The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-11-17
BANKER CROSS suIc,pFs.
rs1 senuss OF ius BAsh ~ Emposia
gtssa 90 The CAuss

Emporia, Kans. Nov, lC-This after
,oon, tho First National Bank OF Empor
a was closed by order OF tho conptroi-
er Of the currency An hour later Chas.
3 Crose, tho banks president and one
of the best known breeders Of Herefords
in the west, shot and killed himself at
his ramous stock farm near
town
Speculation b said 10 rave led Cross |
downfall HIS fortune has doubtless gone
down with the bank Among the heavy
losers by tn failure are Lyon county
and the city Of Emporia. An the city
and county funds were deposited in the
institution Cross was custodian OF ids
fathers estate which Is alsi said to be
In n wrecked condition.
Cross ending was tragis. To the ma
jority Of the people Of the town the
comptrollers card in the door Of the
bank came as surprise, but in the n
nancial circles both here and In the
state the result has been anticipated for
six months. Examiner Charles Jones
who closed the bank on order from the
comptroller has been going over the
books for the past week. No signs OF
mental agitation on the part Of the bank
president has been displayed. and when
Cross left the bank today, ten minutes
before the bank closed he waved lis
hand pleasantly to all his associates and
seemed no different than usual. There
was q smile on his face as he passed his
friends on the street lie went immed-
lately 10 sunnyslope farm and speaking
pleasantly TO tho employees, passed into
the bedroom OF manager Evans house.
when he did not come out Evans enter
ed the house. He found banker Cross ly-
in in pool Of blood with pistol in his
hand. one shot had been nred and II
went through the back OF his head. His
death must have been instantaneous.
The news Of the suicide was on the
streets OF Emporla n few minutes after
the white card appeared on the bank
door, and created most intense sensa-
ton
LIABILITIES HALF A MILLION.
The banks statement has been grow
Ing bad, first causing coment last May.
The statement issued on September 20
last did not materially improve. Small
Withdrawals resulted Of deposltors but
most OF the business men kept faith In
tho bank. and up to ten o'clock today
heavy deposits wore made
Tho last statement issued showed:
Liabilities, capital 10000. surplus ant
profits slOl 80 81 due to deposltors bankl
and bankers. El3,5s9.42: circulation s22
800 Total resources S737SSs.s5.
Examiner Jones has been wrestling
with the problem Of the assets for &
week and 4, is automatically reported
that he had found them badly shrunken
To a reporter, he said;
/ while 1 do not know exectly wha
the outcome may be, atn think I an
justified in saying that tho depositor
viii not suffer seriously, Yet when
thing like this occurs it lops off Is pc
cent Of the assets at one blow"
William Martindale. vice president o
the bank has been regarded by commo,
consent for many years AS one OF tn
solidest men in Kansas lie has serve
number Of terms In the Kansas legis
lature and has frequently been mention
ed as candidate for governor,
CROSS WAS POPULAR.
, Cross was tho son Of the late Colon.
Harrison c. Cross who died suddenly n
} of heart disease at Mlclnac few year
> ago, and who was believed to have bee
worth several thousand dollars ut Ia
tlmo Of his death. Young Cross was 3
years OF age and had worked In the ban
which his father helped organize sine
boyhood. Thirteen gears ago hs becam
interested IN stock raising and In lse
began the imT 1rtation OF fine Herefor
cattle. for which lIs farm Ia known al
over the country. sunnyslope farm wa
one OF The best stocked anywhere an
f. WAS Cross ambition TO have II IN
5 leading farm Of its kind in the Unite
states. lie had but recently advertise
a nalo OF fine stock, the money fror
which, 1, is said. he intended to turn ir
no the bank
Cross was personally very popular an
had innumerable friends He leaves
a widow. formerly Miss Wilder OF Law
, renee and daughte-. lTe had MARI e
twice. His first wife was Miss Ka
smeed. daughter Of former preslder
Of the Union Pacific railroad "tcy wet
? divorced IN the 70s.
|
: Spaniards Kicking.
London. Nov, l6-The Madrid CORES