The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-25
DID FINE FIGURING
NEW YORK BANK BO0XKEEPER De
GIANTS WITH FUNDS
Examiners Report Systematic
Course of Stealing Extending over
the Past Nine YearS-Had Plan
ofHiS own and a Confederate
How He Was Caught.

! NEW YORK, Nov. 24-Samuel G. Seeley
an assistant bookkeeper in The National
Shoe and Leaf her bank. has disappeared
with 1854 900 of the banks funds. Sseey
was aided by confederate. the bank eff
Gals are certain. Indeed, they go so far as
10 assert that the identity of Seeley's &C.
| complice Is known to the police and that
| detectives either have him In custody OF
will soon apprehend him. This
confederate was not an attache OF
the bank, though it is intimated be
was depositor. According to
Vice President Pease. Seeiey has been
| h-ecIug the bank FOR some time past. HIS
method was not Ingenious. lei her was il
brilliant. IL was arduuu us, difficult ard
dangerous, but wi:bal successful.
According o Mr.. Prasr's statement, the
enil'e execution IF The scheme lay IN trans
posing the accounts with the assistance of
Il Confederate
On Thursday, November Is, the bank
commenced to prepare for he Inaugural
tlon OF new system of bookkeeping.
This, OF cours-, blocked Seel-y's game
The introduction of new mrthod OF keep
ing ACCOUNTS would uecessitate "A review of
the books and such Il review would proha
bly,, II not certaiuly, disclose I he deficiency
Exposure stared Seeley in the face. Mr.
Pease and his associates suspected not b N =
wrong until Friday, but when, on tie
evening Of that day their suspicious were
aroused, Se-ley had disappearei
Work was commenced on the bank
books ami accounts and early this week
the investigator resulted in the discovery
of S-elry's wrong doing The remainder
of the story is be-t told in Vice President
Peas-'s own words:
The moment we discovered the exist
ence of an irregClaiify In our accounts, we
We called III the bank examiner and subse-
quently asked the assist auce of the clenr-
lag house. The stability of the institu-
tlon, however. has not been in the least
impaired by this unfortunate aft air.
How Seeiey accomplished his work Is
difficult TO say. Thai it required cIos- fiy-
urlnS and accurate calculations is evident
He must have kept private set of books
Tor his own International sort Of record
OF his own shUr comings.
For IA short time 1t was feared that the
bank deposirors wonld become alarmed
over the drfilcatl1n, but though a humber
called at he insiltu' ION during the after
ON, they were easily assured that all
Chains wouli be met without difficulty.
'!oeel-y was under -, 500 bonds TO the
bank. He Il 40 years of age and resides
with his wife and two children in brook
Ign. He hid been in the banks employ
fourteen year-"
w. D. Van Wick, cashier of the bank,
began steps also for the apprehension of
the bookkeeper and his alleged accomplice.
The crime Icing II federal otfeuse. Mr..
Van Wick went To UnIled States District
y tornry Mcfarland, win whom he had
a conference. They went fore United
States Commissioner Shields and had
some papers s'gued VIII Gu it was under
stood wrre warrants. Whether warrants
isad really been Issued, nobody would say.
Seeley's operations are said to have ex-
teuded through Il period of nine years
Lrwyer Angel, his counsel, asserts tuHt
Seelry was ilctimiZed by his accomplish,
VINO Is said To he Frederick nk-r, a
lawyer. Angel says s. eiev got only zoo
out OF the large amount :akru.
An Associated Press reporter called at
oeeley's house in Broo&lyn tonight. but
his daughter declined To talk.