The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-06-18
ANOTHER BIG THEFT.

ANOTHER BIG THEFT.
The Discovery Made that s44b,ooo Of
Philadelphia's School Funds Found .
Resting Place In Treasurer Bardsley's
Pocket-His Stealings Now Amount to
Over S2, ,OOO, O,OOO-Assistaut United states
Treasurer Nettleton's Name Brought
Into the Bank Scandal.
PHILADELPHIA, June 13. Another
startling discovery of Bardsley's steal.
ings as city treasurer was made Friday.
The auditing committee, appointed by
the mayor, found that in addition to his
embezzlement of over 1900, 900 Of
the states money Bardsley stole $445,-
43s of school funds paid to him
by the state treasurer for the year
ended June 30, 1891. This is loss to the
city, which, added to the lost money
locked up in the two broken banks,
will aggregate q total loss to tho
city. of $1,0O0,0Oo and to the state
of $1,2OO,O00, in all $500, 600 so
far rs discovered. This school
money was . part of the annual
appropriation made by the state
to the city of Philadelphia as its pro
rata share Of the state school fund.
This money was paid to Bardsley in
various amounts from March, 1889, un-
til December, 1890, and should have At
once been paid into the city treasury. It
does not represent any part of the $780,
600 which Bardsley claims to have paid
into the keystone bank and for which
he holds Marsh's due bills. What he
n - II h,1f
adds to the astonishing mystery sur
rounding his gigantic robbery. 1t is
not supposed that Bardsley has even
told his counsel of this school fund
stealing.
The investigating committee of the
councils met Friday afternoon, and
John R. Read, United States district
attorney, appeared before it and made
a personal explanation of his course
in acting as attorney for the
Keystone bank as member of
the law firm of Read & Petit. State
Auditor-Gcneral Shapeley read a state
ment in which it was shown that there
was still due the state from licences,
municipal loans and state taxes on per-
sonal property collected by John Bards-
ley for the year 1890 total of 1915, us.
Ex-Director of Public Works L. E.
Wagner was on the stand and was
asked what he knew about the Spring
Garden bank. Gen. Wagner, who be-
fore he was approached on the subject
of the presidency of the bank was a can
didate for the receivership of the bank,
testified that when he first went to the
bank on the subject of the presi-
dency he said to Bank Examiner
Drew that he understood that
the receivership had been settled
and that it was to be Nelson P. Evans,
president of the Spring Garden In
surance Company and director of the
Spring Garden bank. Gen. Wagner
also added that he understood that Mr..
Wanamaker was backing Mr.. Evans
for the position. In reply Mr.. Drew
said to Gen. Wagner: "No; think
you are mistaken. Mr.. Wanamaker
has nothing to do with it. Now that
explains something l did not under
stand. Assistant Secretary Nettleton
is a great friend of Evans, and he is
probably backing him for the position.
1t also explains some accounts at the
Spring Garden 1 did not understand,
where Nettleton appears as large
borrower" Gen. Wagner said that he
had since looked in the papers for the
name of Assistant Secretary Nettleton
as one of the debtors of the bank, but
had not seen it.
w. p. Drew, the national bank ex-
aminer, was seen in regard to the
statement attributed to him by Gen.
Wagner that Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Nettleton was a large
borrower of the Spring Gar
den bank. When first asked if
he had made such statement
to Gen. Wagner, Col. Drew said it
was absolutely false, that he had never
told Gen. Wagner such thing. Col.
Drew afterward withdrew his sweep
ing denial and qualified it by saying
that, he had no recollection of having
saidssaDyth:ng on the subject.
WASHINGTON, June 13.-The atten-
ton of Mr.. Nettleton, the assistant
secretary of the treasury, was called to
the testimony of Gen. L. E. Wagner
before the councils committee of Phil
adelphia investigating the bank scan
dal. After reading it Mr.. Nettleton
said: 81 never backed Mr.. Nelson
F. Evans or any other person as
a candidate for the receivership
of the suspended Keystone bank of
Philadelphia. 1 suggested his name
simply because had known him long
and believed him every way fit have
borrowed no money from the Spring
Garden bank but it is probable that
certain accommodation notes on which
1 am responsible are in that institution.
If SO am simply among the losers by
the banks failure, which regret"