The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-06
Thomas w. Woollen, Confidential Man
Of Richardson & Evans, Gone Wrong.
Shortage Found in His accounts That Run Up
Into the Thousands, but the Firm
Refuses TO Say How Much.
He Confesses His Guilt and Turns Over
His Property TO the Firm.
Has Left the City and Is Now in Fort Worth,
Tex.-His Employers Will Not
Prosecute Him.

over TWO mOntuS ago lnOmh3 w. OOl-
len. confidential ~bookkeeper for Richard
son a. Evans. proprietors of the Hoosier
mills. at Washington street and the Ma
tlonal road, left the city very suddenly.
and IL was gwen out by his employers that
he had gone South for his health. Mr..
WooIlen stood high in the community. and
there was considered NO cause to doubt this
statement at the time il was made. sub
sequent Developments. however. have come
to the surface which show that only that
part of the statement which had reference
to the destination was correct, and that
the cause of the departure was the fact
that Woollen was q defaulter. The amount
of the defalcation was not at the time, and
Is not yet, definitely known, except TO
members of the firm. and has been stated
at various amounts ranging from $4,000 to
$4,000. Mr.. Richardson has since died, and
Mr.. Evans positively refuses to state
the exact amount of the defalcatlon is.
The report of the shortage has not become
generally known from the fact that the
firm has been keeping it quiet in q hope of
being reimbursed by Woollen. n they
still refuse TO tell all the facts connected
with the case.
A Journal reported called at the kome of
George I. Evans, the surviving parnter of
the firm of Richardson & Evans. last night.
TO learn the facts as known to him. Mr..
Evans had gone to the residence OF William
p. Gallup. president of the Meridian Ma
tional Bank, and executor of the will of
ID. A. Richardson, and was found there by
the reporter. Mr.. Evans was asked about
the dcfalcation, and at first refused point
Dlank to say a word about it. not denying,
however, as he did upon q former occasion,
that the former ~bookkeeper was short in
his accounts several thousand dollars. and
had lett the city. and taken his wife with
him. Mr.. Evans gave several reasons why
he dd not wish the fact to become known.
chief among which, he said, was that q
part of it. had been paid back. and more. if
not all, would probably be paid, if It was
kept quiet. and the reputation Of the de-
faulter kept untarnished. He said that
Nh. Gallup. as executor of the will of Rich
ardson, and himself had talked the matter
over. and came to the conclusion that no
good could be derived from taking legal
steps to have the defaulter spprenended,
and nothing had been lone by them in the
case.
HAS your vlsitto MIR. Gallup to-nighta any
connection with the defaulting book
keeper" he was asked. He replied that il
had not, but In the course of his talk Mr..
Evans dropped some points which threw q
little light upon the state OF facts which
had hitherto renamed only in the DO sses-
sion of himself and Mr.. Gallup. The
shortage was not discovered until the hrst
of January. at which time a veritioation of
the accounts showed that there was q con-
siderable amount of money not accounted
for. When the fact became known the
bOOkkeeper confessed TO his employer s that
he had taken the money, and that it had
been squandered on the Chicago Board of
Trade. He turned over to them all his
property here. and with his family left the
city ow ana went to Lsxas So, wh M0 last nero TaT
Mr.. Woollen was trusted to the fullest ex-
tent By his employers. both of whom haG
as much confidence in him as they would
In one of their own sons. and, aside
from his operations III the bucket shops, he
knew that the defaulting ~bookkeeper was
aperfectly reliable and upright young man.
lie lived economically, was extravaganza In
no way, did not drink and most of his leis-
ure time was spent at home with his wife.
The money had been taken in COMPARE
lively small amounts. and there was no
way of ascertaining the fact until the &C.
counts were verified at the beginning of
the year. As stated above, when the fact
DcChIu6 kuOWu OOIltu COul6cetu dDu
turned over his property TO his employers.
What the amount OF this was 10 not known.
and Mr.. Evans refuses TO state how much
was realized from lt. but It is known that
among other property transferred to his
former employers was the residence owned
by him at No. 76S North New Jersey street,
which was worth between $1,000 and 5000.
The absconding of Woollen will be q
great SURPRISE to his friends. He is about
thirty years old. IS related 10 some OF the
best families of the city. and stood high IN
society himself. He was u married man.
| having married a very estimable young
woman of Madison. Ind, but had no chill
dren, and. as stated. his wife has left the
city and Joined her husband in Texas. The
fact of the defalcation was not reported to
the police for the reason that the only per.
sons who knew of 1t did not desire to have
the defaulter apprehended. and 1t is prOba-
BILE that no steps Will be taken to ID lave HIM
brought back for trial.
The exposure was narrowly avoided, 1t ls
said. q short time before the death of Mr..
Richardson. He and his partner had con
cluded to reorganize and make their bust
ness q JOINT stock company. This necessi.
tatsd q balancing of the books, and Wool.
len was ordered TO make the statement.
He WAS very slow about 1t. and kept put.
ting the firm Oft from time to time. claiming
that he was so busy that he did not have
opportunity to do the work. He finally
changed his tack, It is said. and succeeded
in p%ersuading Mr.. Richardson TO aban
don the idea of a joint stock COM
pany. When. after Mr.. Richardson's sud.
den death, his estate passed into the hand
of an executor. there was no longer hope
of cOncealment. and the exposure and con.
fession followed. The amount of the los: