Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-16

lect that appeals to American states
manship or American patriotism, and
it should DO rejected in short order.
-
Ignorant Comments on the DefnicatioB.
1t ia reported from Dover that Mr..
Harry a. Richardson, president of the
First National Bank OF that town,
which recently suffered loss Of slOG,
600 through the defalcation of lis pay-
ing teller, William N. Buggs, has denied
the recent newspaper reputs that
Boggs was to come back of his own
volition and tell sensational story of
his crime. Mr.. Richardson according
to dispatch from Dover, said 81 feel
sure that William N. Boggs will he
back soon. But he will be brought back.
1t is but question 81 time, for he
cannot evade us much longer. in tho
meantime every effort is hoing made to
get at the bottom of this matter. We
want Boggs and the men whom we be.
llsre were connected with him. We
can give no particulars now, but when
our investigation is ended and We GO.
cure the information which We seek
both Boggs and those connected with
him will be brought to the bar of JUS !.
tice to answer the charge. -
There is no doubt thet the officers Of
the institution are fully justified in de.
Ginning to make public at this time the
details OF their movements for the cap
ture and punishment of the dsfauting
teller, and meanwhile, tho many scnsa.
tional reports which irresponsible and
uniformed papers may choose to print
about the affair should be accepted with
the most liberal allowance. For some
OF these papers are certainly actuated
by malicious or partisan motives, and
all of them are more or less ignorant
about the affair and matters connected
with it.
This feature of ingorance has already
worked evil and reflected uniustly upon
other banking institutions of the State.
which have had absolutely nothin to
do with the defalcation Of Boggs What
could be more ignorant, in fact, than
the deliberate editorial declaration of
one newspaper, that 'the important
point in this connection, as admitted by
Mr. Richardson, 10 that checks drawn
by certain well-known residents OF
Dover on the First National Bank were
cashed by the Farmers Bank, but never
appeared on the books Of the Fret
National Bank"
Here is an extraordinary charge. IL
is, in effect, that thu Farmers Bank at
Dover was practically particeps crimi-
mis- in the transactions of Boggs, and
aided him in his thievish work by
cashing checks for him, which checks
he afterwards destroyed. 1t is also as
serted that Mr.. Richardson of the
First National Bank admitted this, but
there 10 not the remotsst probability
that Mr.. Richardson ever admitted any
thing Of the SORT. To do 10 would be TO
admit what is false.
Tho truth Of the matter. as anyone
ordinarily coversant with bank business
we'll knows. is that the Farmers Bank
was only an agent in the collection of
those checks, which were casLod by thp
bank upon which they were drawn. 1t
Is known that many of the checks used
by Boggs in his thievish transactions,
and applied to stock speculations
through Philadelphia firm Of brokers,
were deposited in the PHILADELPHIA
National Bank. This bank has the Far.
mera Rank at Dover as one of its Della.
ware correspondents, and 30 it sent these
chvcks to the Farmers Bank for col
lection. The runner Of the lutter bank
took them to the First National, and
there they we're cashed, presumably by
Boggs, who afterwards destroyed them.
This is the legitimate, business method
of check collections, but ii is vastly
different from these checks heing
cashed by the Farmers Bank at Dover,
as is ignorantly and positively alleged.
AS well charge that they were cashed
by the Philadelphia Bank.
We believe that this egregious error
is duo entirely to ignorance. hut it is
malicious in its effect, as il casts dis.
reputc on the Farmers Bsnk. and makes
it appear as factor in criminal pro,
csedingH of which it was entirely limo.
cent. And this is a fair sample of the
mischief that may BY wrought by news,
papers ignorantly applying their pages
to the dissemination of idle gossip and
ridiculous rumors about the Boggs affair
In all the columns Of rot about the
Boggs defalcation that have been
printed during the past few weeks,
there has not been single solid fact in
addition to those given out at the time
tho deialcation WIS discovered and
those subsequently made known, fully
and freely, by the directors OF the bank
to the meeting Of the stockholders held
for tho purpose OF reorganizing. We
believa that tina hank officials NAV ba