The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-15
AN INTERESTING STORY OF THE
DOWNFALL OF A MODEL CASHIER.
Pride Prompts COnceaIment of Unex-
planned ShOrtages-FOreshad
ings of a Notable Trial

81, 900 less than it should have been. Some
cashiers would have gone over the books
and the money again, and, verifying the
loss, would have reported 1t Immediately.
This cashier did not do that. He had risen
to his responsible position by virtue of a
record of exactness which was the adj
miration of all who knew him. Postmas-
ters had come and postmasters had gone.
Administrations had changed in political
complexion. The cashier had advanced
from position to position, because he had
a talent which was phenomenal for ham
ding the funds and the complicated cash
accounts of the office. Long before the
civil-service principle went into general
practice this man had made himself indis-
pensable through merit And so, without
regard to politics or influence, he remained
in Office and climbed. Inspectors had ex-
amined his books time and again. They
had complimented as often as they visited
this office. The man had come to be known
in Washington as the model postoffice
cashier AS his fame increased his pride
in the management of his Office grew. He
was rigid in his system. Gradually his du-
ties were extended as his aptitude for this
part of the business manifested itself He
was depended upon to audit accounts other
than those for which he handled the money.
Successive postmasters reposed implicit
confidence in him. They relied upon his I'M
eTrlng accuracy to help make their adj
ninistrations of the office successful. They
DelleVed ne was the one subordinate who
either through intent or carelessness, would
never go wrong. Friends who appreciated
the capacity and the recttude of the
cashier told him it was only a question Of
a rev years until his record would carry
MIN INTO the position of postmaster. Before
tnd hateful day In March, 1896, they were
right. AS surely as his party triumphed at
the next general election the cashier seemed
destined to reach that official eminence for
winch he had fitted himself by his life work
A MYSTERIOUS SHORTAGE.
That March night the cashier went home
to his wife and told her Of the missing
money. No one else was taken into con-
fidence. The experience was entirely new.
The cashier told himself that he was GER
tain to find error in the books, which
would account for the loss. He believed
firmly that the deficit was only apparent
He would find the mistake, he argued. He
would correct it, and be spared the mortifi-
cation OF admitting that his heretofore ex-
traordnary accuracy had failed one time
The next day he searched, and the next he
went over the books page by page. Still
that loss stared him. Then he made
ordinary examination and reports it would
not show. He said TO himself that some
day he would find the missing error on the
books, or, if not that he would make good
the loss to the government from his salary
when he became postmaster. Thus the
cashier reasoned. He convinced himself
hide what he still believed was only an
error in the accounting. That a crime had
been committed of which he was the in
nocent victim never occurred to him. The
money which had disappeared was kept in
the office vault. The lock of that vault
was combination. 1t was the rule of the
office that the combination should be used
by the cashier alone. No one else not
even the postmaster himself, had authority
to open the vault. But, to guard against
the possibility of inconvenience, the knOwl-
edge of that combination was not limited
to the memory of the cashier. An accident
might happen. The cashier might meet
sudden death, or disability To protect the
interests of the service from any contin-
gency remote though it might be. the
cashier had furnished the postmaster with
the combination. He had given a memoran-
dunn of the numbers to be used only in
the event that he was incapacitated. This
knowledge should have remained sealed in
ter, with regard for the spirit of the ar
rangement, placed the combination which
had been inclosed in a sealed envelope in
the care of a third party, and 1t was locked
in a safety deposit vault, where it re-
manned throughout the term of Office.
Where the knowledge of the combination
ing March, 1896, is one of the unSolYed mys-
teries of this very strange case. At the
time the cashier gave no thought to the
memorandum of the combination held in
trust. Grounded in his own innocence of
misuse of the public money, thought never
suggested to him to make inquiries. Sus-
picion never entered his mind. Two or
three weeks passed. The balance had been
forced. The books had been falsihed The
cashier had quieted himself with the
thought that if the blunder in the accounts
did not reveal itself he would make the
amount good from his salary. He came
and went as usual. He was domestic. He
he was not socially extravagant There
was no sign of wrong. In the view of the
department he was still the model cashier
ANOTHER THEFT.
One night the footings were made, and
when the money was counted there was
another shortage of a considerable amount
The cashier was thunderstruck. He went
over the figures. He counted the money
The deficit was there again. Another 81. 900
could not be found. What was to be done?
Put yourself in his place. To do so one
must recall the long years of rigid devotion
to duty. One must remember the pride
which had fed all of those years on a mar
Vicious record for accuracy and integrity
The ambition to reach one more promotion
and hold an Office which seemed almost
within reach must be felt To report this
latest loss was 10 demand an investigation
which would bring out the Justification
of the books to hide the first. Surely here
was sad case of a victim of circum-
stances. And the victim was an ordinary
man.
A second time the books were fixed to
make an appearance of correctness. Around
the unhappy man a net seemed to be draw
ing. Perhaps ninety-nine men out of hum
dred would have thrown pride to the winds
forgot the ambition of a spotess lifetime
and cried out to the world:
There is robbery here!'
The hundredth man wouldn't. He would
have done this man did His first impulse
would have been to carry on the deception
of figures Growing desperate with the ter
rible secret, he would at last have taken
into his confidence the very men from
whom he should have held aloof He would
have accepted the suggestion that there
were easy and quick ways OF making a
couple of thousands of dollars to replace
the amount Inysteriously missing. He would
have listened TO the seductive stories of
large odds won in an afternoon at the race
track He would have refused to take a
dollar of Uncle Sans money and go 70 the
race track, but he might have allowed men
about him to take sums of money and try
to win enough to make good the losses
while he further falsified the figures to
hide the growing defcit And 50 the time