The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-29

Failure Of a Financial Institution
DGmOIalizCS d County.
The Terrible Social Scandal a. zell-
wood Good Summer Crops and the
Orange Outlook Hopeful.

The IerrlD le SCt4aA SN',A-'A1'A '-r $500
wood Good Summer Crops and the
Orange Outlook Hopeful.
Sanford Fla. JuIg 25-Orauge county
is in the midst ortwo sad and serious sem
stations The failure Of the First National
Bank of Orlando and the eloP"ment of "A
white Young lady with negro at Lell-
wood an account of which has all
read, appeared iu the MORNING News.
1t has been years since the county
has had such a combined shock TO It's
morals and its finances.
Orlando being the county site this bank
had been doing business for the ueopl" OF
all the towns in Orange county. Its re
cent consolidation with the Citizen S Bank
had giveuita larger seoue Of territ DRY
and an increased number OF depositors.
Its failure seriously embarrassed the bust
ness interests of the whole county.
The Zellwood scandal is of a most pain
ful character The negro, Nennor
Adams. with whom the young lady
eloped. was carried through here to-day
from the Tavares Jail 10 the Orlando jan
for safe keeping, as lynchlng was feared
If he was held at Tavares. He IS tall,
hght-colored. muscular fellow. not at all
prepOsseSsiug in appearance. about -
wears old and has a wife and several
children Although not educated, he is
a thrifty negro and owns farm over IN
Georgia and good home at IellWood,
where he is employed in looking after
groves for nOn-residents, and working
about for his neighbors.
There is quite a colony of retired Uni
ted States army officers in that vicinity,
the most prominent being Col. Geo r.
Foote, from Michigan, who is department
commander of the Grand Army OF the
Republic for Florida, and an active demo
cratic politician and county official. Col
Chas. Sellmer a lieutenant IN the Third
United States artillery, IN anticipa-
ton of future retirement, purchased
an orange grove home there for his
wife and three children, the Oldest
Miss Bertha T. Sellmer, being about 20
wears old. This negro had been employ
ed on the place from time to time, and
his intimacy with the unfortunate girl is
said to date back several years, begin
ming soon after her return from board
ing school at Baltimore. The mother is
large German woman and quite talker
and rumor saws Adams was allowed too
much social equality in his visits to the
place. At all events, public opinion
deeply censures the mother for the
downfall of her child The press has al
ready given the particulars of the arrest,
and need not refer to them. II IS
very. very deplOrable case, as Col Sell
mer has made a fine record as a soldier
and is in no way responsible for the terri
blestain that has come upon his family
name He was born in Germany, but en-
tered the Union army as lieutenant in
the Eleventh Maine Infantry. lie became
captain and brevet lieutenant colonel be
fore his transfer to the regular
army as Il lieutenant and brev-
ct captain He served calamity
as a non-commissioned officer in the reg
ular army previous TO his entering the
volunteer service. His record shows sew
eral brevets for gallant and meritoriOus
conduct. and it seems hard to have his
family standing in the army settlement
about ZellwoOd so suddenly and disgrace
fully destroyed. Mrs. Sellmer was in
Winter Park last week. before this sad
ahair occurred, and rented the Aicot
place, near DR. Hinkls's, in the SUI
burbs for two years, her purpose
having been TO educate her other
two girls. some u and "A years old
at Rollins college. Nothing was said
about Miss Bertha, and it is supposed she
was 10 have gone elsewhere. At that
time she was absent in Jacksonville, and
on her return Adams, the negro, took her
10 his own house. but when his wife in
terfered they eloped, but We're captured,
the girl being taken home and the negro
carried TO the Tavares Jail. His denial of
all guilt is met by the girls own confess
sion and by a thousand circumstances
that combine TO coavict them both, and
condemn the imprudcnt mother.
Up to the present very dry, hot spell,
everything was progressing finely for
farmers. fruit growers and business men
generally The tomato, vegetable, straw
berry peach, grape and pear crop. etc.
were profitable in most cases, and the
orange crop is encouraging.