Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-30
|. B. IMBODEN.
HE WILL BE TAKEN TO RUSK
TO-DAY OR TOMORROW.
tention to Wrong Anyone-Financial
stringency Causes His Downfall

several Gays ago, by the consent OF b w.
Camp. one OF his attorneys, L B. lmboden
agreed to give statement to the publc be-
fore he left for the penitentiary 10 serve his
sentence Of five years on the pleas OF guilty
entered by him on two Of the indictments
found by the grand jury Of Tarrant county
his statement completed yesterday Tor HE
GAZETTE is as follows: "Intent is the very
essence Of crime, and l hereby soiemnly
affirm that have never Intentionally de-
frauded anyone. l have been grossly
indiscreet, have trusted too much
TO those l considered my friends and took
risks that no man has right to take. All
that was charged against me was not true,
and what was true only places me in the
position Of having technically violated the
law, for at no time did l intend
that any one should lose one cent by any
act of mine. Had not the severe stringency
in the money market interfered, the New
England Savings bank and trust company
would have been organized and l would
and could have taken up all my
paper and would have been wealthy.
Up to 1885 l was doing well and saw a
bright future open to me. / was ambitious
to succeed. loved Fort Worth and her
people and desired TO be in position to do
my part il putting Fort Worth
in the front rank of Texas cities.
In lSSS l took part in politics. As yon
know was devoted to the cause Of the In
dependents, and worked day and night for
the success Of the ticket l spent what
money l had and all / could borrow
IN that campaign. My outstanding notes
l redeemed Us rapidly as possible. The
craze for real estate speculation was on. |
saw men getting rich rapidly, and my am
bitlon was to make money and stand high
in the financial world, not by defraud-
ing any one or wrecking anything
but by legitimate methods. made money
for myself and others. | established my
credit at the banks, and had been crimi-
nal or had desired to rob anyone / could
easily have obtained as much as $500, 900
from banks in this city and in the East, and
could have gone to Honduras to live like
prince The money stringency came and l
could not carry out my plans.
Many Of those l counted my
friends deserted me, and then
the charges and my trial came. No man
who handled his case better. Mr.. B. w.
Camp was not only my attcrney-he was
my friend, and in my darkest hours was I
support to me.
with the evidence introduced against
me, the judge and the jury could not help
convicting me. l do not censure them in
the least. Many of the jurors were my
friends, and | am certain that Judge Sted-
man was doing what he considered
mis- duty in the way he conducted the
case. You will remember that / did
not offer any testimony in any of the
charges brought against me save in the
case upon which was tried. No man can
say that ever attempted to or did defraud
him in any way prior to the charges against
me. While an attempt was made
to scrape up some charges made
against me several years ago, they
were absolutely false. 1 think that if
the public knew the circumstances sur
rounding this whole affair they would not
convict me in their own hearts. l believe
the good people Of Texas, and especially of
Fort Worth, my home, will feel more
1sindly towards me when they consider
The fact that will return here, to the place
love so well, to make my home, and repay
n kindness if l can those who have
wronged me. l shall leave il to the indi-
viduals and the public to Judge who have
mistreated me-. Those who proved true to
.3ne l shall never forget. shall hope
20 be able to prove to them that
vain. l certainly feel grateful to many who
have undoubtedly proven their friendship,
and l have no particular bitterness in my
heart against those who have been so
muck pleased to stigmatize me in my help
less and unfortunate condition.
Il find from my own experience that out
Of host OF acquaintance q man has but
low l1lSuUS lliu ID llOU dlWdNS your
friend who asks and advises you to
buy a corner lot or bet your money on
The winning horse Legitimate deal
ms in real estate is the safest invest
ment a man can make; but the heightened
gambler-the speculator-is the worst
enemy the West has ever known. 1t may
De that some may profit by the experience
of the great Kansas City meteor Willard
E. Winner.
Tomorrow 7 will 7 understand no token
20 Rusk to serve cut the term Of my convic-
ton. go with q determination to do what
is required of me as well as in my power
lies. ! will return to Fort Worth to live.
and By hard work build myself
up. l thank my friends for all they have
done and said for me. l thank the papers
for their fairness. l will al
ways remember with gratitude the
work Of my attorneys, Camp, Hutchinson &
Camp, and have nothing harsh to say shout
those who prosecuted me. What l did was
without intention TO wrong anyone"