The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-28

There We're few additional develop
ments yesterday in the bank robbery
case, but the startling facts published
in the morning created quite a furore,
which grew as the news spread. The
excitement seemed in no way to affect
the bank, which did business as usual,
receiving deposits from patrons OF all
classes. AT first the reports were so
persistently denied by parties in a po-
sition 10 know the facts that some
credence to the denial was at first
given. The sheriffs Office. police head
quarters and the banks Offices were be-
sieged with curious inquirers. All kinds
of rash statements We're made, among
others that the whole report was a
scheme of the Salt Lake papers to ruin
Ogden institutions. Some officials de-
clared that there was no truth what
ever in the statements, while others
were declaring that the parties giving
out the undeniable facts were consum-
mate fools and that they would like to
know who did the blabbing.
Late in the afternoon The bank Of
ficials issued q statement to set at rest
the exaggerated rumors. A careful
comparison of The Herald account of
yesterday with the statement will show
that The Herald report was true in all
essential particulars.
THE STATEMENT.
ogden, Utah, April %, 1897.
Since confidence has been betrayed by
some one and a sensational report has
in consequence appeared in the Salt
Lake papers, I wish to say that our
bank has not lost a dollar nor been in
any way jeopardized by the alleged
robbery said to have occurred in Feb
rr1a Iac +,Ir
from the bank and suspicion pointed in
a certain direction, but realizing how
fatal it would be to the apprehension of
the guilty parties were the facts made
known, it was kept a profound secret.
In the meantime the amount was i'm
mediately made good to the bank in
cash. The published account of the af,
fair was exaggerated in many ways.
and we very much regret that the press
should feel it necessary to publish a
matter that should be sacredly kept
from the public until the proper time
for publishing the same had arrived.
Otherwise justice may be defeated; un-
just criticism and censure might result
and no good in any way be accom-
plished thereby. Yours truly,
NJ. S. BROWNING.
President Utah Loan and Trust Bank.
TIE Herald only claimed that the two
young men named were under surveil-
lance by officers, without venturing any
opinion as to their guilt or innocence.
It was stated yesterday in refuta-
ton of the charge against them that
they had left about December u. in
stead of February u, and later in the
day it was learned at the bank that
the robbery occurred some time in the
early part of December.
From another source it was learned
that the robbery had been perpetrated
about Dec. s, but that no report of it
was given to criminal officers until in
February. The bank officials were
reticent in the extreme as to the cir
cumstances attendant or supposed to
have been attendant on the robbery.
DR.. Groves was vehement in his
statement of his sons Innocence, saying
the boy had been in New York all the
time.
DR.. Groves entered a general denial
of The Herald article so far as related
TO his son. His attention was called to
the boy with taking the money, but set
out simply that the officers suspected
him. He did not believe this.
c. H. Barton said that although his
brother did not tell him when he was
going away. he had said he intended
going very soon: that his brother had
worked on the power dam at good
>
his money, with view to travelling and
getting a position where he
could provide for himself as an
electrician. He pointed to the
class CT associates that his
brother had mingled with to indicate
that the young man would not plan
and carry out bank robbery.
One of the directors had his attention
called to the part of the signed state
ment which asserted that the reports
in the papers were exaggerated and
was asked wherein the eXaggeration
existed. He replied that the sum taken
was less than $4,000, but admitted that
a $1,000 bag of gold and some silver
turned to the bank funds within 4S
hours after the shortage was discov-'l
cred and it then became a, personal
matter with the officer returning it to
recover the lost money if ne could.
The report that an official had raised
money to cover the shortage by a
mortgage on his home, as stated in the
Tribune. seems to be unfounded. One
of the parties to the transaction said
there was a sale of real estate between
the official and himself about that time
the consideration being between $1,000
and $4,000
At the police station no information
was given out as to Chief Davenport's |
and it is certain that few
if any of the officers know where he is, !
but n number of the bank people tacitly /
admit that he is away on their bust
ness
The business of the bank yesterday /
was not perceptibly influenced by the |
tremendous excitement created by The /
Herald report.