The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-04-11
IS DARLING IN CANADA7
Strange Disappearance of John
F. Plummer's Partner.
A MILLION OF DOLLARS is GONE.

Darling Was Financial Manager Of the
Firm of Plummer g. Co., and Alone
Knows why the Crash Came-He Has
Been Missing Nearly n Fortnight.
NEW YoRK, April Partner W. 8.
Darling, Of John f. Plummer & Co. did not
come TO town yesterday, and the creditors
Of the firm would now be very much sur
prised to see him in New York The news
that MIR. Darling has been missing for over
a week furnishes the key to the mystery of
this remarkable failure. Furthermore, it
relieves Mr.. Plummer of some of the impu-
tations which had been made against him.
But the question, "Where has the money
goneT has not been answered yet All
that is definitely known is that big house,
doing profitable business, with a supposed
surplus of at least $500, 600 has suddenly
collapsed, and that the 100000 is on the
other side of the ledger. A million has dis
appeared, and the only man who can tell
where it has gone, has gone, too.
How the Partners Worked.
This situation was made possible by very
peculiar arrangement in the management of
the affairs of John +. Plummer az Co There
was an arbitrary division of duties among
the partners John f. Plummer and his
brother attended solely to what may be
termed the outside end of the business Mr..
Plummer gave his special attention to de-
signing and selecting designs for goods to
q be made at the mills. Mr. Darling had
charge of the books and of the whole finan-
cial department as absolutely as if he had
been the sole member of the firm. There
| was not even an auditing of his accounts
/ He gave his partners to understand that
| they were doing most profitable business,
| with earnings at the rate of about Slj0,000 a
! year
The volume Of the business fully war
ranted this statement, and for that matter
it hasn't yet been shown to be untrue. The
partners did not draw all their profits. 1t is
said that the senior partner drew enough to
enable him to live at the rate of about S4O,-
600 annually.
MIR. Plummer Was Amazed.
The crash came when some of the mills de-
manded security or payment toward the
| great advances they had made the firm. In
the case of one mill the amount was $780,
600. This brought TO light the real state of
affairs, and no one was more amazed than
| Mr.. Plummer himself The mills asked for
| preference on their claims Mr.. Plummer
| consulted counsel and MIR. Choate's advice
was: "lf you can't meet your liabilities
fail like man, without partiality to any
| creditor" Then Mr. Plummer made an as
signment and began to inspect the ruins
| A week before he supposed himself to be
| a comparatively wealthy man, but it needed
only a brief investigation to show that he
couldn't pay 80 cents on the 81 of his liabii-
ties. Before the situation had been fully
disclosed Partner Darling had disappeared.
Is Darling in Canada9
1--WE haven't heard word from Mr.
Darling said Mr.. W. l.. Strong yesterday,
"but l haven't much doubt tnat he is in
Canada The examination Of the books has
not been finished yeu, and we have no clew
to what has been done with the money. |
hope the books will show, but they may not.
There are all sorts of rumors, but none of
! them has been verified. Yes, this develop
ment relieves Mr.. Plummer of all suspicious
| rejecting on his integrity, but it does not
free him from responsibility in the eyes OF
business men. 1t was "a duty he owed his
creditors, if not to himself, to know more
about his business than he did. So his bust
ness reputation will suffer in the light OF
these latest facts
| Politics Did Not Interfere.
"Did his interest in politics contribute tc
thls ignorance of his financial affairsq'
| II think not. His duties under the ar
rangement amoug the partners were fully
attended to. He had plenty of leisure II,
had designs all made and orders giver
ahead to the mills to the amount of full,
$l,O00,OoO, and enough to keep them bus,
until next September. Still Mr.. Plumme
had good reason for placing confidence il
Mr.. Darling Years ago MIR. Plummer wa
in Mr.. Daring's employ, and he had beeI
associated with him for nearly twenty-fiv
| years. Mr.. Darling was MIR. Plummer'
senior, and had apparently led an exemplar.
lifen
"Will there be legal proceedings agains
Darling thrs weekf
Il don't know. What would be the use
The bird has flown"
What John #. Plummer Says.
John f. Plummer said to a reporter yes
terday that he had heard nothing from hi
partner, and had no information of hi
whereabouts. 81 trusted everything TO MI
Darling" said Mr.. Plummer. 81 had bee
associated with him for nearly twenty yeari
and il that is too soon to trust "a man whe
should confidence beginl He was the finar
cial man of the firm of Stoney & Darling g
well as of our firm, and Mr.. Stoney can te
you nothing more about the real situatio
than l can. The examination of the bool
will be finished in few days, and then pei
haps we shall know more about it. For IN
part, haven't the slightest idea where IL
money has gone.n
At Mr., Darling's apartments at the Gren
BILE it was said yesterday that he had nt
returned, and that nothing had been hear
from him.
Where Did the Money GO?
There are various rumors about the g., ,OOC
OOO which apparently has disappeared fro
the assets of the firm. First, 1t is said thu
Mr. Darling has speculated in stocks
man who ought to know says that Darlir
lost something less than $4,000 some tin
ago in Wall street, but that the big defic
ency has not gone there Another report
that he has lost heavily on real estate he
in his wife's name in the upper part of Il
city. The fact about this is that three yea
ago Mr.. Darling bought forty-three lots
One Hundred and Eighty-fifth street, whi,
stand in his wife's name, and which co
1000 Today they are worth fully "a,
0tS. The creditors do not know yet wheth
this property can be added to the assets
the firm.
Mr. Darling, it was said by one of |
friends yesterday, owns one-sixth of a val
able Arizona mine, which may possib
figure among the assets of the failed fir
before a settlement is finally reached