Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-16
THE sARpsLEv CROWD.
CfrcumstantiAl Evidence Proves Wano-
maker to Have Been One of Them.

C1rcumstantiAl Evidence Proves Wana-
maker to Have Been One of Them.
The indefinite suspension of sem
tence" in the case OF John BardSley,
the embezzling treasurer of Philadel-
phia. after his plea of guilty, is in keep
ing with the extraordinary impudence
which has character zed the operations
of the official ring involved in the rob
berry of the city and of the keystone
and Spring Garden banks There is
nothing in the statement made by
Bardsley to break the force of the evil
dence which overwhelmed him into his
plea of guilty. 1t is for the most part
an attempt to exculpate the postmaster
general, the assistant secretary of the
treasury and the comptroller of the
currency from completely in the Key
stone frauds by putting the entire off,
cial responsibility on the bank exam
liner, who. as Bardsley alleges. was
bribed to conceal the true condition of
the bank. This is the Implication of
the official theory advanced by Comp
troller Lacey, and the whole signif-
canoe of Bardsley's statement is that it
adopts the lines already laid down by
Lacey.
The position which the implicated
federal officials have thus attempted to
assume is not tenable. Even if they
prove that Bank Examiner Drew was
bribed it does not relieve Comptroller
Lacey, who undoubtedly knew of the
condition of the bank. and who kept it
open after he had visited Philadelphia
and personally inspected it
Bardsley admits that from Novem-
Der, 1890. he was active in his efforts to
keep the bank from being closed in
compliance with the national banking
law, and he claims that his sole con-
nection with the postmaster-general in
the affair was in writing him letter
to secure his cooperation in naming
the receiver. The circumstantial evil
dence indicates that MIR. Wanamaker
was not less active in doing everything
possible to prevent the execution of the
law requiring the closing of the bank.
And at this point there Is a serious dis
crepancy between the statement of
Bardsley and that of Wanamaker. The
former claims 20 have lost all the
money he embeEzled from the city in
the bank failure. Though as long ago
as last November, according to his
story. he failed In his attempts to with
draw his deposits, it appears that Mr..
ginning in December, after Bardsley
had failed in Novem Der, he continued
| withdrawing his firms deposits from
the bank until March, 1891. when, hav-
ing withdrawn everything, the bank
was closed by the comptroller's orders
| Compare with the admissions of Wanna
maker this from the statement of
Bardsley:
NJ rdulo Qaid A l,rnf No
| vember 1, 1890 I notified the bank that on No
| vember % 1890, would have to call on them
| for 100000 to pay the state treasurer on No
| vember %. Twas 0ot able to collect the s4Oo-
| 900 nor any part thereof, nor have been able
since to collect any part Of the So250Oo. The
entire amount is still in the bank, or should be
| there"
This fixes November % as the date
beyond which Bardsley alleges that he
was unable to withdraw his deposits,
yet it appears from Wanamaker's state
| ment that it was only about this time
that his Ordinary business prudence"
prompted him to begin his successful
attempt to withdraw, keeping the bank
open in the meantime for the receipt of
deposits from the uniformed public.
There is too much back of all this to
allow the success of the strenuous eff
forts at suppression now being made.
Bardsley's accomplices may purchase
his silence at the price of prostituting
the courts to keep him out of the peni-
Tertiary after his plea of guilty, but
when congress meets its first duty Will
be to take steps to uncover everything
that has been done by the Philadelphia
ring as far as it concerns the wrecking
Of the Keystone and the official con-
duct of federal officeholders- - St
Louis Republic.