The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-12-17
FRAUD Is RAMPANT
ACCORDING TO GRAND JUBIEa, AS
WE'LL AS CURRENT REPORT.

i
Indictments Found Against Bank Omcerl
| In Montana and IllIuois-How Onicers OF
| the Commercial National Bank, of Den.
! yer, a. Alleged. Carted on the Funds
| Charges Against District Attorney
Foote of San Francisco = Minneapolis
| Boodiers in the Course of Grand Jury
Investisation-Crime News.
|; Helena, Mont, Dec. 16.-The United
! States grand jury today returned indict-
ments against Erastus d. Edgerton,
| George H. Hill and T. D. Beatrice. The
| first named was vice president and gen.
erai manager, the others assistant CASH
ier and director of the defunct First Ma
tional Bank of this city. Edgerton is at
present receiver Of the bank. The
charges are misdirection of funds, mis-
appropriation of credits, false entries in
the books and false reports to the COM
ptroller of the currency.
Edgerton and Hill gave bond. Beattie
is in the east but will at once return.
The report of the grand jury, filed to-
day, concludes as fOllOWS:
'"The grand jury further finds that the
appointment of E. d. Edgerton as re-
ceiver of the bank has placed that insti-
tuition and its affairs in the hands OF one
man who has been more instrumental
than any one else in looting the insti-
tuition and has in many ways hamper
ed full and complete investigation of
the affairs Of the bank by the grand
jury.
'1t seems to the grand jury that it is
an outrage on common decency that a
man of the character of Mr.. Edgerton
should be permitted to remain in charge
of an institution after he has wrecked
it."
Edgerton makes general denial Of
any irregularities.
CASHIER INDICTED.
st. Louis, Dec. 16-The grand jury Of
Clinton county, Illinois, has returned two
indictments against B. H. Niehoff, who
for many years was cashier of the bank
of ex-State Treasurer Rufus n. Ramsey
at Carlyle, Ill, prior to its failure two
years ago. Both charge him with the
embeZZlement Of money from the funds
Of the bank, which is now defunct. No
one knows how much to accuse Niehoff
of taking, but it is thought to be high
up in the thousands.
DENVER BANK SWINDLERS.
Denver, Col, Dec. 1S.-The testimony
in the trial before Judge Hallett in the
United States district court, Of Charles
H. Dow, president, and Sidney z. Nc
Clurkin, teller, of the Commercial Ma
tional bank, and o. E. Miller, of the
Hernia Treatment company, now of Chi
tago, charged with misappropriation OF
the funds of the bank, has been of a
sensational nature. 1t appears from the
testimony of other officers of the bank
that at the time it was closed in 1888,
Miller had Overdrawn his account to the
amount of $]25.000, the only security for
which held by the bank was his personal
notes. Miller had secured this large
amount by means of kiting checks, with
the approval of President Dow. 1t has
been shown that he shipped large sums
of money east by express from time to
time. The defendants regard the devel-
opments in the trial with seeming indif-
ference.
Various directors of the bank gave tes-
timony today that President Dow had
acted entirely on his own responsibility
in permitting o. Z. Miller's company TO
draw large sumse from the bank with
out furnishing security and had ignored
their protests. One director, Colonel E.
+. Bishop, was so reluctant to testify
that after he left the stand District At
torney Johnson upbraided him severely,
saying:
I'm my room when we were gathering
evidence you told me repeatedly that
Dow had lied to you, and you said 1t
again and again, and now you come
here and fail us as 1 never thought a
witness could do. Repeatedly you said
Do| had lied to you and you said IT in
the presence of other witnesses"
WANTS FOOTE FIRED.
San Francisco, Cal, Dec. 16.-George
w. Monteith, as attorney for Alfred
IssOn, has sent a communication to Pres
ident Cleveland and Hon. Judson Har-
mon, attorney general of the United
States, preferring charges against Unit
ed States Attorney Henry Foote, and
asking his removal from Office. The
charge is that of collusion with the de-
PENDANTS in a criminal case to defeat JUS
ticc Isson was the prosecuting witness
in the suit against George Stierlin on in
dictments for sending obscene matter
though the mails, the letters being writ
ten TO Isson's wife. Stierlin was allowed
to plead guilty on one Of the indictments
and the other two were nolle pressed. 1t
is alleged that Foote advanced the date
of Stierlin's arraignment on the calendar
without notice to the prosecuting wit
ness or TO the postal authOrltleS, ana InaC
he deceived the court as to the gravity
of the case; that Stierlin was brought
into court, allowed to plead guilty and
fined $500. and the other two cases dis
missed before the postal authorities or
Isson could reach the court room after
the brief notice given them.
MINNEAPOLIS BOODLERS.
Minneapolis, Mimi. Dec. 16.-The
grand jury today began the investiga-
ton of the municipal scandals. Judge
Pond delivered severe charge to the
jury. in which he called attention to the
definite stories of boodling in the council
that were current and to the effect that
certain aldermen who had no visible in
come beyond their $500 annual salaries
were yet able to live in great style, and
spend money freely. Reference was al
so made to scandals in contract letting
in other municipal boards. The evidence
in the possession of those behind the in
is closely guarded, but it is
to be complete, and conclus-
i've in a number of cases. No news has
been received of City Clerk Haney, al
though telegraphic orders for his arrest
were sent 10 all points on the Mexican
boarder. But it is believed that he has
not gone 70 Mexico. but to Florida, or
some gulf port whence he may sail for
Central America. No great hopes OF mis-
are entertained, although
his friends assert that ne viii at once re-
turn and stand trial when he learns OF
the charges against him.
CLERK PHYSTER SUICIDES.
Washington. Dec. 16-FTank r. Phys
n ~