Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-08-07
Walked Off With $4,000.

CLEARS THE IRON SAFE.
Sylvester Young, for ten years cashier of
the Newport News and Mississippi Valley
Railroad at Louisville, absconded last Fri
day evening with $4,000 of the company's
money. He is very small man with dark
hair sprinkled with gSey, quiet in manner
and sallow in complexion and was quite
prominent in church matters. A telegram
to the Cincinnati Enquirer says
The most remarkable crime known in the
history OF Louisville developed tonight. Syl-
vester Y Dung, Cashier of the Newport News
and Mississippi Valley Railroad, is said to
have embezzled about $4,000 of the roads
money
Detectives are securing the town for him;
kilograms have been sent all over the country
ordering his arrest, but it is stated positively
at the hotel where he boarded that the much
wanted man walked in there cOmpOSedly
about II o'clock tonight, while the hunt was
in full blast, and after conversation walked
out The circumstances indicate that the
thief, if thief he is, is undoubtedly insane,
but that somebody has got the money, there is
certainly no doubt. Young has been with the
road as cashier of the general offices for ten
years and not an atom of suspicion has ever
attached to him until to-day
About o'clock General John Echols, Presi-
dent of the road, went to the Citizens National
Bank, where lllC ucpGSlUS are KEPT, dIlu III
looking over the bank account noticed glal-
ing deficit i'll tie balance that should be due.
He called the bank cashiers attention to the
matter, and the latter said he would see if
there was any error. EcholS left, but return
ed in an hour when the cashier told him that
| the banks books were correct. So confident
was EchOls of the integrity of the roads
cashier and that the shortage would be eX-
planned, that. instead of going at once to the
company's offices, he merely sent a message
tn IN 10 a nfIipQ
o'clock, as he wished to see him on important
business. He merely took this precaution be-
cause Young sometimes left his office about
| o'clock. The message was delivered to Dung
who showed no evidence OF dScomposure. A
few minutes after 4. however, notwithstand-
ing Echols' message, he closed his desk and,
after few casual words with other clerks in
the building, walked out. When General
Echols arrived at 4:30 and found Young gone
his growing suspicious were at once confirm
ed. lie Immediately telephoned for the de-
| tectiveS.
| A warrant was sworn out and officers were
sent to the depotS and out on the search all
over the city. Meanwhile Young had gone
| straight from his Office to the Fifth-avenue
Hotel, where he roomed, packed his valise,
and at 4:30 CLOCK walked down to the hotel
desk and paid his bill, saying he was going to
| the country for a short time. but would come
back to the hotel when he returned. He
| showed no hurry OF excitement, and walked
out as if for a leisure stroll to tine depot. The
officers arrived few minutes after his depar-
| ture, and a search of Young's room showed
| that he must have packed his belongings be-
| fore to-day, as he had taken even the smallest
| OF his goods. not leavingeven cravat behind.
| No trace of the missing man was found by the
police. He seemed to have completely dis
appeared.
| However, at II o'clock tonight, nearly
seven hours after the hunt for him began, the
clerk at the Fifth-ayenue Hotel was startled
to see Young walk quietly into the office, and
tfNf 1,n 1nfd
key to the room he had lately occupied with
the remark that he had forgotten to leave it.
He made few renarkSgAA current topics and
then walked out, goin&slowly toward the
| center of the city and away from the direction
of the depots. Since then no trace Of the man
| has been seen.
The police were completely non-plussed
when this was reported to them. The only eX-
PLANTATION they could offer was that Young
| finding the depots watched had come back up
| town in sheer desperation OF that he was in
sane. General Echols declares that he be-
lieves the man insane. The officials declare
that they do not know the amount of the steal
! ing, as the books have not been gone over;
| but roughly estimate it at $50 900.
| The books were recently examined and
found to be all right, and it is believed that
| the money was taken in cash during the last
three days. Young received all money paid
to the road, and the method by which he Sc
cured the Doodle was to simply put a portion
| of the cash received into his own pocket in
stead of i'll the bank. 1t being near the end
of the month large sums were coming in
daily.
1t seems probable that Young had made his
| preparations to skip with a big lump of cash
this evening" and that the suspicion Echols
showed simply hurried his departure from the
Office by a few minutes.
The embeZZler was a model business man in
| his habits. He boarded at the hotel, but from
some eccentricity took his supper every day
| at a fashionable boarding house at 900 West
| Chestnut street.
| At both places he was known as quiet,
| unaSsuming gentleman, as regular as the
clock in his habits and guilty of no form of
| dissipation. The only amusement that he
seemed fond of was billiards, though he
! would occasionally play game of cards with
| the ladies at the. boarding house.
| A later telegram from Louisville dated Au-
gust 1st, says the iron safe of the defaulting
cashier was broken open by the officials and
nothing found in it, making 1t clear that he
had made clean sweep. The telegram says
| General Echols, President of the road, and
who has charge of its affairs, puts the best
| face possible on the matter. He said this
| evening:
"We can give no figures on the loss, as
| Young'S books will all have to be compared
with those of the Auditor before we can tell
what is gone. 1t is very likely, however, that
| it will not amount to more than few thou
sand dollars, but OF course it may aggregate
| as high as $4,000
"What do You think has become of Young?'
sWell, now, that is a hard question to an
swer. Young was very sensitive. retiring
man, and it may be possible, finding bad
error in his books, he could not stand the
strain which the investigation would cause,
and has hid himself in the city until the eX-
animation is completed. and he is vindicated,
A mind like his may have been completely
upset by the shock, and he may be wandering
aimlessly through the country, and possibly
| pf
All is conjecture.
Others, however, do not talk so tenderly as
General Echols does. The public opinion here
now is almost universal that Young deliber
ately stole the money, and has left for some
place where he can enjoy the fruits of his
yillainy.
Investigation shows that the man led the
strictly upright life in past years that he was
supposed to. About six weeks ago he moved
from 419 West Chestnut street, where he had
formerly slept, to the Southern Hotel. The
strange feature is that he still rented his old
room on Chestnut street and kept his trunks
there. Every Sunday it was his habit to go
to his Chestnut street room and spend the day
there, and it is surmised here that he carried
the money which he had stolen and here per-
fected his plans for flight.
1t is now believed that he went to this room
after leaving the hotel last night, and, dis
guising himself, escaped from the city. When
the room was opened to-day it was found in
great confusion. Clothes and papers were
Scattered over the floor. Two trunks, securely
locked, stood in the corner.
The only thing which has come to light
which can possibly solve the riddle of Young's
conduct was unearthed late this evening. 1t
is stated by the servants at his Chestnut
street room, where he lived for six years, that
he was an opium eater, and that he very fire.
quently sent them out for the drug, and that
he retained this room for the purpose OF hold
ing debauch each Sunday when it would
not show on his work at the Office. The police
have heard nothing from the missing man
since he walked out of the Fifth Avenue
by the contradictory elements of the case
The few persons who know Young intimately
declare that he would rather die than be
known as a defaulter and that they believe
his body now lies at the bottom of the river.
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