The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-11-20
WANTED TO MANAGE HIS PATRIMONY.
The Story OF Young Chester Rob-
erts and His s 1000.
A Waterboro Financier Who Gave
His Fortune Away
And Had 1t Restored-A York Coun-
ty Sensation.

|
so that the bnlk of the property came to
Chester. He was then a minor and his
mother was made guardian. The money,
which with the accumulations, now
amounts to about $4,000, was placed In a
number Of savings banks, the deposits be-
| ing in the name of the mother.
Chester Roberts has been sufferer from
st. Vitus dance and has never been robust.
| In addition to his bodily intirmity his mind
mas not been strong. For some time .af-
| ter he attained his majority his bank ac-
| counts remained in his mothers name.
| Finally, 1t Is said at the instance Of de-
| signing persons. the young man demanded
| Of his mother that the money be trans
| ferred to accounts In his own name. Mrs.
Roberts, while aware Of her sons infrml-
| ty, did not anticipate trouble, and dread
| ing to apply to the courts to be continued
| as guardian of her son as person non
| compoS mentis, yielded to his request.
Some time after this Chester began to
draw small amounts, and purchased BIZ
| cycle and several watches. These watches,
| it is said, he was induced to sell to persons
who had ingratiated themselves with him,
| for about half what he paid.
A few weeks ago several OF the village
bummers began to blossom out In better
clothes than they had been In the habit OF
wearing. One man whose visible means
of support consisted solely In weekly
stipend of S4 week as sick benefit from
local charitable organization was able to
buy little house and pay $500, half its
value. In cash. Shortly afterward he ap.
peared out with horse, buggy and bright
new harness: his seedy Overcoat gave
place to one better suited to cope with the
coming wintry blasts. Some Of the men of
the village who work hard for their dollars
wondered how this chap and his brother
succeeded in getting along so comfortably
on next to nothing; yet nobody suspected
the source of supply.
But the crisis dawned one day when
man who hadn't been known to do days
work for a month paraded a we'll filled
purse and remarked on the ease with
which it had been earned. He had been
drinking, else he would have been shrewd
enough to keep his secret within his breast
This boastful slip of a gr0g-loosened
tongue caught the ear Of by-stander, who
began to sniff very large rat, He made
haste to inform Mrs. Roberts what he had
heard. whereupon that good lady, almost
overcome with the shock, made search for
her sons bank books. Some of them were
missing. When Chester came home he
him cover and vince. That evening he
did not return home and the frightened
mother, who had never before known
what IL meant to spend a night without
her boy tucked safely away among the
feathers and sheets, sought assistance
from kind neighbor, who lives
nearly mile away. A few words OF as
surance from him appeased the anxious
mothers fears for time, but before the
dawn of day she had walked that mile
again and was beseeching the good neigh
Dor to do something that might result in
the return of the missing heir.
The neighbor was up with the rising sun
and he did his best to find the lad but with
out avail. Houses of suspected accom-
plices were searched 1t was believed that
he was slowed away somewhere in the viii
lage, but everybody on whom suspicion
had anything to do with spiriting the boy
away. Another night passed and he did
not return. Next day, along with the tele-
grams sent out in search of the missing
heir, went messages Of inquiry to the eight
banks in which Chester RobeIts's funds
nad been In keeping. But in most cases
these latter missives were day too late.
The bold gang that had kept the boy away
from his frantic mother had been other
wise engaged in feathering their nests, as
later developments proved.
O1 the first day that Chester Roberts
evaded the vigilance OF his searcherS he
and couple of village cronies were max
ing circuit of the savings banks. They
first drove to Kennebunk, Chester going
into the bank, handing the cashier an order
and the bank book and then receipting for
what money he had on deposit there. From
kennebunk tue trio drove to Biddef0rd and
SacO.
The $500 remaining in his name in the
York County Savings bank was promptly
withdrawn by Chester, but at the Bidde-
ford Savings bank, where the boy had
nearly $4,000 on deposit, Treasurer Sta
Piles became suspicious. He had twice be-
fore paid out 800 on Chester's order. He
questioned the two sharply and was salts
ned that it would be safer not to hand ov-
er the cash, so he gave them but 500 Of
the desired amount. But in Portland they
succeeded in making clean sweep, can
ceiling Chester's accounts there and there
by surrendering his claim to about $500
accrued interest that would have been ad-
ded to the books at the beginning Of the
new year. The Maine Savings bank of
Portland settled the account with a check
for about $500. The cashier on the previ-
Gus day had paid over on the order of
young Roberts $500 In cash. A small
sum In the West Buxton bank had been
withdrawn several days. and one man has
since been found who informs the investi-
gators that his c0nfederates gave him
/ $3.50 to go over to West Buxton with
Chester's order and draw the $50 on de-
p0sit there.
While the sender of kilograms was still
in the telegraph Office, a little girl picked
up near by the two deposit books of the
Biddeford Savings Bank which had evil
IDENTITY been dropped there from somebody's
trousers leg, so as to be sure of their getting
into the right hands. The deposits and
dividends entered on the two books aggre-
| gated about $2700. The finding Of these
| trophies went long way toward enc0ur-
| aging the mother and her kind assistant
| who was using his utmost endeavors to
| fathOm the mystery. The pages of these
| two books showed that the deluded youth
was not entirely bereft of his fortune.
j. q. Libby now took hold of the case
| and started in pursuit OF the missing Ches-
| ter. BY means of telegraph message sent
| from Alfred and signed by Roberts, the
| message being heard by the operator at
| WATERFORD as it was sent over the wire,
Roberts was traced to Lynn, where an
uncle resides. Mr.. Libby at once proceeded
| TO Lynn only to find that Roberts had
| started for WATERFORD. Mr.. Libby tele-
| graphed this news back and another Wat
| erbOro citizen located the young man at
the house whose purchase by the hnpecu-
nious Individual mentioned above was one
| Of the causes of suspicion.
On the way home Chester made a clean
breast of 1t, and after it became noised
about that the boy had 'given the thing
dead away" there were several very much
| frightened cnes who came forward and Of
| fered their services. The shrewdest in the
| lot was the first to weaken In the knees
and he promptly acknowledged that he had
| money. Chester admitted that he had let
| different parties have odd amounts ior safe
keeping, but he looked up in blank amaze
ment when asked If be had any notes for
| the sums thus deposited.
The next morning S. l.. Came, ESQ and
another lawyer, succeeded in recovering
| from certain individual that Portland
| check for $500 and almost an equal amount
| of legal tender. The check bore the auto
| graph Of young Roberts across its back !;
the cash was mostly in original packages
| OF 800 each.
Up to date. about $4,000 of the young
mans $4,000 Is .in safe keeping, and the
prospect Is that more than half of the re-
naming $1,000 will be gathered In.
The investigation now going ON is likely
to terminate in suit for civil damages
against the whole gang OF suspected con-
federates, to recover whatever amount Of
Chester R0berts's money Is not found. The
| grand jury of the January term of court in
Saco will likely have hand in the matter,
too.
w. c. r. U. Delegates Entertained.
PLYMOUTH, Mass. November 19.-Three
| hundred delegates to the national conyen-
| tIon of the Women's Christian Temper-
anca TJniOn came here to-day and yUara ar