Omaha daily bee., 1894-02-13

failed In midwinto VI after the agricul-
turalists had sold produce and put
their money In this bank for safe keeping,
1t will be seen that those who lost all their
ready capital are in ill shape to withstand
the stringency of the times and the rigors
Of winter which are now in full force in
this section Of Iowa.
The thought of poverty is not pleasant to
contemplate under any circumstances but
when prosperous and comfortable people are
reduced TO the hardships OF want through
the criminal acts Of others then such people
are prone to bitterness, and this is the case
here now.
THREATS OF A LYNCHGNG.
Owing to the advice OF the leading mer-
chants and business men of this city, the
depositors who lost their money in this bank
have been induced to suppress their real
feelings, but there have been threats of sum
mary punishment being administered to the
officers Of this Inflated institution. As
usual in such cases there has been much
talk, many idle rumors and little action.
Now that the real facts will be ascertained
through the aid of the grand jury, much
trepidation is felt by tlmid people, as they
do not think any of the bank officials Will
then be safe.
That the feeling is bitter is evidenced by
the DETACHMENT of the fronts of the bank
building and the real estate office OF Isaac
Dlckerson. The real estate office is situated
on Sixth and Chestnut streets, opposite the
Park hotel, and the bank is across the
street about a half block north on Chestnut
street. Shortly after the bank doors were
closed a small party of people. who are pre-
sumed to have lost their money by this
failure, took a bucket of red, CORY looking
paint and daubed it over the fronts OF both
buildings. An effort has been made to
clean the paint off Dickerson's building, but
like the deep stains of some dark crime
it will require time to efface the marks.
] This act was kept secret so far as possible,
for the people were in too dangerous a
frame of mind to let them become excited
or inflamed over the actions Of vandais.
AS soon as the facts of the failure became
noised about, Albert w. Dickerson, cashier
and son of the vice president, was arrested
at the instance of w. c. Carter, a prominent
farmer and politician, who charged him with
defrauding him out of certain sums of money
reaching high up in the hundreds. Dicker-
| son was placed under $4,000 bonds. Since
then he has been arrested on five different
| warrants and now his bonds amount to $21,-
900, but many of the heavier depositors be-
lieve that this sum is too small for the
amount of money which they have lost.
After Dickerson's arrest the depositors
turned their attention to President Joseph
c. Yetzer, who had been p%arading up and
down the street claiming that Dickerson had
ruined and robbed him of all that he pos
| sessed in the world. YetZer was arrested
and his bond was fixed at $4,000. Then other
men who think the president had as much
to do with the disappearance of their money
as Dickerson swore out warrants for his ar
rest. But the willy president must have been
forewarned or else profted by Dickerson's
experience, and when the officers went after
him he could not be found and the warrants
were not served until yesterday.
About the time YetZer disappeared Isaac
Dickerson became conspicuous by his alb
sence and his son Albert, the cashier of the
defunct bank, was left to face the wrath of
the defradded depositors.
INVOLVES OTHER PROMINENT PEOPLE.
The failure is causing other people
trouble. Charles F. Chase, editor of the
Cass County Democrat, a paper alleged to
be partially controlled by the officers of the
Cass county bank. It's editor is a bright
writer, somewhat erratic, an all around
good fellow, member of the democratic state
central committee from the Ninth district
and a firm friend of Cleveland, who ap-
pointed him postmaster here about a year
ago. The. other man who is in trouble
is A. d. Hill of Miller, s.. ID.
About a year ago the state bank inspector
called on the officers of the Cass County
bank and asked to look over the books of
that institution. The cashier refused, say
ing that they were behind in checking up
their business. The matter was continued
for a short time, and the inspector de-
manded that he be allowed to check up the
books or else he would declare their
charter forfeited. The charter was turned
over, and the bank continued to do bus
mess without giving sufficient, if any pub
licity to the fact that it had surrendered
It's charter. Since the failure many of the
uSposituIS dlitSe tHdI tney placed tnelr
money in the care of the concern with the
understanding that the bank was still being
conducted under the laws and authority of
the state, else they would have transferred
their accounts to some other bank which
offered them protection against q possible
loss. The officers of the bank allege that
they held a meeting at which the majority
OF the stock was represented, and they
voted to surrender the charter in legal
form, and so advertised It. Editor Chase
gave the hank officials an affidavit nf nrnnf
of publication of the notice of the surrender
of the charter, and this, with other papers,
is now on file in the state auditors Office in
Des Moines.
When the depositors began to investigate
into the banks affairs they looked over the
papers on file in the auditors Office and
found this affidavit of publication. Many of
them were subscribers to the Democrat and
they did not reading the notice.
They came back here and secured all the
copies of the paper of that date obtainable,
but no notice could they find. Then the
niger in the woodpile" began to emerge.
1t is now alleged that this notice was printed
in enough papers to give the bank one and
for the filing, and then the notice was taken
out and reading matter inserted in the
forms, and the remainder of the edition
printed without the banks notice of sur
render of charter. The banks charter was
good until April 20, 1896, and this being
known to the depositors, who were kept in
ignorance of the true state Of affairs. they
were easily misled and became easy victims
to fraudulent methods of financiering.
A COST THEM THEFT OFFICES.
When this state of affairs was learned,
the depositors, many of whom are demo-
Gratis and readers OF Mr.. Chase's paper, be-
gan to lay a portion Of the blame onto him.
and as a consequence he is placed In an un-
eyitable position. His subscribers are alleged
to be forsaking his paper, but this is denied
by Mr.. Chase, and now the more bitter ones
are urging that steps be taken to induce
President Cleveland to remove him from the
postmastership while others are said to be
consulting attorneys with a view of bringing
him within range of the criminal conspiracy
laws for making an affidavit which in intent
appears to have been false.
Mr.. Chase was seen today. He feels very Bit
ter against the editor of the Daily Telegraph,
eX- Representatiye James S. Crawford, for the
bitter attack made on him a few days ago in
this connection. Chase says that his friends
know that he would do nothing wrong, in
tentionally, to defraud or mislead the people,
and refers to his record of honesty during
his residence here for the past fifteen years.
He says that this is a move of his enemies
10 get him out Of the postonice. His friends
held a meeting one evening last week and
resolved to stand by him, but those who are
opposed to him., and many are democrats,