The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-27
CHAs. 8. CROSS.

ulations in which the losses were not
so large. There are also several other
deals which are shown to have gone
| through with good profit.
When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas
Railroad company failed Col Cross was
considered just the man to be made re-
ceiver. His appointment met with gem
! eral approval A man who had made such
| a great success of his own business. the
i public said, was just the man to make
a success of the railroad, and bring it
| out of Its financial difficulties
Cross personal magnetism was such
that he made great impression upon
! the men in financial and railroad circles
i Of the East, and when tne-road went out
| OF the hands Of the receiver he was Sc
! lected as president Of the road. During
I these few years he made considerable
money. He built a $25,O 600 residence-about
the only thing of value he left when he
| dled-and lost the balance in speculation
He made will leaving his son legacy
of debt. He was to save his fathers
| honor.
The son, Charles s. Cross, succeeded his
| father as president Of the bank and the
methods of the elder Cross were con-
tinued in large measure by the son. He
inherited legacy of debt. 1t was his
| death warrant. 1t proved too heavy O
load for him. He continued the wild
,speculations Of his father in the vain
| hope of being able to pay OUT Luck was
! against him, however, and every year
| found him deeper in the mire.
| His populations were numerous and his
| forgeries cover a period of many years
! He deliberately became a criminal to pro-
| tect the family home. He became a
martyr to a false sense of honor. While
| II Is true that he forged the books Of
| the bank, hypothecated securities manip-
ulated the affairs Of the bank and used
| the depositors' money in such a manner
| as to become a criminal in the eyes Of
the law as he admitted in his confession,
yet he did it to protect his fathers honor
and shield his fathers name.
! In not a single instance has 1t been
| shown that he used the money for per-
sonal advantage. He lived economically
and spent but little on himself or family.
! The best energies of his life were direct
| ed toward making good the losses and
shortage of his father, of which no one
but himself knew.
! When the crash came the ruin was
practically complete Out of $5COe0 there
was on hand less than $4,000 In cash to
| show for it. There was a shortage of
! about 100000 The balance was repre-
scented by straw notes and other paper of
! questionable value.
Frequently, In his efforts to evade de-
| IeCIIOn ana TO keep the DalR ABOVE water,
| the younger Cross was driven to extreme
measures, but his nerve never failed him.
For two days before the bank was finally
! closed Bank Examiner G. s. Jobes had
| Cross In the Sweat box" HeAstood the
| test without flinching. He answered all
| questions pleasantly and had a plausible
! explanation for every forgery and every
| irregularity.
| When Mr.. Jobes stepped to the front
| door to paste thereon the notice that the
| bank was in the hands of the controller
| of the currency, Mr.. Cross arose from his
| chair and stood on the floor of his private
office, rigid and pale. He realized that
the bluff of two generations had at last
been called. He closed his ewes and
raised his arm, as If to ward off a blow,
but. quickly recovering his self-posses-
sion, he passed out on to the street
| through the side door of the bank.
He nodded pleasantly to some friends
| whom he met. bought a few cigars,
jumped into his buggy and drove rapidly
| to his Sunny Slope ranch, at the edge Of
| the town. Half an hour later telephone
message from the manager Of the ranch
stated that Mr.. Cross had committed sui
| eide.
/ Arriving at the ranch, Cross quickly en-
tered one Of the rooms of the house and,
! seating himself in front of large mir
1 ror, blew out his brains. When the mana
| ger, attracted by the report, arrived,
Cross was dead. He was lying in front
| of the mirror, a revolver grasped in his
right hand and partially smoked cigar
| in the other. Some time later, among the
| papers in Mr.. Cross private desk, there
| was found the following confession, writ
| ten in Mr.. Cross handwriting:
ST desire to state that the misfortune OF
myself and the bank have been caused
| through my fault and errors. inherited
| q large debt, which I eE1eavored to meet
| by going into other schemes. which hava
all been practical failures and only got
me deeper in the mire
"As to the bank matters, I desire to
| say, that I had carefully laid plans to de-
! ceive both the board of directors, the
cashier and employees Mr.. Martindale
! will now learn for the first time how I
have carefully deceived him, principally
by way of substituted papers OF which
/ he has no knowledge.
1.-The reports and letters written to the
] controller have been by me misrepro-