The evening times., 1898-10-15
RUINED BY SPECULATION
Stealings of Eli w. Stone
Sunk i'm Real Estate.
DETECTED BY ONE MISTAKE
Dramatic Manner I'm which Members
of the Dead Cashiers Family
One Hundred Dollars at a Time.
Total Deficit Not Determined.

oswego, n. Y, Oct Ex-senator Platt
has returned TO New York after having
done all he could TO get an insight into
the affairs of the Tioga National Bank
OF which he is president and which his
most intimate friend, Assistant Cashier
Eli w. Stone has wrecked by defalca-
tion. IL is impossible TO tell exactly how
much money the defaulter got away
with He confessed to having taken s42,
O00. and Senator Plat hopes il will not
be more than S50.OO0 but there are those
who fear the amount will go up into the
hundreds of thousands. The books of the
bank are badly mixed and il may take
week before they can be Strengthened
out Until then every one will necessari-
ly remain in the dark
Next to the question of the amount of
money stolen by the venerable and high
ly respected Stone, the depositors are
most desirous Of knowing what he did
with the stealings. He received a salary
OF 81. 600 a year, and as he was not a man
with many expensive tastes, every one
believed il was amply large enough TO
enab-e him to live in the utmost COM
fort Living is much cheaper here than
in the large cities
speculaIed in Western Real Estate
1t was announced that Stone has
invested TO a slight extent in Mexican
railroad scheme, but that would not ac-
count for the thousands that have disap-
peared. His friends say that he had
been speculating in Western real estate
and ii is now generally believed that it
was there that he sunk his stealngs
Slngularly enough, the money was taken
an even hundred dollars at time, never
any more nor less.
Stone saved himself from detection by
destroying every possible evidence of his
crime. 1t was slight carelessness in
ci6ent upon three days Illness and The
unexpected coming of the national bank
examiner that brought him to grief He
was at home last Friday when Examiner
Van Brocklin reached the bank. He
heard of IL Immediately and was at the
bank before she examiner had a chance
10 get any Of the books.o
You have no business 10 come down
here, said Vice President H. A. Clark
TO Stone, who was very pale and had just
risen from his sick bed. Then he added
Jokingly: II don't see what makes bank
cashiers so afraid every time they see the
examiner around"
1T is not that" said Stone but / can
aid the examiner in going over the books
and make his work easier There are so
many items that have to be explained"
Caught by Merest Chance.
He remained for a time, but the ex-
aminer was there after him. and in his
Investigations found a passbook from
Rochester firm which Stone had left on
the counter. In ii there was an entry of
S, 90, and that sealed the defaulters doom.
Had ne taken the passbook away with
him he might never have been found out.
The examiner could not find an account
ing of the 50 600 in the ledger, but for the
moment he did not give il serious thought.
as he believed an oversight had been
made. He went away, and all the officials,
including Stone himself, believed the eX-
animation was completed to the eXamin-
ers entire satisfaction.
On Monday morning, however, Exam
iner Van BIocklin reappeared and said
he would go over the books again. He
had been worried by that s9,0e0 item. His
second investigation revealed the long
continued thefts
When Stone was confronted with the
evidence of his crime and asked TO explain
hts shortage, he said:
L cannot. II is true I am a defaulter.
] have been trying to make good the
amount I have taken, but it has been i'm
possible for me TO do So.
He said that nobody connected with the
bank or any other person had been aware
OF his stealings Within five hours he
was dead and there was no use in swear
ing out a warrant for his arrest.
Many Think Him a Suicide.
Many Of the people still believe he COM
mitted suicide Senator Platt is one of
these. The authorities, however, will
take no action in the matter and there
will be no autopsy Stone was attended
in his last illness by his only son, DR..
William Stone, OF Bellevue Hospital. New
York who was spending his vacation
with his parents He signed the death
certificate, but he did not know at that
time that his father had confessed to be-
ing a defaulter.
The first revelation or Stones crime
came to his family I'm a most dramatic
manner, although others had known II
for more than forty-eight hours Sena-
tor Platt had insisted that the widow
and Stones aged mother should not be
told, and in this way ii was kept even
from his brother and son.
Let them find II out whatever way
they can" said Senator Platt, and there
Gore no one went to them with the news
Yesterday morning, however, DR. Stone
and his uncle went out to find pallbear-
ers for the funeral They saw that the
doors Of the bank were closed, and the
younger man said:
''They have done this out of respect
20 my fathers memory"
Nailed TO the door was a slip OF paper,
and he stepped up to read it, This is
what he saw:
by order Of the Comptroller Of the
Currency at Washington this bank will
not open today. This action is made nee
essary by eason Of the defalcation of the
late teller and bookkeeper
IF +. PLATT. Cashier"
IL was the first intimation either Of
them mad of what had happened and for
the moment they could not believe the
evidence before them. When they man.
aged to get inside the bank the news
was quickly confirmed by the officials
who were then trying TO straighten out
the accounts. Every effort will be made
to keep the matter from the widow and
mother.
Before leaving town Senator Platt said
that the depositors in the bank would not
lose anything by the defalcation. They