Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-12-05
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Of johnson City-.Mr. Crandall Under
Arrest.

We clip the following from a late
issue of the Knoxville Sentinel:
The usually quiet little town of John
son City, 107 miles east of Knoxville,
is at present reveling in a sensation
which the inhabitants will remember
for years.
The closing of the First National bank
at that place a few weeks since and
the arrest of its President, ]. E. Gran
dali, at the instance of Bank Examiner
Miller is familiar to all. At the time
public opinion was with Crandall and
he readily gave bond to the amount of
$4,000 in two cases. Mr.. Crandall
claimed that the bauk was solvent and
steps were taken to reorganize it as a
State bank. An examination of the
books, however, showed the bank to be
in a worse condition than first imagined
and the idea was abandoned. This
condition of things alarmed the people
and Saturday afternoon his bonds
men, R. S. Bruner, H. H. Carr and E.
Il. Stevens, were forced to give him
up. Yesterday another charge was
brought against him. The last charge
was that of making false entries in an
account with a New York bank. Mr..
Crandall was taken before Commits.
sioner Keebler on the third and last
charge. The charge was sustained and
the commissioner bound the defendant
over to court in the sum 1000. This
increased the bond to 5000, which he
could not furnish, having been given
up the day previous on a So, 900 bond.
Mr.. Crandall was placed in charge of
Deputy Marshals Rhea and Cannon.
Bank Examiner Miller, of Washing
ton, and Assistant United States Dis
trict Attorney James L. Mayfeld, of
Cleveland, were on the ground and at
the solicitation of Crandall and his
friends gave the marshals permission
to keep the prisoner under guard until
today. when he is to make an effort to
give bond. There is no one in johnson
City who will give Mr.. Crandall bond,
and he is relying solely upon V. B.
Bowers, of Elk Park, N. C., to furnish
the bond. If Mr.. Bowers fails to do so
Mr.. Crandall will have to go to Jail.
United States District Marshal S. p.
Condor was seen by a Sentinel repre-
sentative this morning. He had heard
nothing from johnson City today, but
said that Mr.. Crandall would be placed
In either the Jonesboro Jail or Knox.
vile jail, as Mr.. Mayfield directs. 1t
is probable that he will be placed in the
Jail here, and if 80 will be brought
down on the vestibule at 1915 O'Clock
this afternoon.
L. E. Hurst, n of the most promi-
nent young business men of johnson
City, came to town this morning. He
was one of the heaviest losers BY the
collapse of the bank, and yet has COM
plete confidence in Mr.. Crandall, and
says the last charge brought against
him amounts to naught, and is more in
the way of persecution than anything
else. He admits, however, that the af-
fairs of the institution are in very bad
shape, and depositors will hardly get
one fourth of their claims.
Mr.. Crandall was most prominent in
the business and social life Of John
son City, aud his really unfortunate
downfall has left his family in a heart
broken condition and they are said to
be grieving themselves to death. The
prisoner is being guarded at his home.
On Saturday some one sent Mrs. Gran
dali an anonymous letter accusing her
of using the funds of the depositors and
duplicating her in ~wrecking the bank,
and further saying that the house would
be blown up with dynamite. The let
ter frightened the poor woman into a
frenzied state of mind and she is said
to have spent a most pitiable night.
She did not sleep a wink and kept ND
her means and pleadings throughout
the entire night. Mr.. Crandall was al
so greatly excited and the guards it is
said had to watch him to keep him from
himself.
1t is believed that if Mr.. Crandall is
sent to Jail, it will end in his wife's de-
rangement and probable death, while
he himself may suicide. The unfortup-
affair is the sensation of the hour
and some interesting developments
may be expected.