The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-18
Reyelry and Extravaganza Marked
the History Of the Possession
of the Bankers and Their
Tools.

The announcement in The Call yes
terday morning that there is in this
city very valuable property of DR.. r.
H. Mcdonald subject to attachment
has created a sensation. For over five
years defrauded creditors of the Nc
Donald bank have been searching in
vain for the evidence that was present
ed in yesterdays Call. The legal seiz-
ure of property that has been made in
the courts of this city will be prosecut-
ed to a conclusion as rapidly as posi-
bic. There is very little question that
Horace w. Carpenter will make a de-
tense to save the Market street prop
erty from the creditors of the bank, but
the evidence supplied bv he Call and
other facts now in possession of this
newspaper will demonstrate that Mr..
Carpenter holds this valuable local
real estate simply as the agent of DR..
Mcdonald.
AS soon as sufficient time has elapsed
for the necessary legal advertisement
of the summons the action will be tried.
When the facts have been submitted
before the Superior Court the property
will be placed in the hands of the cred
itors of the Mcdonald banks to be used
to their advantage and in liquidation
Z
sumes this morning the history Of the
secret correspondence of the Mcdonald
bank conspirators, beginning the pub
LEGATION of a remarkable series of let
tiers written by D. NJ. Tomblin, one of
the confidential advisers Of r. H. Nc
Donald Jr.
The correspondence of D. M. Tomblin
reveals the operations Of the powerful
conspiracy that ruled the John Brown
colony and the MADEIRA Bank from Oc-
tober, 1881. until long after the collapse
of the Pacific Bank on June %, 1898. A
brief outline of the history of the John
Brown colony and of the MADEIRA Bank
is necessary to understand Tomblins
letters and the position the writer oc-
cupied in reference to the other con-
spirators in the bank. In September of
1889 John Brown purchased thirty-two
hundred acres of land in what was
then Fresno County from Thomas E.
Hughes and ]. L. Martin. At a sub
sequent day two thousand acres more
were purchased from E. W. Chapman.
All of this land was within seven miles
Of the town Of MADEIRA. In payment for
the purchase Brown gave his notes, Sc
cured by mortga ges on the land. He
then began his scheme of colonization.
He assumed the SUPPLEMENTARY of the
colony, while his associate, W. F.
Baird, took practical control of the
bank that was established at the town
of MADEIRA
Affairs continued with varying sue
cess for the colonizers for almost two
years, when Brown and Baird discov-
cred they needed money. Brown had
posed as a model young man and had
ingratiated himself in the good graces
of DR.. Mcdonald by posing as an en-
thusiastic advocate of temperance.
With this recommendation he went to
Dr. Mcdonald in May, 1891, and asked
assistance for scheme of colonization.
DR.. Mcdonald at once permitted an
overdraft and the trouble began. There
seemed no end to the financial necessi-
ties of the Bank of MADEIRA and the
John Brown colony. Draft after draft
on the Pacific Bank was honored, and
the sum owed by the Bank of Ma
dera rapidly increased until it was be-
tween thirty and forty thousand dol
lars. Nothing could be done to reduce
this enormous sum and the McDonalds
determined upon an investigation. They
sent D. S. Dorm, DR.. w. Jenningson and
D. N. TombIin to MADEIRA to make an
inquiry. At a subsequent day A. +.
Johns and Frank V. Mcdonald went
down and an imperative demand was
made upon Brown and Baird to give up
the bank and the colony to the Pacihc
Bank.
This was done without hesitancy and
the McDonalds took charge of the dam
gerous speculation. A. f. Johns was
made president and manager OF the
John Brown colony and D. M Tomblln
was made cashier Of the MADEIRA Bank.
AS affairs progressed Tomblin became
vice president of the MADEIRA Bank ana
then president In this capacity he had
the affairs of the bank absolutely under
his control In addition to his duties
as cashier he acted as spy for DICK
and reported regularly the actions OF
A. F. Johns and his son and everybody
else remotely or intimately connected
with the affairs of the bank. In his
letters Tomblin permits not single
detail to escape his notice. When he
found that w. u. Johns, the son of A +.
Johns, had been made superintendent Of
the John Brown colony he kept a close
watch on the young mans actions and
with BosWellian accuracy reported them
to his master Dick Mcdonald When
w. e. Johns, who is better known to
the public as BILLY Elmer" exercised
and displayed his love for horses and
dogs Mr.. Tomblin reported to r. H
Mcdonald Jr. that w. E. Johns was
paying a hundred dollars a month to
take care Of his bull pup and his horses
When young Johns and young
'Dutchy" INDUCED in an innocent Sun
day afternoon pastime of punching
each others heads for the edification
Of admirers D. NJ Tomblin unsympa-