River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-16
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.ARpsLEY,S CHARGES.
They Are Emphsticaly Denied by Post
master General wanamaker-snp oppressed
Interviews Made Public.


PHILADELPHIA, July 1.-THE sub
committee of the finance committee o
the city council that is inquiring int
the failure of the Keystone nationa
bank and the affairs of ex-City Treas
urer John Bardsley held protracte,
session Friday afternoon. The maiI
witnesses Were Robert NJ. McWade
city editor of the Public Ledger; VIII
liam V. Mexican, editor in chief of th'
same paper, and Postmaster Genera
Wanamaker.
Mr.. MeWade was the first witness
He said in answer to questions that h,
went to the county prison June is an,
interviewed the imprisoned eX-citl
treasurer. Bardsley talked freely an,
understood that the interview was fo
publication. lie told Bardsley at Tn,
beginning that in view of certain
charges that had been made in tn,
newspapers he thought it proper fol
him to make full statement
particularly as to what became o.
the S945, 900 deposited and which
had disappeared, the charge beinl
made that il had been stolen. Aftel
McWade had written out the first state
ment he said consultation was helC
between Mr.. Mexican, himself ant
other members of the editorial force o.
the Ledger, and after full deliberatioI
and discussion il was decided not u
publish it because SO strong reference
unsupported by facts, was made L
certain people.
Mr.. Mexican was not sworn. HI
said that as editor of the Ledger he haC
charge of the interview which Mr.. Nc
Wade had obtained. lie said that be
cause the statement implicated a mum
Der of reputable citizens it was decided
that it was not proper q
publish il. 1t was locked VI
in the office fire-proof safe
and had, so far as he knew, never beer
out of the Ledger Office until brought
to the committeeman now. No mem
Der of the committee had ever seen it
in fact, no one except the three editor:
of the Ledger had ever seen it. Both
interviews were submitted to the com
mittee.
1t was decided by vote of to t.
at once listen TO the public reading OF
the statements. Mr.. McWade, being
familiar with the manuscript, was
asked to read the papers. Much that
Bardsley told to Mr.. McWade was after
ward incorporated in the statement he
read in court when called up for sen
tence June 23 and which has already
been published. In these Bards
ley again went over the story of the
keystone bank and stoutly maintained
that he put the $3.50, 0cj in the bank
but did not know what became of il
any more than he believed that Presi
dent Marsh got it. Bardsley said that
Bank Examiner Drew had been heavy
borrower from the Keystone bank and
was completely under Lucas and
Marsh's thumb.
In regard to john Wanamaker Bards
ley said that Marsh told him that he
knowingly held overissue shares OF
bank stock and demanded 500, 00C
for them and upset the plans for re-
organization of the bank, then
Bardsley said he advised Marsh
to engage counsel and make
n demand on Wanamaker for the
overissued shares, as he was guilty OF
a crime in holding them. Marsh re-
tanned Mayor Sulzberger and John
O'Johnson as his counsel and they
made a demand on Wanamaker which
he refused. Wanamaker's position
was that the Lucas estate should
pay him $4,000, Marsh S25,O OC
and the bank S25,O0O The law.
yers then notified Mr.. Wanamaker
that if the fraudulent shares were not
delivered TO them by a specified date
they would resort to legal measures to
get them. The shares were then turned
over without delay. Wanamaler had
made q threat that he would see Comp,
troller Lacey in Washington and have
the bank closed before they expec ed
it. ''In March, 1890" said Bar Is
ley, MARSH came to Ile
and said Wanamaker wanted
5000. 600 at once. Marsh told him that
he did not have the amount on hand
and Wanamaxer told him where nc
could get it. Two days later Marsh
came to me saying that WanamalIel
was persistent and must have tine
money. | loaned him the money ano
Wanamaker got it."
Postmaster General Wanamalier en-
tered the room while Bardsley's state.
ment was being read. In answer tc
questions he said that his interests
i'm the keystone bank are out of his
acquaintance with President Lucas
and his brother when they were
young merchants. He said that
he never pledged the overissued
l. L.. Ill .
issue and it was out of his hands at the
time He did not know III. III. Yard
and never had met Mr.. Lucas but once
and that was at an interview about the
overissued stock. AS to the story
told by Bardsley to McWade thai
he had threatened to close the
bank unless he was paid for the
overissued stock, and that Law
yer Sulzberger and Johnson haC
forced him to return it, Mr.. Wanna
maker said it was absolutely false
Bardsley's statement that Marsh oh
tanned from him $500. 900 for Wanna
maker in March, 1890, he said was alb
solutely untrue and without the slight
est foundation, and invited the com
mittee To inspect his books.
Mr.. Wanamaker was then informed
by member of the committee that
during an examination of the stock
book of the keystone bank they
had found 5000 shares of stock
in his name in addition to the
2,515 shares which he testified
had been given him by Lucas to use
as collateral Tor deal in Reading
stock. when | appeared before this
committee before" said Mr.. Wanna
maker, 81 confined myself principally
to the business of the firm in my deals
with Lucas in Reading. l did not sup
pose the committee wanted to hear OF
private operations.
In regard to the stock which has been
found in his name, $50 shares of it, Mr..
Wanamal<er said, was held by Irwin &
Toland. his bankers, as collateral
This reduced it to 1000 shares of stock
of these, five blocks of 200 shares each
were dated March 8. 1886, and while
issued in his name the power of attor
ney had never been Endorsed by him.
and they could never have been used.
OF these shares he had absolutely lie
knowledge.
The next lot, five blocks of 200 shares
each, was dated four weeks earlier
February 8. 1856. He was director in
the Girard Trust Company and Lucas
came 70 him and asked him to obtain
loan of $40, coo on the stock. 81
have been Just foolish enough" said
Mr.. Wanamaker. ''all my life to dc