Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1892-11-04
5 tones Record.

failed Oh July 8, 1891.
By that failure Vernon county,
in which w. j. Stone has ruled as
party boss for 30 many years,
lost S37,Sl9.S5, which was the
amount which Il. G. Bry an, county
treasurer, had on deposit at the
time Of the failure
On Bryan's bond were eleven
of the most responsible citizens OF
Vernon county, good for many
times Me amount OF the loss, but
the county never recovered a cent
and never will, for the reason that
by the manipulations of W. D.
Stone and his law partner, Gran
vile S. Hoss, both the treasurer
and his bondsmen were enabled to
get out of paying, and all that
Vernon county has now to show
for the $4,000 lost in the Citizen's S
bank is q batch of worthless deeds
to land already mortghged far be-
yond It's value. and from which
the county will never Re able to
realize cent.
The story of the connection OF
W. j. Stone with the failure OF
this bank, as attorney for the
assignee of the bank, the bonds
men of the treasurer and n num-
Der of the principal stockholders
in the bank; how he got the man
of his selection appointed as
assignee; how he used his pull
with the circuit judge, tool vi d
partner of his in moro than one
disreputab'e political trar ssciion;
how he squeezed the luckless
stockholders who got into his
clutches until he got the last pos
sible dollar from them, and how,
adding insult to injury, he and
his partner, Hoss, brought IN an
exhorbitant bill OF $4,000 for SER
vices as attorneys for the assignee
which services some OF the best
lawyers in Vernon county swore
we're not worth more than $500:
all this makes an Interesting
chapter in the history of the DEM
ocratic candidate for governor OF
Missouri, the details of which the
people of Missouri are entitled to
know and which in measure
account for the conceded fact that
Stone will run from 500 to SOC
votes behind Cleveland in Vernon
county. His neighbors and init
mate friends who know him best
know him for smooth, scbeming
political trickster, stopping at
nothing which will advance his
personal interest without regard
to the rights or feeling of those
who have been his friends,
As stated above the Citizens
bank, of Nevada. failed on July 9,
1891. Two or three persons were
mentioned as likely to be appoint
ed assignee. ". j. Stone bestir-
red himself in the interest of John
Pinnel, and through his political
influence got him appointed, ard
the firm of Stone & Hoss was re-
tanned as the legal ADVISERS OF The
assignee. r. G. Bryan was the
treasurer Of Vernon and he had on
deposit in the bank S37,Sl9.03 at
the time of the failure. The coun-
ty prosecuting attorney was Il, l..
Scott. who read law In the Office of
Stone and Hoss and was complete-
ly under the influence of Stone
He instituted suit against Treas
urer Bryan, and Bryan retained
Wright & Burton an ! j. B John
son to defend him. This did not
fit in the plans Of Stone and Hoss,
who worked things so that the
bondsmen retained them to defend
the suit against them on their
bond, despite the fact that they
were already attorneys for the
assignee and expected to be re
tanned as attorneys for & number
of the directors Of the bank.
Then Scott went before the
court and asked permission to en-
ploy special counsel to prosecute
the case against Bryan and his
bondsmen, aud the court gsve
this permission entailing sn ex-
ira expense on the county of
$4,000. The court, at the sugges-
ton of Stone, appointed Irwin
Gordon, an uncle of Scott and an
old pal of Store. Now this preci-
Gus clique had everything in its
own hands and proceeded to beat
Vernon county out Of that $3S,000
in the most approved highway
style. On behalf of the
bondsmen of Bryan, Stone and
Hoss appeared before the county
court, the members of which were
created and o Hned by Stone, and
they induced the county conrt to
agree that if Bryan would appear
in circuit court and confess judg-
ment in the sum of $4,000 he and
his bondsmen would be released
from further obligations. All
this was done on the plea that the
bank had been short q large por-
ton of the money at the time the
county funds were turned over to
Bryan by G. 81. Prewitt, the treas
urer whom he succeeded.
Now for the next step in the