street boarding house. He had
boarded there for a year and a half. They
said he was not addicted to drink, so far as
they know, though he sometimes kept late
hours. Mrs. Gumbart described him as a
tall, well built young man, with very
young mustache. The only theory to ac-
count for the theft of the So, 900 or more is
that it went in gambling.
The S35 900 worth of stocks and bonds
stolen from the Bankers Safety Deposit
vaults were the personal property of Mr..
Wallace. Some of the cash drawn from
bank was to the account of the publishing
house. The deficit will not, however, affect |
the business seriously, if at all.
Some time ago Mr.. Wallace organized the
Wallace Trotting Register Company with
large number of shareholders, including
many prominent breeders. Among them
are Charles Backman, of Orange county.
this State; A. j. Schulz, of Brooklyn, and
&. S. Veech, of Kentucky.
All three publications have been prosper
ous. The Monthly has 116 pages, the Regis
ter about 500 and the Year Book from 500 to
700. The pedigrees, race statistics, compar-
alive tables, speed classifcations, etc., are
considered official in Europe as well as in
America.
OFF TO HAVANA.
Inspector Byrnes said this afternoon that
the party who stole the $50, 600 worth of
bonds lom the Bankers Safe Deposit Com
pany was Leslie Mcleod. 1t was first sup
posed that young Wallace had stolen them.
Mcleod has been identified by Mr.. Schley,
IN official of the Bankers Safe Deposit
Company.
Mr.. Schley said that Mcleod went to the
vaults on Wednesday, and on Thursday
morning the bonds were missing. 1t is
known that young Wallace on Wednesday /
afternoon negotiated $4,000 worth Of
bonds On the same day he took the
steamer Santiago for Havana. He gave
the name of E. o. Collins. The steamer
reached Havana Sunday. The total amount
of property taken includes S35, 900 Western |
Union bonds, check for SIC, ,000-in all |
I46, 900 4
Not Known Here.
Young Robert L. Wallace is not known
n this city among sporting men. There are
,,u,nI,ar of Wallaces IN the Citv nirectorv