The Portland daily press., 1895-11-04
HIS MEMORY LOST.
The Strange Case Of Boekkeeper John
B. Crisham.
MAGPIE LIKE, HE SECRETES
CHECKS AND MONEY.

Over $4,000 Tucked Away In Nooks and
Corners in the Office of A. e. Stevens &
Co.-He Can Remember Nothing About
Business Affairs-He Has Been Sent to
Martinique for His Health.
The well-known iron house of A. Il.
Stevens & Co., is passing through very
trying experience, and furthermore, a
most remarkable one. For twenty eight
years there has been employed by the
firm bookkeeper, who has now lost his
mind-it is hoped temporarily. His
name is John B. Crisham. He has always
been very careful and conscientious and
has, up to few days past. managed to
conduct himself so that his infrmity
was not suspected by the firm.
4 A few days ago Mr.. Augustus Stevens
received message from Mr.. Cooling of
the Casco bank, asking him to please at
tend to his account as it was overdrawn.
AS Mr.. Stevens knew of no reason why
it should be goverdrawn, hesswent to the
bank and was completely dumbfounded,
to find that money which should have
been credited to the firm 4. account had
not been. He then went to see his book
keeper, and Mr.. Crisham could not re-
member anything about the matter. He
only knew that he had not taken cent
that belonged to the firm, for he couldn't
remember. Then the firm set to work to
investigate, They put Mr. Charles
Deake, an expert, on the books A rigid
search was made about the counting
room and most. singular state of things
was revealed. Instead Of making the
Crisham would pen little memoranda
on his bits OF paper like this: ~. B.
c. $75; J. B. G. $10.' OF course this
meant money he had received, that
should have gone onto the cash book.
These memoranda were tucked away
i'll all kinds of places, apparently as. il. a
mischievous magpie had stolen them.
Besides these memoranda there were
found checks from their customers, drafts,
and even money to the amount, thus
far discovered, Of $4,000. EHow much more
has been secreted in the same way, re-
mains to be seem After the notifica-
tion by the bank of the overdrawing of
the account that led to the discovery
OF affairs, they remembered that during
the latter part of the summer one of
their travelling men said that some of
his customers complained because they
did not receive the statements of their
accounts. Mr.. Crisham at that time was
at once interrogated on the subject and
said che would attend to the matter at
once, and it was supposed that he had
a sort of p6nman's paralysis in his thumb
which had been painted with iodine, and
also referred to pain in one spot in his
head, and it is now thought that there
might have been some connection be-
tween the nerves of the brain at that
point and the palsied thumb. When he
called attention to this trouble, he told
Mr.. Stevens that it might cause him
to be- little backward with his work,
but that he would make it up as rapidly
as possible. Mr., Stevens told him that
would be albright.
There is not the slightest reflection cast
on Mr.. Crishams S honesty, nor any be-
lief by the firm that there will be any
shortage found. The hope to discover
memoranda and checks to show how much
money in all has been received and
tucked away, and probably Mr.. Deake
will straighten things OUT so that all will
be properly explained il a few days.
Mr.. Crisham sails in one of J. S. Win.
slow & Co.'S vessels for Martinique
and return, for the benefit of the sea
voyage. 1t is hoped he will return COM
pletely restored to health.
The Ice Crop. Na