The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-25
QUEER LESSON
OF A DOWNFALL
One Man Wh) Is Happier in Prison Than He
Mas Out Of II
THE Story OF A BANK DEFAULTER
Thirteen Years of Torture for Fear
of Detection-William r. Melville,
of California Bank, Tells a Tale
with a Moral - Danger Of Good
Credit - Crime and Sin Provide
Their Own Punishment to Men of
Fine Sensibiiity


William II. Melville, the defaulting bank
clerk Of San Francisco, says he feels more
free in Jail than when he used to dine
sumptuously at the club. Thirteen years
of misery, fear and peril are succeeded by
years Of disgrace and imprisonment, but
disgrace and Imprisonment, horrible as
they are, are not equal to the torture that
came from his evil deeds and from the
fear Of their detection.
"When began to take money from the
bank, said he to San Francisco Chron-
icle reporter II was hot in love, was
not gambling, / was not drinking. l was
quite youngster then, as you can under
stand, for that was 10 years ago, and l am
only 33 now. was attending to the clear
ing house business Of the Bank Of Cali
fornia at the time. If you know anything
about the management Of banks, you will
know what that means. If you don't, it
Is hard to explain, but the man in charge
of the clearing house business takes the
checks upon other banks to the clearing
house to make the settlement.
MY credit was very good, oven at that
time. That was peril Good credit is
an awful danger to any man who depends
on salary for living. A bill came into
the bank for something. don't Temem-
Der what it was now. When this bill was
presented, l did not have tho money with
which to pay it. held over check from
one day to the Dcxt In order to pay that
bill, expecting OF course, to replace tho
money from my salary was surprised
when found how easy it was to take
money by this way of holding over checks.
tried it again. suppose in all l took
about $500, perhaps little more, of the
money of the bank. l paid it back in due
time. Nobody knew anything about it.
| was perfectly satisfied that, though 1
had been unwise, / certainly was not dis
honest. l had paid the bills as they wero
presented and then had paid back the
bank the money that had taken. You
see it was just transfer of creditors. 1
thought it was better to owe the bank
than to owe tradespeople.
well, when | wanted money again, l
took it from the bank That went along
for years. l suppose was clear with the
bank two or three times after the first
time that took money from it. Then the
amount gradually got bigger and bigger
and bigger, and of cours: it was plain to
me that / never would be able to pay it
back, so l just kept on taking moro and
more as l needed it, or wanted it, rather,
for certainly didn't need it, to pay my
current expenses and live in the style that
l liked
"All the money that l took from the
bank has gone for my ordinary expenses.
The exact course that it took / can't tell.
never kept any personal expense account,
and l really do not know in detail how /
spent SO much money a; l did spend. Ny
salary, of course, was not $175 during all
this time. Take my salary and add to it
the amount that took, but did not earn,
and 1t makes an average Of about 81, 400 a
year. That mems nearly $400 a month.
For my life l could not tell you how ]
spent so much. have figured in my mind
as well as l could what my expenses were,
and | can't account for anywhere near
that sum.
Figure up my average expenses for the
past few years My room rent was $40
month. l boarded at the Cosmos club.
My cards from the club amounted to about
500 month. belong to the Olympic
club. That cost SO month. l was
member of two yachting clubs, the Pacific
and the Corinthian, hut they are inexpon-
sive. My club dues altogether did not
amount to $l5 a month. Now, all that
figures up $40 month. l suppose my
cigar bill was about $40 month. That
makes $3.50, You see, that is So moro than
my salary already. For many years 1
have been accustomed to contribute to the