The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-03
WHENCE THAT s400,o002
Pertinent Inquiry as to the Source
of the Harrison Corruption
Fund.
It Is Known That John Wanna
maker Raised 1t and was
Rewarded.
The philadelphia Bank Scandals Have
startled the Country-sHonest Johns"
Connection With Thorn.

PHILADELPHIA. Pa. June mo one in
this city seems to believe that either ex-
Treasurer John Bardsley, or President Gid
con Marsh, or Assistant Cashier c. w. Law
rencs was anything more than a cat's-paw
in the looting of the Keystone and the
Spring Garden banks. But the principal or
principals, whoever they may be. have thus
far been able to keep themselves in the
background. Every day during the last
week it has been expected that some one of
the three who are now under arrest would
tell what he knew, and the suspicion has
been freely expressed that when the ex-
pected revelations do come they will impli-
cate men in high official position and very
close to the president of the United States.
There are some very significant coinoi
dences about this affair. The trouble with
the Keystone bank began in the summer OF
1888, just after the death of John g. Lucas,
then the president of the bank. That is,
the first disclosures Of fraud were made ut
that time. 1t then appeared that the bank
had been systematically robbed for a series
of years, and that the amount of the short
age ut that time was not far from SCOT. 600.
The dead bank president being unable to
defend himself, was made to appear to be
the guilty party and his estate was JONI
PEELED to pay the bank the full amount of
the deficiency. The exact amount of the
deficiency was fixed after the most rigid
examination Of the books of the bank, in
which examination the United States bank
examiner and the cashier OF the Keystone
bank took part. and a receipt in full was
given by the bank officers to the represen-
tatives of Mr.. Lucas estate.
Bank Examiner Drew, the official who
has had the supervision of this bank during
all the time that these robberies were in
progress, and who is we'll known to be q
close personal and political friend of Post
examiner at that time and was officially
aware Of the extent Of what is called .the
Lucas defalcation.' John Wanamaker
was at that time one of the directors Of the
bank.
All this occurred in August and Septem-
Der, 1888. In October of the same year, so
it is commonly reported, MIR. Wananaker
caused to be raised in the city Of Philadel-
phia the sum of $4,000 0 for the republican
national campaign fund. A few months
later IN additional defiency of more than
100000 was discovered in the Keystone
National bank. The bank officers made
haste to say that this 500, 900 and over was
i part of the deficiency caused by ex-Presi-
dent John @. Lucas, and that it had not
been discovered at the time the e1amina-
ton of the books of the a was made,
prior to the settlement with the Lucas es-
tate.
But it is hardly to be believed that Bank
Examiner Drew, knowing that a deficiency
Of a large amount did in fact exist, would
have overlooked SO large. an item as this
$1OO, ESQ when he was adjusting the amount
which he knew the Lucas estate would pay,
il in fact, this 500, 600 deficiency existed at
that time. John Bardsley, who now lies ill
at his henae, in the custody of two deteo-
tivas, in default of $50, 900 bail, was the re-
publican candidate for city treasurer in the
election in 1888. He had for many years
been chairman of the nance committee of
the CITY councils, in which position he had
been of great service to the leaders of his
party who desired legislation in their in
terest. In the Thousand and one ways in
which such q man can be useful to men who
are securing franchises and grants from the
city he was useful to them, and when he
demanded the city treasurership as
his reward he was in possession of
too much information to be ignored; SO he
was nominated. But Bardsley was heavily
in debt, and a vigorous attack was made
upon the eXpediency of electing to the
treasury a man whose personal necessities
might lead him to make an improper use of
the city moneys.
Then it was that a number of men who
felt themselves to be under obligations to
Mr.. Bardsley-chief among whom, it is
said, was Mr.. Wanamaker-resolved to
make up a pool and pay Mr.. Bardsley's
debts. which he told them amounted to
$4,000. When q list of his liabilities was
handed in, however, it appeared that he
owed upward of $3.50, 0G0. MIR. Bardslsy
was elected, and three days after he took
the oath of Office he made the keystone Ma
tienal bank a city depository to the extent
of $4OO, GOETHE same bank in which the
obnrt,uo IF 4100 0H0 be1 haar Giuooraro5 cn
soon after Mr.. Wanamaker's campaign
fund Of $400, 600 had been raised.
The details of the deficit which was
found after the death of MIR. Lucas were
we'll known to Bank Examiner Drew, as was
also the relation which Cashier Marsh held
to President Lucas, and the Justification of
the books by which the deficiency was con-
cealed; and yet, with all this knowledge,
Mr.. Drew was silent while the directors
proceeded to elect MIR. Marsh to be presi-
dent of the bank
In the month of December last the report
was sent over the country that. owing tc
certain transactions in Reading and Other
stocks, Mr.. WaHamaker was in danger o.
financial ruin. Reports, at that time be.
lieved to be authentic, were made to thu
effect that MIR. Wanamaker had borrowed
81 ,000.0C0 from A. j. DreXel, the we'll know
banker, and that he had made various un
successful efforts to borrow ever
larger sums from bankers In vari
GUS parts OF the country. Indeed
it was stated on what was claimed
to be good authority that he succeeded il
borrowing in this city q sum not less thar
$4,000 900. There was a great deal of curl
osity among bankers to know what th
postmaster general could want with 80 niue
money. The explanation that obtained tn
most credence was the report that Mr.. Wan
amaker was about to engage in a huge tele
graph project in opposition to the Western
Union.
But time went on, and Mr.. Wanamaker'
telegraph schemes, if he ever had any, di,
not materiaiize, and the purpose to which
he put the large sums of money which II
had borrowed remained az much a myster
ia ever. But at the time that Mr.. Wana
maker borrowed ali this money from no
body knows whom, and put it to a purpoa
nobody knows what, the reserve in the Key
stone national bank, which was watche,
over by Mr., Wananaker's friend, Ban
Examiner Drew, became SO reduced TIA
the depositors became alarmed, and a m
on the bank was the result. The ban
tried every means to avoid u failure, and d
last, to avoid a crash and the consequen
financial disturbance, the clearing houa
came to the rescue and the trouble wa
postponed for a time.
City Treasurer Bardsley had nj that tim
on deposit in the Keystone National ban
.rN mn ma