New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-26
UHATBECAME OFTHE MONEY!
A TALK WITH sEELY's COUNSEL

WAS INVESTED IN REAL ESTATE THROUGH
A DUMMy-THE SALE OF sEELY's
HoUsE-NO MESSAGE RECEIVED
FROM THE ABSCOND-
ING DEFAULTER.
Frank w Angel counsel for Samuel c. Seely the
missing bank defaulter. was seen at his home NO
lg Whi,on-st.. Jersey City by Tribune reporter
Inst evening Mr. Angel. who cOurteously submit
ted 70 questions from the reporter. SAID; II the
man who was drowned near Flushing. L. L. was
frederick r. Baker strongly emphasizing and
dwelling upon the initial RI he was not SeeIy
accomplice Mind you. | 10 not say that the con-
fed.rate's name was Baker at all You say 'he
drowned man was sixty-fve or seventy years o'u
yes that was about the age of Seelys accomplce
The man is dead. isn't he? Well. you ought to be
able 70 nut two and two together and draw your
oDn inference The accompnce was old enough 10
have been Seely's grandfather and ought 10 nave
given him fatherly advice instead of running hm'
THE defalcation, which began about nine years
a,o started according to Seelys statement 10 me-
through an honest mistake in bookkeeping on MS
part which enabled his accomplice to overdraw MS
account Seely besought him to make good the ac-
count and he said he would do as soon as he could
realize on some real estate transactions hut 'he
confederate. instead OF realizing, induced SevN ~
allow other overdrafts. which Seely dld IN ua'F eN
rac,a,ion that the promise to realize and make
the overdraf;s falsncations of the books became
necessary As understand it. the confederate was
able TO keep his bank account open by making poha
fde deposits Of say 5000 or more at time Seeiy CIV
ing him credit for 1920 and to conceal THESE idlse
credit entries Seely would from time TO time NAME
transfers from other accounts.
What became of the $4,000 which Seely assured
mo had been kept by his confederate is mystery
that NAV never be satisfactorily solved on yes /
have a theory about it, but no actual Kho"e's" on
the subject | believe that the confederate invested
the stolen money in real estate through dummy
and so thoroughly covered his tracks that the prop
erty may be found He was supposed 10 oe
q man of means. and yet the most rigorous search
ing has failed TO discover very much properly !"
his own name. No. don't say whether MS name
was Baker or not, but you might ma Out from
the officers of the bank. l first came in contact
with Seely's accomphce through real estate trans
action some six or eight years ago. chrh' 81
mine wanted TO acquire some property on the oid
Jamaica Plank Road. Long Island. lhefe was
flaw In the title. Seelys confederate came 10 NE
and said he thought he couId remedy II ioT d cum
s,deration., by getting quit-claim advised my
client against H. but he subsequently TOOK '"e
property. ,. ,..,uu,e
What became Of Seey's comparatively lhsigh'h
cant share OF the enormous plumber Is even more
a mystery than what became OF the non s""ie
kent by his confederate. Seelys salary was o"S
&, 500 2 wear and this not much II any more
han
repairs interest the mortgages on MS mouse anu
his living expenses. The latter were by no means
extravagant and his wife ola not even Keep d
domestic servant but dd ner own "ouSe"o :"
Neither Seely nor his wife dressed eXtraVasa"'iy'
and Mrs Seely never had sealskin CLOAK or coat
as has been reported. l know about these thihgs'
because Ida Bennett. most estimabe young
,ro,,a, vbo became Seelys wife some ten or eIeVeh
yaa,s ago was a very intimate friend OF my WE
"seelv and his wife and my wife and passed our
.uro,oers AZ the same hotel, at Northport j.. L.
after they were married. till two or three years
ago ceelv and were there together much OF 'he
time boating riding etc. In al our intercourse
nsver cav ANYTHING that could arouse the slightest
suspicion that he was other than an honest i"oue'
man He would take Il glass o. peer o0'"
but he never drank 10 excess. 30 Ear d.
playing Is concerned never saw or heard OF h'S
PLAYING ANYTHING mere than lri"hu'S b"''
euchre purely for pastme and never ioi "'o,'|
7 am al,noe, rositive that Secy had nothing WHAT
ever 10 do with the Boynton Bicycle Eie''i'o N''
way OF Long Island. When We were staying a
Nor,hport discussed the suhJtSt a. % rr were
then on such friendly terms. he never gar' ,. NV
tss,,,ss ,h ~ nr contempated any such dcnti-
hcaion. II he had or intendfd 70 Hd' no maj
he would have consulted me about il In some way
Other | don't believe that single GoIld, ,na ~
the banks stolen money was ever invested III ''''
enterprise by Seely. c.o,,,s house in
s,aemsn; Of facts as some published reports seem
to imply that the transfer wa Inc The trans
fer took place through me as couiaeI AZ 90 enrnc
years sro IT, 7, s,o3d in Inc name his wife. There
was first mortgage on ii for $40 ana se' h"r
rowed from Mrs. Bennett. his moherna% T NM,
eni sums Of MONEY TO pay interest," on bald the
interest on the mortgages and ifted ne sGcoa',,
one Win that Money ioT he holder
the second mortgage The money ioa W,iiiawsbnrg
Savings Bank. where It had been depofsnodd d" 10,
part OF the estate of her deceased & from the
proceeds OF Seelys rascality. Seely 3 owe liz n'
mo,herin-law s2ico. and in order that i, ms W
little and mother-in-laT might De SURE y,
transferred TO her by her daughter. and also took
bin Of sale Of the furniture in the house Mrs.,
Bennett assuming the morteage ne Oh ,his u trans
action Mrs Bennett received in return for the
Slo0 she had loaned to Seely the ctuity IN rne
worth about 500 This transaction was consu na,
seey came To me abou, on that day when me ne ' did
me there some trouble at the BANK Dut u,i
not then state what the trouble was. nave eA
piained all this TO the bank officers, ana lh'i'e'
them 10 investigate it: 800, .a,a,o and
furniture transaction. / don't know how much more
ready money he had but think IL must have ncen
ago last Friday, that seely came to my Once ana
sns h sts n y bInse IN 10 20 the
sorney az once also urged him 70 tell all he knew
about his confederate's transactions so that the
bank might recover some. II not all, Of the stolen
money. which would tend 10 mitigate his offence.
! aid not advise him TO abscond. On the contrary,
Told him that there was no place on earth where
a man so connected with astounding fraud OF
sucn magnitude would not later be
FOUND and brought TO justice unless he could dis
cover a rapid transit train Mars Seely Is sure
10 De captured. and when ne is he cannot escape
= term of fifteen or twenty years in State prison
forgery ~
mn Now. wish 1T to be distinctly understood that
.n connection with the entire affair has been only
fuen as any reputable lawyer would have had
iik s% t more than seven years ola and i is not
~v ne.y mat after an honorable legal experience OF