Evening journal., 1898-02-21
BOGGs AND HIS WORK.


William N. Boggs, the defaulting
and absconding teller Of the First Ma
tlonal Bank, of Dover, has returned
home, presumably to throw himself
upon the mercy OF the court and ac-
cept whatever penalty Judge Bradford
may see fit to innict upon him. 1t is
apparent that he is not only going to
do this. but that he intends to make
revelations which, II believed, will
drag down to disgrace certain we'll
known Delawareans unfortunate
enough to have business dealings with
him prior to his flight. They protest
that their relations were perfectly le-
climate, but in the face of these pro-
testations, and upon the declaration Of
Boggs, President Richardson has seen
fit to have warrants sworn out for their
arrest, and In some instances the men
accused by Boggs have been taken into
custody and bailed out by friends, who
believe in their innocence.
Boggs may not have been promised
any mitigation OF penalty as the re-
suit OF his action. but II may be de-
pynded upon that he expects to have
his term OF Imprisonment shortened by
his revelations from the witness
stand. A man does not betray those
whom he once considered his friends
and business associates unless ne
hopes to crafty his revenge or to
otherwise benefit by what he does. II
will be interesting to note what value
the jury in the United States Court
will place upon the testimony Of a
self-confessed betrayer OF the conf
dence Of those whose financial inter
ests were vested In a banking institu-
tion which made him what he was be-
fore he began to systematically rob the
friends Of mis- boyhood and early youth
and young manhood.
He accuses of a grave crime certain
men whose honesty has heretofore
never been questioned. Men who have
been honored among men in our home
community, and who are certainly en-
titled to the full benefit OF the doubt
when their accuser is a man who has
betrayed every honest friend he ever
had He has been false to personal
and business friends whose integrity
he does not seek to impeach; then why
can he not, with equal ease, be false
to those whom he now seeks to drag
down to level which he has reached
by his own dishonest practices?
Men who have always borne the best
OF regulations for honesty are con-
fronted by a man who acknowledges
that he stole the entire capital stock
of a bank and then made away with
about $1,000 of the surplus. He makes
grave charges against them, and they
enter an emphatic denial of those ac-
cusations. Unless there is very strong
evidence produced to back up what he
says concerning them, we fail to see
how any jury can do aught but acquit
them.
Il has been said that this is a po-
litical matter. SO It is, but only from
one side. 1t has been agitated and
worked up by the men Who have beer
identified with ]. Edward Addicks in
the enterprise Of debauching the Della
ware electorate for his and their owl
personal political preferment, and VIII,
used the First National Bank. of DO
YER, as their Kent county depository
and fhn pffioc,.r 4l,,.,,,f - .,.,, D..
them. as their financial agents. Tn
very men who were primarily respon
sible for the wrong doing and down
fall Of a most estimable young ma
are now hoping to use him and hi
disgrace as the cat's-paw to pun thei
political chestnuts from the fire. It
evident that ne is going to permit him
self to be used for the accomplishmer
OF their purposes.
The Addicksites hope by this strok
to administer a stunning blow to tn
Delaware Democracy; but they hay
counted without their host. The ID,
mooracy Of Delaware never had an,
thing TO do with the star witness Il
the prosecution In this matter. II
dealings as political agent We're ev,
with the Addicksites. Tie was one
their chosen representatives; one
their chief officers. and he was SUI
ported in his political ambitions by Il
cashier of the bank, who was not on
the personal, but also the polite
friend Of j. Edward Addicks. Boggs W;
never in anywise connected with Il
Democracy Of this state, or with Il
Democracy of any county thereof. /
was an Addicksite. and fitting repr
sentative Of party which never boas
cd Of any platform which was not S
forth clearly and explicitly on the IA
of a greenback.
No matter how the cases go in Il
United States Court, the Democracy
Delaware is alien to them, and
would be well for the Addicksites
they could say as much. It is true tn
the men arrested and released on b;
are Democrats. They are Democra
who have done more to defeat A