Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-09
Tha HARDSlEY CROWD.
Cfrcumstantiai Evidence Proves Wanna
maker to Have Been One of Them.

Circumstantiai Evidence Proves Wanna
maker to Have Been One of Them.
The indefinite suspension o. SEN
lence' in the case of John Bardslcy,
the embezzling treasurer OF Philadel-
phia, after his plea of guilty, is in keep
ing with the extraordinary impudenee
which has characteri zed the operations
of the official ring involved in the rob
berry of the city and of the Keystone
and Spring Garden banks. There is
nothing in the statement made by
Bardsley to break the force of the evil
dence which overwhelmed him into his
plea of guilty. 1t is for the most part
an attempt to exculpate the postmaster
general, the assistant secretary of the
treasury and the comptroller of the
currency from completely in the Key
stone frauds by putting the entire Off
cial responsibility on the bank exam
iler, who, as Bardsley alleges. was
bribed to conceal the true condition of
the bank. This is the implication of
the official theory advanced by Comp
troller Lacey, and the whole signifi-
canoe of Bardsley's statement is that it
adopts the lines already laid down by
Lacey.
The position which the implicated
federal officials have thus attempted to
assume is not tenable. Even if they
prove that Bank Examiner Drew was
bribed it does not relieve Comptroller
Lacey, who undoubtedly knew of the
condition of the bank, and who kept it
open after he had visited Philadelphia
| and personally inspected it.
Bardsley admits that from Novem-
Der, 1890, he was active in his efforts to
keep the bank from being closed in
| compliance with the national banking
| law, and he claims that his sole con-
| nection with the postmaster-g general in
| the affair was in writing him a letter
| to secure his cooperation in naming
| the receiver. The circumstantial evil
dence indicates that Mr.. Wanamaber
was not less active in doing everything
! possible to prevent the execution OF the
! law requiring the closing of the bank.
| And at this point there is n serious dis,
| crepancy between the statement OF
Bardsley and that of Wanamaker. The
| former claims to have lost all the
| money he embezzled from the city III
the bank failure. Though as long age
| as last November, according to hi:
story, he failed in his attempts to with
draw his deposits, it appears that Mr.
Wanamaker was more favored, for be
ginning in Decem Der, after Bardsley
had failed in Novem Der, he continued
withdrawing his firms deposits from
the bank until March, 1891, when, hav'
ing withdrawn everything, the banl
was closed by the comptroller's orc%rs
Compare with the admissions of Wanna
| maker this from the statement o
| BardSley:
| Continuing Mr.. Bardsley said About NC
vember J. 1890, 1 notified the bank that on Nc
| yember 90 $780, would have to call on then
| for 100000 to pay the state treasurer on Nc
vember 90 I was not able to collect the $500
900 nor any part thereof nor have been abl
| since to collect any part OF the s92o,UOo In
entire amount is still in the bank, or should b
there"
This fixes November 26 as the dat
beyond which Bardsley alleges that h
was unable to withdraw his deposits
yet it appears from Wanamaker's state
ment that it was only about this tim
that his Ordinary business prudence
prompted him to begin his successfr
attempt to withdraw, keeping the BAN
open in the meantime for the receipt o
deposits from the uniformed public.
There is too much back of all this t.
allow the success of the strenuous Ell
forts at suppression now being made
Bardsley's accomplices may purchas
his silence at the price of prostitutin
the courts to keep him out of the peni
Tertiary after his plea of guiltx. bu
when congress meets its first duty vii
be to take steps to uncover everything
that has been done by the Philadelphi;
ring as far as it concerns the wreckin!
of the keystone and the official con
duct of federal officeholders. - 81
Louis Republic.