The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-02-27
A BOLD AND DARING THIEF.

Fraud, and Goes to the Tombs i'm
Default Of Bail.
NEW YORK, Feb. 21.-Erastus Wi
mans, formerly manager for r. G. Dun
g. Co.'S Mercantile Agency, builder of
the Staten Island Rapid Transit rail
way, and a prominent advocate of the
annexation of Canada to the United
States, was arrested to-day charged
with forgeries amounting to 1929, 900.
he was arraigned before Judge Mar
tine in chambers in the General Ses-
sions and committed to the Tombs in
default of $25, 1000.
MIR. Wimans expressed some surprise
at his arrest and then asked if there
would be any opportunity to get bail.
de said he ought to have a lawyer and
he would like to be represented by
counsel. An effort was made by friends
to get bail late in the afternoon, but
without success.
AS soon as it was known that Mr..
Wimans had been arrested the assist
ant district attorney. made known the
complaint on which the indictments
were found. There was no signature
credited to eX-District Attorney Della
ney Nicoll.
summarized, tho complaints are that
Mr.. Wimans was not partner in the
firm of Il. G. Dun & Co., but that he
was upon salary and commission and
that by various acts of embeZZlement
through misrepresentation, conceal
ments, breaches Of agreement, misuse
OF powers conferred to him and the use
OF powers with which he was not trust
ed, he succeeded, in 1888, 1890, 1891,
1892, and up to February, 1893, in steal
ing from Mr.. Dun the enormous sum of
lnt lN, "a
to-day. The complainant says that
while Wimans has committed numer-
Gus crimes, the selection for prosecu-
tion is very difficult. Two, however,
are sure, Wimans obtained from the
cashier of II. G. Dun & Co. check for
Sic, 900 to pay bill of E. w. Bullinger,
of New York, forged Bullinger's en-
dorsement and deposited the amount
to his (Wimans's) individual credit in
bank. Dun & Co. afterwards paid Bull
linger's claim.
The other transaction is that Wi
mans procured from Dun & Co.. IS cash
ier check for s., $50, to pay the Camp
bell Printing Press Co. 1t was drawn
er OF that company. Wimans told the
Printing Press Co. that Dun g. Co.
were short of funds, and asked them to
accept two notes for the amount. This
was agreed to. Wimans made the
notes in his own name, forged Brower's
endorsement on the check, and appro-
priated the proceeds to his own use.
The complaint says that Dun first
learned of Wimans's felonious acts in
the latter part Of February, 1893, and
on the 10th of that month Mr.. Dun ter
minated his contract with Wimans,
dismissed him from his employ and
has never seen him since. On learn
ing that his crimes had been detected
Wimans offered to transfer to Mr.. Dun
certain real estate interests in Staten
Island, Of doubtful value, but Mr.. Dun,
learning that Wimans was insolvent,
refused to accept them, or to receive
any preference over his other creditors.
Wlmans therefore made formal as
slgnment for the benefit of his credi-
tors, but his assets have amounted to
nothing.
Mr.. Dun did not submit Wimanss
crimes to the authorities on first dis
covering them, for several reasons. In
the first place he was moved by con-
siderations OF sympathy for Wimanss
family, with whom he had been on
terms of friendship for many years, and
Wimans made to him in a letter In
the second place he had then no ap-
probation OF the extent of Wimanss
! embezzlement nor of the length of dur
alton he had systematically abused his
confidence and betrayed the trust re-
posed in him.
The whole history OF his many doinos
had to be unearthed from the records
OF business of five years. 1t required O.
vast amount of time and labor to find
all the Irregularities by which he sue
ceeded in embezzling SO large sum of
money. The whole account, with tho
history OF each item, was not made up
until a comparatively recent date.
Again Mr.. Dun was led to believe by
the gross exaggeration by Wiman of
his interests in Staten Island that it
was possible to realize something sub
stantial for his creditors, many of whom
would suffer more severely than Dun
himself, although not in so large q sum.
In view OF the fraud practiced upon
them, as we'll as upon himself and upon
the conviction that man of Wimanss
bad character ought not longer to be
allowed TO masquerade as an honest
| man in this community and as an ad-
visor and exhorter of youth, and out of
sense of obligation to the mercantile
world with which he is so closely iden-
| titled, he decided that his duty requires
him to expose Wiman's conduct and to
hand him over to the authorities that
he may bo dealt with as tho law di-
ranfa