Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-01
HE CANNOT EXPLAIN.
Theodore Doerfinger Declares He
Can Form No Idea of
WHERE THE MONEY WENT TO.
A Days Imprisonment Has Very Depress-
ing Effect on Him.
BUILDING ASSOCIATION LOSS LIGHT

About $50 o'clock last night Theodore
.Doerfinger was removed from the Central
police station, where he had been confined
all day, and taken to the county jail
During the whole day he preserved
strict silence on the subject Of his
defalcation. After he had been lodged in
his cell at the Jail q DIsPARcH reporter
sent in request for an interview. Doer-
finger sent word out that he had no state
ments to make for publication.
His short stay behind the bars made quite
change in his appearance and manner.
When he and Roger O'Mara arrived in
Pittsburg early yesterday morning he was
apparently in good spirits, and chatted
about various subjects. But last night he
appeared gloomy and broken down in spirits.
He would scarcely speak to anybody, and
sat silently in his cell, looking vacantly out
through the bars
imprisonment goes hard with such
men," said Warden McAleese. "We have
scores of ignorant men and women here to
whom iron bars have no terror, but on an
things, confinement has q depressing effect
on the spirits.
Slipped Through His Fingers.
Before removal to the jail Doerfinger
was visited at Central station by num-
ber of his friends, among whom were ex-
Mayor McCallan, Hugh Finn and George
P. Letoche. The meeting with each Of
these friends affected the prisoner deeply,
and on one occasion he was moved to tears.
In answer to the inquiries of one friend as
to what he had done with his money he
professed utter inability to explain, say
ing he had just let it slip through his
fingers. The only thing he knew, he
said, that had eaten up his money, was some
unfortunate real estate deals he had ven
tured into. He would not specify what
they were. Doerfinger has evidently been
advised to keep quiet about his business by
his attorney.
His friends and those formerly associated
with him in business take no stock in the
explanation he gives, and say he certaiuly
knows more about where his money went
than he has indicated. It is said
that about the time he took the
Franklin school bonds to Philadelphia and
sold them, he invested almost $4,000 in
stocks of some kind and lost nearly all of it.
Subsequently, it is alleged, he made good
this loss by using money belonging to other
people, and thus was figuring on one scheme
to another to avoid exposure, until finally
overtaken.
Will Not Lose Much.
The Modern Building and Loan Associa-
tion held meeting last night to receive in
stallments from the shareholders There
was about the usual number who came up,
and after an explanation by Secretary Nc
Crickart paid their money in as usual. A
few shareholders have withdrawn, but not
enough to cripple the association. The
expert work on the books has proceeded
far enough to find that the association
has not suffered as severely as was at first
supposed, and the Secretary says the share
holders will not lose dollar. Doerfinger's
bondsmen will have to pay the S., 600 Of his
bond, it is believed, and the surplus will
have to be drawn upon, and probably the
present quarters dividend will be slightly
curtailed, but otherwise the association will
not feel their loss.
The transaction, noted in, yesterdays
DISPATCH, by which Jesse Crawford
bought mortgaged house from Doerflinger
will not affect the association. The score
tsry says enough has been paid in by Craw-
ford to insure the association from loss,
though Crawford will lose 81, 500
The Board of Directors of the Modern
will meet Monday evening to decide what
steps to take in the matter. The expert
win not finish his work before the middle
of the week.