The Portland daily press., 1895-08-14

Ouu. LII
was another examination, and this time
it is claimed Barron reduced the amount
of the deposits from 220, 900 to 2lS, OO0,
and the books were afterwards changed
back. Then there appears records OF
loans of $3.50 to a man named Straw ana
$3.50 to Mrs. Crafts but both deny that
they ever had any such TRANSACTIONS. At
the time Barron died,
SAID MR.. .DRUMMOND,
he was in debt to the bank, and the ba nix
was in solvent, but at the examination
after Barron's death, the line was crossed
to solvency again by the increase of the
value of lot of European and North
American bonds from $1,000 to S14, 600 At
the next exami nation these bonds ap-
peared as worth $4,000. Several banks
failed at about this time, and Mr.. Drum
mond said he believed that Barron knew
that in time his Irregularities must be
exposed and that he accordingly COM
mitted suicide.
In answer to questions by Mr.. Pierce,
Mr.. Drummond said that this civil suit
by the bank ended in q rather peculiar
way. The court held that as the bank had
received the money for the $4,000 note
secured by the insurance policy. and as
that note was given, so far as the evil
dence showed, for no consideration, the
bank had already been reimbursed. Mr..
Drummond, however, claimed that the
fact that irregularities existed in Barron S
accounts was admitted at the time of the
trial.
Then Judge Crosby made more remarks
and read several long extracts from the
| report of the trial, and then introduced
what the believers in suicide regard as
very important piece of evidence, but
which was excluded by the Court when
offered at the trial. Mr.. George Abbott
was called by Judge Crosby and re-
counted conversation he had with Mr..
Barron some time before the tragedy,
during which Mr.. Barron told him shat
he (Barron) possessed pair of handouts
which he had procured with the idea that
they might be useful in securing
burglar should he ever encounter one
Barron also possessed a revolver.
Mr. Curtis was next called by Judge
Crosby and testified that Barron had gone
away one day FIN September, 1877, Mr..
Curtis taking charge of the bank during
that day. Then from the evidence at the
trial, showing that Barron was in Boston
one day at about this time. Mr.. Crosby
argued that it was then that he bought
the hand cuffs. Mr.. Crosby said he re-
garded this as very important piece of
evidence. To him it indicated that Bar
pair of handouts, shortly. before his con-
versation with Mr.. Abbott, had resolved
on this method of committing
SUICIDE CONTEMPLATING MUIR
DER.
Judge Crosby finished his presentation
of the case of the petitioners at about
quarter past three. He had spoken in all
five or six hours A few minutes later,
Mr.. Pierce began his presentation OF the
side of the remonstrants.
| Mr.. Pierce said it was peculiar
| position in VIII ich his side of the case was
placed as this matter was virtually an
attack upon the dead treasurer Of the
savings bank and his family. Ever since
| the suicide theory was started, Mr.. Bar
ron's family had consistently resisted it.
The suicide theory at first carried with it
certain things not now claimed. 1t was
then said that Mr.. Barron's alleged defal-
cation amounted to nearly $4,000. Judge
Crosby has said that the case against
Stain and Cromwell was prejudiced by
publications in the newspapers The
suicide theory was also exploited in the
paper and the auditors in the bank s civil
| suit when they came to Dexter were al
ready persuaded to the belief that Mr..
Barron had committed suicide. Mr..
| Pierce explained the Barron note in this
way. He said that when Mr.. Barron
found that the bank had only S720 sur
plus, he did what dishonest man would
not have done, writing the facts to Bank
! Examiner Bolster, who replied that if
something charged off to profit and loss
could be placed in the assets the apparent
surplus would be increased and to do this,
Mr.. Barron gave his personal note secured
| by his life insurance policy Nothing
| and u 7at TO lixr
did not want to make this matter public.
Mr.. Barron, on the last day of his life
had an apparent balance ef S525, but Mr.
Barron did not always have cash in
usable form. A great many checks were
taken in that bank and he treated them
bank, and then they were charged on his
books. But until that time, while they
lay in his tray, they were called cash by
| him, although they were not in usable
form. On this very day, number Of
people went to get checks cashed at the
savings bank, and we say that, for that
| 1925 giving the dead man the benefit of
the doubt, for he is not here to explain,
if he had checks or large bills in that
| tray. and the murderers took it's contents
no man would have known about it un-
less the people who let him have those
things had come forward to explain that
he had oashed checks for them or let him
| have u large Ulll DuU tbuy DOuy KNOWS
the inertia of people in that circumstance.
They will stand in their tracks when if
they came forward
MYSTERIES NIGHT BE SOLVED.
Then Mr.. Pierce took up the matter Of
notes given by DR.. Fitzgerald for money
| loaned. Tho bank trustees would let DR.
Fitzegarld have but $500, because Of
some personal feeling. This money was
secured by mortgage on costly house