Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-11-24
FINANClER SUICIDES.
Failure of the First National Bank Of
EmpOria, Ram, Is Followed by the
Death Of Its President.


Emporia, Kan, Nov. l7.--W Wednesday
afternoon the First national bank OF
Emporia was closed by order of the
comptroller of the treasury. An hour
later Charles 5. Cross, the banks pres
dent and one of the best known breed
ers of Hereford cattle in the west, shot
and killed himself at sunny SLOPE"
his famous stock farm near town.
Speculation is said to have led to
Cross downfall. His fortune has
doubtless gone down with the bank.
Among the heavy losers by the failure
are Lyon county and the city of En-
poria. All the city and county funds
were deposited in the institution.
Cross was custodian of his fathers es-
tate, which is also said to be in
wrecked condition.
Cross ending was tragic. To the-aa-
iority of the people of the town the
comptroller's card on the doors of the
bank came as surprise, but in finan-
cal circles the result has been antici-
pated for six months. Examiner
Charles Jobs, who closed the bank on
an order from the comptroller, has
been going over its books with the aid
of President Cross for the past week.
No signs of mental agitation on the
part of Cross had been displayed and
when Cross left the bank yesterday,
ten minutes before the bank closed, he
waved his hand pleasantly to all his
associates and seemed no different
than usual. There was smile on his
face as he passed his friends on the
street. He went Immediately to Sunny
Slope farm and, speaking pleasantly to
the employees, passed into the bed room
of Manager Evans house. When he
did not come out, Evans entered the
room. He found Cross lying in a pool
of blood with pistol in his hand. One
shot had been fired and it went through
the back of the head. Death must have
been instantaneous.
The bank statement has been grow
ing bad, first causing comment last
May. The statement issued on Sep
tember 20 last did not show improve
ment. Small Withdrawals of deposits
resulted. but most of the business men
kept faith in the bank and up to 10
o'clock yesterday heavy deposits We're
made. The last statement issued
showed: Capital 500, OOO surplus and
profits SOL, ,2S9; due to depositors,
banks and bankers S513, 500; circulation
So 800. Total S737,SSS
Examiner Jobs has been wrestling
with the problem of the assets for a
week and it is reported that he found
them badly shrunken. To a reporter
he said: "While / do not know eX-
actly what the outcome of this matter
may be, | think / am justified in say
ing that the depositors will not suffer
seriously. Yet when a thing like this
occurs it iops off % per cent. of the as
sets of the bank at one blow"
Cross was the son of the late Col.
Harrison c. Cross, who died suddenly
at Macliinac a few years ago and who
was believed to be worth several hun
dred thousand dollars at the time cf
his death. Young Cross was 80 years
old and had worked in the bank which
his father helped organize since boy
hood. Thirteen years ago he became
interested in stock raising and in 1892
began the importation of fine Hereford
cattle. for which his farm is known all
over the country. Sunny Slope farm
was one of the best stocked farms any
where and it was Cross ambition to
make it the leading farm of its kind in
the United States.