The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-06-29
FUGITIVE LARTHE.
An Attempt to Fix Things
Broadly Hinted.
The French Daily Paper Makes 1t
Unpleasant for the Mutual Bene-
fit Society's Big Bugs.

If any very active measures have been
taken by the gentlemen connected with
the management of the French Mutual
Benevolent Society at 61O Jackson street
relative to the locating of the absconding
accountant, Edouard Larthe, the local
French paper, LIE Franco-Californien, does
not manifest any too much belief in it,
"Where is hep" queries the journal
named. SIS he in San Francisco or Mex
co?" and "How much was the amount
EN- beZZled ?'
AS the absconder was able to speak
Spanish with some fair degree of flu
ency the paper is inclined to the be-
lief that Larthe might possibly have
gone to Mexico. At any rate the paper
would like to know if the management f
the society is doing anything to bring him
to justice, and it hints strongly that that
much-a bsent individu al is being very care
fully let alone until some arrangement can
be fixed up.
The last seen of Larthe, so 1t WAS ated
at the office of the society yesterday after
noon, was when he was purchasing a
ticket at the Oakland ferry. and the In
formation was also given that the police
authorities were notified, but were appaI-
emily able TO 10 nothing until a warrant
was issued. For the delay occasOned by
the legal red tape the officers of the soci-
ETY. are inclined to blame the police aud
not themselves
LIE Franco Californian, however. in
Inmates that certain members of the So
ciety have used their influence and posi-
tons to prevent all the truth from being
known, as il such were old tricks.
When a CALL reporter called upon
Larthe's successor yesterday, that official
v.fna tal bot tuo 1rh mt npn of fhar h
scians came in, but then his story seemed
to reach a rather sudden limit. The
physician, regardless of proverbial Gallo
pOliteness, succeeded in largely monOpo-
liZing all attention. and was not very gen.
tie in his handling of the police. and in the
best of English he veutured the opinion
that II a promise could be given that
Larthe would not be punished that gen
tleman would probably come up voluntar-
lily and surrender himself. The physician
did not think thai Larthe was very tar
away. 1t was he who blamed the police
for insisting upon warrant first being
secured for the runaway's arrest.
ice-President Auradou came In and
engaged very animatedly in the converse
don, but confined himself altogether TO the
French language. President Martin, it
was stated, was not in the city, and Leon
Chassagne, the financial secretary, had to
retire to his residence for the afternoon
with an attack of sickness.
The present accountant OF the society,
who. by the way, is averse to having his
name mentioned in the same article with
that of Larthe. could not say positively
how much Larthe's shortage amounts to-
Evidently he does not know. 1t seems
that when an expert was working upon
the society's books, Larthe had habit of
slipping into the office at night and fixing
them up. and then, when The expert
finished examining them. Larthe doctorsd
them to suit himself; at least, such is the
information given offhandedly at the
uffice now. The amount is said TO APP
proach $1,000. as near as it can be figured
out, but broad iDnuendo made by LIE
Franco Californian. to the effect that if
Larthe got away with $1,000 in 1892. how
many more thousands of dollars of the
society's funds have disappeared? is left
unanswered.