Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-27
, TRUSTED oLEnK,s srEALYyes.
clement Hinkers nlsappearanoe FL


I, pearance Of Clement Hinkel, aged is
years, from his home No. oils Church
street, which was announced in THE
dAzETTE on Thursday last, was fully
explained that day, when it was de.
yeloped by u. l.. Sova, manager of the
Wilmington Cooperative General Trad
ing Association, that the boy who had
peen the trusted employee Of the con.
cern for years had robbed the office
yafe OF $500 and fled the city.
lt Hinkels theft was known on the dav
following his departure, but Mr.. Sova
kept the matter secret, notifying only
chief Of Police Blackburn of Hinkelis
rascality, hoping by this means that the
cuiprit might be speedily brought to
justice. In this Mr.. Sova erred, as he
stated to a representative of this paper
~ his office last Thursday.
For" continued he, chad the matter
been given publicity at the time through
the public press and striking descrip-
lion given Of the fugitive, have not
the least doubt in the world but that he
would have been apprehended before
he had gotten far away. see my mis-
take now in not letting the matter being
made public sooner and giving the
n newspapers a chance to publish de-
scription of Hinkel and probably fur.
nishing swift means for bringing him to
Justice"
When asked concerning the previous
history OF young Hinkel while he was
employed with the Wilmington Co.
operative General Trading Association
and the circumstances connected with
The boys theft and the discovery of the
same. Mr.. Sova, the manager of the con
Germ made the following statement this
morning:
Our firm started business on Sep
TENDER 14th, 1885, under charter Sc.
cured from the General Assembly. Soon
after the concern began business Glenn
ent Hinkel, then a boy 10 years Of age,
applied at the office for employment
and was given work. He was bright.
intelligent boy, and rose rapidly in the
estimation of the firm from the day he
entered the office. At first lie was so
small that high box was placed under
his feet for him to stand on when doing
any clerical work at the desk. He was
an office boy when he first came here,
but soon became head booklSeeper, and
nnce was given the absolute charge of
ihe books. ! engaged with the firm
year after Hinkel came to the estab.
lishment, but since have had constant
supervision over him, and had begun
TO regard him as a young man of abso-
lutte integrity and one who possessed rare
intellectual ability for his age.
"His course here previous to few days
ago had been a perfectly straight and
upright one, as far as | know at the
present time although evidence of more
quit may be made known later, al
though 1 am in hopes that the boys
thefts ended with his departure on Sun
day week.
I'VE always had two sets of keys to
the safe, and Hinkel carried one set in
yariably. On Saturday, July 25th last,
about 5000 was received by the firm too
ate for banking hours, consequently
ihe entire sum was placed in the safe.
Glenn las Mr.. Sova still insisted in call
ing his dishonest book-keeper) knew the
money was there, but he was the last
person in the world | would have sus-
pected OF wrong doing, so thought the
money was as safe as II 1t had been
placed IN bank.
"on Monday morning week when
came down TO the ONCE found 1t still
closed. Clem very seldom missed open
ing II by $40 O'Clock, but this morning
supposed that he was detained at home
on account OF the death of a little
prother VINO had been sick for the past
week, so sent driver around to his
nome TO learn II my suspicious were
wei founded. The driver returned with
the startling intelligence that the boy
nad not been at home since O'Clock on
ounGay morning. the previous day.
Il linen went to the safe TO learn il
everything was all right and found to
my amazement that the $500 which had
been placed there on the Saturday previ-
Gus was gone. looked over the books
. TO find II they were all right and dis
covered no evidence of fraud. | at
once notified Chief Of Police Blackburn
Of the boys theft and had him telegraph
70 various points to secure his appre
hensslon If possible. All efforts TO find
Che boy have since proved fruitless and
mere is absolutely no clue to his where
eoouts.
Il cannot account for the boys disap-
,earance in the least, and do no. know
what made him fall and in order to
;over up his thcfts flee from the city
No one could say on looking at or con
sersing with the boy that there was
inything to indicate the least crooked
ness about him, He was very modest
IN manner, backward among strangers,
and the picture Of innocence. Here Is
lpicture OF the boy, which has been in
The safe for a long time. Who would
have thought that behind that plain, open
sountenance there was anything but
honor, industry and strict integrity? He
was interchangeable while employed here