Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-12-07
4 huge BANK ROBBERY.
4 NEW YORK INSTITUTION
LOSES $354,000.
The Shoe and Leather Bank Plun-
derci hy Collusion Between the
lfoOkkccpCr and Deposition
The Former FIcl and the Lat
ter Committed SuICIdr


l;ookkccpcr and IA Deposition
The Former FIcI and the Lat
ter Committed SuiCldc.
A Gefalratioa o! $G5i.OlO in tho shoe AMI
Leather Bank, tn flight OF BDokkceper
Se"ly, who stolc tho moaey, only 10 hand
ii over to 4 man who had him in his power
the search for tho nrch conspirntor. who Is
said 10 hc Lawyer Freicrlc,, RaLcr, and his
death By drowning whilo the detectives
w r. hunting FOR him. is tho cpitomc OF ons
OF the most starting stories OF crs.uc un-
eaFthed In Ncw lor, City in many day.
The thefts began nine yrars ago nua cor.
tuued up 10 = few days before Scclcv took
refuge in flight. having learned that u change
in The system OF ledger keeping would make
further concca' a'mCnt o. his crime an .npo~S..
hlltV. And when II was discovered. tho
hank found itself with IT, whole surplus 81
$50. 600 wiped out, and a deficit ot SlJO, 900,
which the stockholders must mako good.
1t has been learned that Snclv's thofts
wero accomplished through come leratr,
m OlG-timo depoSitOr in the bank, and that
the steain-z had been carried on during a
pcrio OF nine years.
Tho bank officials say this confederate is
"Lawycr Frederick Baker" Srcy's cOuu-
sci. "a wEOm tho dcfpultcr made full con
f.s,ou. say, tn" confederate was iawvrr
Here Is the story % tn" robbery ~ enth-
cred from ;Ho bank officers samuel {. SEQ
~. aged fOrty-two, was taken in tho employ
of IN" bank fourteen years ago. Srciy
was considered hy h.s eupcrlors TO be -
model bank cmp.oyr. II" was book
keeper in charge OF what - known
- tho ".ni;vi .unI accounts having
in h.s care tho toOkS containing tho
amounts in Alphabetical order from
4 to l.. Scoly's hoHi was for $1,000, gwen by
the United States Guaranty Company, which
regarded him "a a moi"l rlsk. Tho bank
officers never hal "A suspicion OF anything
wrong in S~cv's accounts unul their eyes
were opened almost by acci lent.
The Shoe and Leather Bank has not
been il the habit Of frequently chang
Ing its clerks about rs is don" In many
Of su'h institutions, ant SO Sroly haS
been In charge OF tho same accounts
year after year thus becoming thoroughly
IGmiliar VIII, IN" habits Rnd stand
ing OF tho A 10 l. dcpositors. Recently
In" officers ot the bank have considered IN"
scheme of changing the clerks about. and a
week be:oro SccIy nrl they informcI fhn
employees that Il new set OF books would hs
opened AMI "A transfer Ot clerks would DO
Lii IdS.
$ ely heard the announcement with tho
others AMI knew that with aomo ono oso nt
his desk detection Of his irregularities was u
matter OF Il day AT most. III" was nj his post
rs Usu4'. tut nsko II he could have n holt
day. HIS request was granted and the bank
people nave n I seen DlNl Sln'r. NnoNfl
man was pat at SrC'ys window. ThiS
substitute Exploded ver.tablc homhshell IN
President Cranes OfIlr" few hours later hv
the statement that Secly's books md accounts
were so badly tangIci up that he could do
nothing with them. A hurried examination
showed him to hc "A dclautcr to the amount
Ot 1854 coo and that ms nccOmplicc was
Baker an OiG-timC drpoSitor who was known
rs the $2C0 nun. because that was tho sum
he drew from the bank nearly every day.
The method OF robbery was marvellous in
its simplicity When Baker wanted money
Seely would put down 10 his credit any
sum that he thought right. This sum no
would deduct from the account OF sOm0
other GeUOsitOr, ono which was not usually
disturbed Iy additions or Withdrawals.
This Of course, would not be discovered In
a very short time, and when il would come
time to balance this second account Sccly
wOuIc simply transfer to 1t the necessary
sum, which no would deduct from third
account.
In this way the books would show no
shortag,. Baker wouli get all tho money
he desired This plan was made all tho
surcr from detection by the fact that See
! Iy's ledger never went into the hands OF
any other bCOkkcepcr, whilo at tho samn
| time he was allowed 10 write up the pass
| looks OF all the GcpOstOrs whose accounts
he kept in his ledger.
Warrants wcre Immediately issued for tho
arrest OF Seey and Baker, but the latter hal
| heard Of the impending climax Hni when the
| detectives appeared nt hts handsome coun-
| Try residence at Sands Point, Long Island,
| il was learned TINT he had been drowned.
Baker, who was a supposedly wealthy and
| respectable lawyer. past sixty ye1rs OF age.
| had told his nccomplicc before tho latter's
| flight that he was too Old TO run away him
sell and would stay and face the music. II
| is alleged by Srcly thnt Baker got all but
| Sll. coo Oftne stolen 1914 900.
After searchluy all day for Baker II was
| found that he had been drowned from row
| boat in Long Island Sound just IN front Of
! his country home. Hts two sons wor9 out
| On the Sound cunning, aul he entered boat
| os,t tnsiily to row on: after thcm 10 see whnt
luck they worc having. He never reached
| them, and when about O'Clock the sons start
| ci Tor home they fouah 'heIr fathers body
| floating face upward on th" water beside bis
| overturned sktf. 1t was surms"d that hu
| Lad committed suicide 10 avoid arrest.