Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-11-27

formation of banks. Since the Nation
al banking act went into operation, no
State bank has been formed until this
scheme seemed to be familiar with the
law, and in their preliminary proceed
ines appear to have complied with it
in the main. How they came to Sc
lect this county as the place to launch
the financial enterprise nobody here
knows. The first hat was heard of it
here was the advent Of certain papers
which came to the Barton National
Bank. It was soon ascertained that
certain papers had been SEN to the
county clerk and state treasurer, in
compliance with the law. 1t seems
that the arrangements were being per-
fected in New York, stock had been
sold ard preparations made for
commencing business in Vermont.
Meanwhile a cashier and teller had
been hired, banking furniture and a
safe had been purchased and shipped
to Barton. The chasier, Mr.. Heine,
and the teller arrived and prepara-
tons were being made for the start
ing OF business, SO soon as rooms
could be found for banking purposes.
In the meantime Lawyer Miles had
been communicated with by the New
York parties, papers had been sent
him relative to legal matters in con-
nection with the enterprise and he
had been solicited to assist the cashier
in procuring rooms and getting the
thing under way. Everything, SO far
as developedu up to this time, appeared
square and consistent with the pro-
pressed starting Of the bank. The
cashier obtained his room and had it
put in readiness, except that the safe
had not been drawn from the depot.
On Saturday night MI. I. c.. Brewer,
the man who had inaugurated the
scheme, appeared OF the ground and
Monday morning preparations were
made for getting in the safe, with the
promise that business would start at
once. The cashier, it seems, knew
comparatively nothing Of Brewer,
having been hired to act as cashier,
and having duly procured his cash
ier's bonds, he came. on, believ-
ing everything was correct and as
represented to him. 1t turns out that
during Brewers stay here he obtained
by fraud certified checks of the
cashier for several thousand dollars,
Mr.. Heine supposing that Brewer had
the funds with him to place in the
safe SO soon as it should be set up and
unlocked. Brewer finally acknowl-
edged that he had no funds with him,
but promised to send some as soon as
he arrived in New York. Mr.. Heine
tried hard to make Brewer surrender
the checks, but he refused. Heine
saw that he was in a box and took
measures at once to defend himself.
Mr.. Miles and Mr.. Owen, who con
sented to act as directors, began to
discover some irregularities and Mr..
Miles took means TO learn the state of
facts as far as possible. Brewer was
written to by Heine to return and
he came here last Thursday night, Mr..
Miles, having found out some of his
crookedness and prepared papers for
his arrest. He was arrested and held
until he procured bail from New York.
The property here was seized and it is
probable hat Mr.. Heine and some
here, who have accounts against the
"bank," will lose nothing. Brewer
left for New York, as he pretended, on
Saturday night last, but it has beenru-
mored that he has not arrived in NY.
Taking the matter as it now stands,
it looks as though the man Brewer
planned a thing that was a swindle
from beginning to end. If so, we hope
he will suffer the %severest penalties of
the law. The whole transactions here,
so far as Mr.. Heine has been concern
ed, have been honorable, and we SYM
pathize with him in the unfortunate
predicament in which he has been
placed. The town loses nothing; it
had nothing to do with the scheme, ex-
cept to open it's doors, as to any pre-
sumed legitimate enterprise. AS soon
as it seemed to be a fraud, measures
were taken to put an end to it and to
arrest the man who seemed to be a
swindler.
Barton Landing.
The post Office has been moved to
the H. L. Webster drug store.
Mr.. and Mrs. D. w. Hildreth ar
rived home from the West SATURDAY..
John Brennan has a smile on his
face-i'ts a boy baby and weighs just
nine pounds.
Union services will be held at the