The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-09-28
]. ". TATE SAID TO Be ALIVE
Kentucky'S Defaulting Treasurer
Believed to Be in Brazil.
HAS BEEN SEEN In CHICAGO
Is Now IA Prosperous Planter and
Is Not Wanted by the State He
Robbed-ld Identified by Private
Detective Who Was in south
America Not Long Ago.

Chicago. Sept. IS. Persons who know
j.. w Tate, the defaulting State treasurer
of Kentucky, say he is alive in Brazil, but
his eldest daughter, Mrs. Martin, her
mothers executrix, is suing various insl;r-
ance companies TO collect tile policies on
her fathers life, which aggregate $4,000.
When Tate left the country, in 1888, he
was a defaulter TO otheextentof 81 800 900,
but he took only 100000 with him. The
remainder ne had loaned TO trusted friends,
who left him in the lurch-
Two years after his flight Mrs. Tate re-
ceived a letter from him written in Japan.
What its contents were she never disclosed,
bot the ,ece,p! OF the nIissive plainly had "a
serious effect upon her. Broken In health
aud bowed 10y tie diseraceo her husbands
defalcation, Mrs. Tate died.
The manager OF a well-known detective
agency here says Tate is alive. Said he to-
day: lone of our operatives located the
Kentuckian and satisfied me he is very
much alive. Some time ago | had q man
in the Argentine Republic working on a
case. II" was there nearly two years, and
country. This operative, 10y the way, is
d kentuckisn, and knew Tate well. One
day he was in Buenos Ayres, when who
should ne run into tut Tate, well clothed.
with plenty Of money and looking prosper
Gus i'm every way.
They had long talk together, Tate
making no denial of his identity, and telling
freely OF his troubles and long travels. he
hadchangedh his nam TO some high sounding
Spanish title, which has passed out of my
mind. Tate told the operative he had a Zig
coffee plantation in Brazil and was making
money fast, and, from the report made TO
me later, guess he was telling the truth.
Il notified the Kentucky authorities, but
they did not want him. Tate was in
Chicago in 1893 and since that date"
James W. Tate was elected treasurer OF
Kentucky in 1867 and served continuously
from that time until March 20, 1883, the
date tbs embezzlement bccane known.
Several days previous to that date
uditor Hewitt requested Treasurer Tate
to make a settlement ana comparison of
books Tate asked for a few days time
and next day left Frankfort He did not
come back at the designated time, and il
was then that the accounting took place
and the enormous shortage of 81 800 900
discovered.
The discovery of the dcfalcation caused
a great scare ih Kentucky. Throughout the
State Tate was Familiarity known
Homes It Old Dick Tate" He was good
fellow" i'm every sense of the word. IL vas
said that IL was the custom, of many state
officers to 90 to Tate and get him - "a IN
notes for them, notes which in n large
number Il cases the promise TO pay WIS
never Fulfilled.
The almost universal theory was that
'.Uncle Dicks" kiGdHc ss of heart ran away
with lsis business integrity. Mr. Tate also
loaned .arge sums of money To Industries
in the state Which were never Returned.
Tate's business methods were lax. At
one time bank pretended to be in a
hurry for the interest on a State Geht.
1t was after hours. but Tate gave his per
sonal check for the 1000 due. paid it out
of his own private account and then for
got all bout il until the bank told him
that it owed him that much.
Auditor Hewitt slife was made decidedly
uncomfort able by the State Legislature
after the investigation of Tate's accounts
was started. IL was charged that Hewitt,
who was a dose friend OF the missing
treasurer, was very lax, and should have
called for an accounting long before.
Hewitt retaiiated by giving the names
~ many Il those Who had taken advan-
tage 0f Tate's INABILITY Ia say no" and
borrowed large sums 90 money from him
ana never returned ii.
Tate was traced 20 Cincinnati and To-
ledo. and 1t was supposed thaJ ne wcnt
10 Cauada He was afterwand reported
from Ho',daras The State offered $4,000
reward for Tate's arrest, but no one