The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-08-02
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
Cape Mays Strange Prisoner Turns
Out TO Be Harlem's Miss
ing Bank President.

CAPE MAY, Aug. i, 1SyL.--A nlysterI-
GUS prisoner, who has been languishing
In che Cape May County Jail since Satur-
day, has been identified as William W.
Van Voorhis, who was a general partner
in the firm of George w. Stetson & Co., of
No. go Wall street, New York, ana late
President of the Harlem National Bank.
On June "a the Stetson firm made an as
signment. with an apparent Indebtedness
of about 81. COG, coo, but With. it is alleged.
an actual indebtedness Of a much larger
amount. The failure of the firm so wor-
ried Mr.. Van Voorhis and his personal
friends who knew about it that they adj
yised him to go away and live under an
little resort eight miles above Cape May.
and lived there under the name Of II. K.
Browning
STORY OF DEBT.
George w. Stetson a. Co. were indebted
to Pickhardts, Mather g. Co., of Cleve-
land, o.. to the amount Of $500. A lady
who came to Avalon, and who was for
merly a depositor In the Harlem Bank,
identified Van Voorhis. and through her
the firm at Cleveland learned Of his
whereabouts They Immediately Or
dered their New York attorneys, Barlow
and Whitmore. TO secure their claim
They employed Anthony q. keRsbey, OF
Newark, who secured afidayirs enough
to warrant the mans arrest. and the or
der was issued by Schuyler B. jackson, a
Supreme Court Commissioner, at New
ark, and executed.
Van VoOrhis was known here by w.
F. Booth, Philadelphia music pub
Usher, who is stopping at the Lafayette.
At one time he had started Booth in
business, for which Mr.. Booth felt under
obligations TO him. Everything was
quieIed as much as possible by Mr..
Booth, who paid everybody that had any
connection with the scheme literally to
keep the thing quiet. Mr.. Booth tele-
graphed II. w. Edmunds, local attor-
ney, to effect Van Yoorhis' release. and
on Thursday an attempt was made to
settle the matter before Judge Garrison
of the Supreme Court, who is summering
here, but the Judge refused to take any
action.
a representative Of the Western firm,
II. G. Dalton, came here on Thursday.
and Dalton, Edmrnds and Booth bad q
conference. The result was that Booth
promised to make good the account in a
time settlement. They also attempted to
set up the plea that the man WAS insane.
Edmunds thereupon sent an order to the
Sheriff. which was sanctioned by Dalton,
and the prisoner was given his liberty.
KEEPING IT QUIET
Van Voorhis came TO Cape May on
1QuEeQHf uiA4t vi AA0AIl l10lC4 W
Booth, and yesterday he had disappeared.
They kept the matter quiet to prevent
the other creditors from hearing where
he was. He is believed to have left here
in cat-rigged Yacht named Violet. un-
der care Of Captain Uriah Crosse, captain
of the Two Mile Beach Life Saving Sta
ton.
Stetson & Co. were pig-iron commission
merchants. The general partners, VIM.
W Van Voorhjs and Herman p. Schuy-
Ter. made general assignment without
preference to Theron u. Strong. George
w. Stetson was special partner for $40, :
600 until December 81, 1892. It wRs all
legged that 600, 600 had been paid TO per-
son mot member Of the firm and which
had only been entered in private memo
randum books; the attachment obtained
BY Piokhardts, Mather s. CO. was issued
against VIM. w. Van Noorhis, Barton
W Voohis and Geo. W. Sfetsop. who
composed the hrm OF George W. Stetson
s. Co, which was dissolved on May 81. by
the retirement of b. W. Van Voorhis,
VINO was succeeded by Herman p. Schuy-
In<7