Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-06-11
PLEAD GUILTY.
Philadelphia'S Thieving Treasurer
Owns Up.
Postmaster Wanamaker Elk.
plains His Connection with
the Keystone Bank.
BARDsLEY ARRAIGSED.

BARDsLEY ARRAIGNED.
PHILADELPHIA, June 1O.-John Bards-
ley, ex-city treasurer, of Philadelphia,
was brought up from Moyamensing
prison and arraigned IN the court of
quarter sessions before Judges Fell and
Wilson, on seventeen separate indict-
ments charging him with loaning
money as public officer, deriving gain
from the deposit of public money and
converting public money to his own
use. When Bardsley was asked how
he desired to plead, he pleaded guilty
to every count of the indictment.
/ District Attorney Graham addressed
the court and stated that in view
of Bardsley's plea and the fact
that his counsel has not had
time to examine the bills Of
Indictment, he would not press for SEN
tence being pronounced at once. II
was then arranged that June % should
be set for hearing the evidence against
Bardsley and the court could then
weigh it and pronounce sentence. In
the seventeen indictments on which
Bardsley pleaded guilty the total
amount of money involved is S673, 405.
PHILADELPHIA, June TO- After being
attacked from all quarters regarding
his connection with the defunct Key
stone bank Postmaster General Wanna
maker Monday went before the city
council investigating committee and
| made statement. The statement was
| thorough and took up his connection
with the bank in all its details In his
statement the postmaster general said:
'Trhe firm of John Wanamaker had an ac-
count with the keystone bank On this ae-
count the checks of the firm were drawn The
firm account, by arrangement with the bank,
was made responsible for Mrs. Wanamaker's
checks upon the bank, which for convenience
were kept in separate account. It was
substantially one account under two heads
Mrs. WanamalIer's account could not be
overdrawn, while the firm account had bal
ance TO its credit. Though our confidence at
the time OF the run in December was mistaken
as business men 1t was, of course, more or less
impaired after the run. We kept up our de-
Posits straish t5Tsssgh he pa.a. II the time
the bank closed our total deposits had amount
| cd to 81, 1908 s96.f9
II have not been active in my mercantile
business since March, 1889, and know but lit
tie of the details From the best information
have the highest amount OF single-name
paper was $4,000 up TO February, 1890.
In February, 1890 in addition TO this I had
discount of $4,000 for five months, which
was understood to be personal to me individ.
ually at the time received 1t. Any discounts
beyond this are not properly chargeable to our
account, and may arise from the following cir
cumstances:
"On one occasion Mr.. Marsh called on us
without solicitation, saying that he wanted
$4,000 of our paper, not for the keystone
bank, but, as we understo for country
banks or other of the banks correspondents.
We gave il TO him For some time we
pressed the bank to turn over the proceeds
and finally got them by piecemeaL Before
this paper was paid we learned that
it was in the keystone bank and
we had an intmation that it had
been secured from us under some
pressure for at the clearing house. For
these loans we paid per cent. interest, and
they were all paid off as they became due 1
did not know that my brother had entered bail
for Mr.. Marsh until read the fact in the news
papers while in the west travelling
Concerning the bogus stock, Mr.
Wanamaker said he thought John c.
Lucas, the former president of the
bank, was rich man, and asked him
to go into deal on Reading railroad
stock. Mr., Wanamaker said:
THE agreement between us was verbal and
to this effect that Mr.. Lucas was to personally
them, and deposit the same to my personal
account in the Keystone bank In accord
ance with that agreement from time to
time drew checks on that account to the ex-
tent OF about $4,000 against the money which
I believed was deposited by him as per
understanding. Upon several occasions
when ! notified MI Lucas that under our
agreement money vas needed he brought
me stock Of the Keystone bank which he re-
questea me to use in lieu of the money, as it
was not convenient Tor himto furnish cash at
the time. AS result, when he died I had in
my possession 251s shares OF the keystone
bank, so received by me from him.
After his death l found that he had not
made the deposits to my credit as he agreed
and that my account stood oVerdrawn. When
/ discovered this / could not find any explana-
ton and attributed it to some oversight I
Immediately made the account good by
closing it with commercial paper re-
ceived in my business, which was all duly paid.
Mr.. Lucas, therefore, did not in reality furnish
a penny to me for the purchase of the Read
ing stock that l hold, and all ] had for his
share in the operation was the certificates Of
stock of the Keystone bank left with me as
collateral
II held this bank stock subject to an ad-
iustment Of the account, and Mr.. Marsh and
Mrs. Lucas called on me in relation to it, but
no settlement was made, though the former
was very urgent. No intimation was given
tnat tue STOCK was lrreRularly issued until Mr..
Marsh shortly after the run ca the bank in
December last called it in question and de-
sired to have the stock returned to the bank
This l declined to do, first, because l had
not obtained it from the bank, but from John
G. Lucas individually as his private property;
secondly, because l did not believe the
stock in my possessions was overissued, and
no proofs were ever offered that such
was the case; ana thirdly. because 1 was by no
means certain that if the stock was over
issued as stated my title against the bank
would be in any way affected. ! simply con
sidered the statement as an extreme effort to
get possessions Of the stock which 1
felt justly entitled to retain I maintained
this position until the bank was closed and
then, recognizing that the stock had no mon
eyed value and being further assured that II il
was surrendered to the Lucas estate it would
help in the rehabilitation Of the bank, l saw
nothing 10 be gained by retaining it and there
fore surrendered it when il was requested.
About o'clock the night preceding the day