Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-03-01
The Lexington Bank EmbGZzlement
LAY UP YOUR TREASURE IN
HEAVEN.

of the lexington bank. Hon. T. r. N
Speck last week received an amusing lettel
from MI. Sheridan of Lexington. In q
business transac tion he had drawn on Mr.
Sheridan for $500. Sheridan was not in
Lexington when the draft got there and
the Lexington bank did not get his accep.
tance Of the draft. Before he returned to
town the bank broke and his deposit was
carried off. He wrote to MI. Speck send
] ing him check on the Buena Vista bank
and saying by way of explanation. that
he had deposit in the Lexington bank,
but that MI. Figgatt went away and not
knowing how far he would go, or when he
would return, had found it necessary to
take all the money in the bank with him. u
Next to the denunciation of the abscond-
ing cashier, the popular mind seems to be
disposed to criticise severely the Directors
of the bank who retained him in Office. An
habitual drunkard, always under the in
fluence of liquor, and who sometimes, even
on the Sabbath. was in such condition as
to excite comment in the church of which
he was an officer while he passed the collec-
tion plate-nobody can understand how
such man could have been allowed to re-
tain SO responsible place.
Last Sunday morning, Rev. DR.. J. A.
Quarles, professor in Washington & Lee
University, Lexington. who, with his wife,
lost their savings, some $4,000, in the
wreck of the Lexington bank, preached at
the First Presbyterian church of Staun.
ton, His text was most natural one !:
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth. where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in
corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal" At night he preached
on the same theme and introducing the
disastrous effects of the Lexington crime,
made a mastery argument to show how
superior Christian. who had sought to
lay up treasure in II eaven, may be to any
worldly disaster.
Figgatt, who left on the 2:3O P. NJ. g. &
U. train on the day before the explosion,
saying he was going to Rush Run, W. Va,
bought ticket to Hinton. When he got
there he kept on to Cincinnati. The idea
has gained ground, with what reason we
cannot say that he has gone to Mexico.
Here is his final farewell which he left
sealed in drawer in the bank the day he
left:
R. K. God win:-I cannot understand or ex-
plain the condition which you told me the
books were in, but write this to say that
emphatically, you have had nothing to do
with bringing it about. l and l only have
done anything that is wrong. l know that
you would lose your right hand rather
than do wrong deed and no line or figure
have you ever made that was not proper and
right and take all the blame and response
bility on myself, and I alone must suffer the
| consequences my ever dear and loved
friend 1 have not done wrong wilfully and
knew not what had done until now-forgive
me all the pain 1 have caused you and don't
think too meanly of your friend
(Signed) e. M. F.
During his Twenty-Five years as cashier,
Figgatt gave four bonds, the first for $15,-
600, and the other three for $50, 900 each. 1t
appears that while with the bank he vet
conducted all sorts OF business outside.
buying and selling real estate, buying cat
tie, and finally the ''boom," during which
he went into Buena Vista speculations to
the amount of $50, 900 OF more.
One OF the cruel cases among the deposit
tors is that of Milton L. Noel, a freight
conductor on the G. & o. who had been saw
ing his money for years to buy farm and
retire from railroading. He had accumu-
lated $4,000, deposited it in the Lexington
bank, and selected farm to buy. Every
cent of it was embezzled with the rest by
Figgatt.
r. K. Goodwin, the assistant cashier, who
was cognizant of some of Figgatt's use of
the banks money. was arrested on the
charge of shaving OH the day of
December, 1894, feloniously made, altered
and omitted to make certain entries in the
accounts kept at the Bank of Lexington. -
He was arraigned last Saturday and waiv-
| AaS Oil O-AAiiliuesuAoH Wco OClU vi W Guc
grand jury, giving bail in the sum of So, 900
for his appearance. Hon. John Randolph
Tucker and Frank T. Glasgow are his
counsel.
MI. Alex. Bell, single man, aged forty,
residing near Lexington, who had lost
So 900 by the wrecking of the bank, became
temporarily deranged by his loss and on
Saturday last attempted suicide, first by
cutting his throat and next by attempting
to drown himself in the liver He was
discovered and rescued and it is Thought
will recover. He is the manager of Mrs.
Glasgows farm.
Rev. DR.. A. r. Cooke of the Presbyteri-
an church at Waynesboro, who deposited
$4,000 trust fund belonging to his wife
in the Lexington bank few weeks ago,
lost it with the rest.
When Figgatt ran Off he left two life
| insurance policies and pinned to them a
note addressed to j. Fred Eff1nger of
Staunton, asking him to keep the payments
up on them for the benefit of Mrs. Figgatt.
He was interested with Mr. Efflnger in the
coal mines.
FishersvilIe Farmers Club.
FIsHERsvILLE, Feb 23.-The Farmers