Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-01-28
BOGGS DIVULGES
POLITICAL SECRETS.
Says the AddiCksites Spent
Over 100000 i'm Two
Counties.

Nitiiii al lew WtchS vi u year HOW aiilCt
William n. Boggs, the embezzling teller
of the First National Bank of Dover.
was locked up i'll the New Castle Jail.
Interest i'll him as Young man who
was able to steal $l07 900, everything
there was in sight. in fact, right under
the noses of his official supcriors, has
been told over and over again until
everybody is familiar with it.
But interest in BCggs of another kind
is still as keen as ever. He knows Il
good deal that he has not told-knows
things involving Senator Kenney's rela-
tions with the bank, knows the nature
of the scales which covered people :
eyes and enabled him To carry on his
looting without interruption. and he
knows, too, i'll Il general way good
deal about the channels through which
Gasman Addicks' fcrtiliZing streams of
money flowed through the arid regions
of Kent and Sussex counties, making
Republican votes sprout up like mush-
rooms III night.
On this last point Boggs has never
been quoted, but to IA reporter of The
| World who saw him III the New Castle
Jail a day or two ago he talked readily
on the subject, though evidently keep
ing in reserve many details, the memory
of which lighted his handsome but
rather sad face, with a ray of sardonic
humor every now and then rs they
came to his mind
I'm 1894" he said, "the money for
both Kent and Sussex used To all come
direct to Dover. | did not have the
direct handling of it. 1t was brought
down by Il man connected with our
bank who went to Philadelphia after
il. | don't care to say just what the
amount was, but at least 100000 were
spent in the two counties in 1891, and
it all came to the back room of the
First National Bank in Dover 1t was
brought down i'll ordinary gripSacks
and was in bills ranging in denomina-
ton from five and ten dollars upward
In the back room of the bank it was
made up into bundles and marked for
the several districts in which it was
used. When the Addicks leaders for
these districts called it was delivered
to them.
EVIL EFFECT ON THE BANK.
Now, | had nothing to do with the
handling of this political money |
was the secretary of the Addicks com
mittce in Kent and knew i'll general
way what was going on. but with the
actual handling of the cash, | had
nothing to do. | might say, however,
i'll passing that had there not been so
much politics in the back room of the
bank there perhaps would not have
been 50 much looting in the front
room.
In other words, while political finan-
ciering was going on in the banks
sanctum sanctorum Napoleonic finan-
cicring was going on on large scale in
the bank itself, with Mr. Boggs as
the Napoleon. But with all this he
did do little Addicks work on the
outside. and did it with the banks
money.
Yes, il is true | did use the bank ;
money for Addicks. said Boggs. when
asked the question. But Addicks
did not know it at the time. That was in
the campaign of 1896. was in pretty
deep then, and getting deeper every
day, | thought / saw way ont through
Addicks. | determined to jump into
the campaign, and If Addicks came out
all right To 20 to him and tell him was
short i'll my accounts and tell him that
part of the shortage was bank money |
spent for him. But Addicks did not
come ont all right, and | was then
afraid tn tell him of my situation lest
he tell the bank official. my superior.
who had been handling Addicks' cleo
ton money and who was very close to
Addicks. So that money Addicks never
made good to me | will not say just
how much it was, but it was into the
thousands.
lin the 90 campaign" continued
Boggs, there was a somewhat different
system. Instead of sending all the
money for Kent and Sussex to the
directors room of our bank for the dis
tribution To the leaders, that is the
principal ones of each of the two cuun-
ties, went directly to Addicks house at
Claymont. They went there for Sun
day conferences and brought back the
money with them.
PLAN To KIDNAP MONEY HANDLERS.
ION the Sunday night before election
there was a job put up to kidnap four
of them on their way down on the mid
night train. They had from $4,000 TO
500. 900 with them, and the plan was
To take them from the train and hold
them tied up in the legal entanglcments
until it was too late for them To use the
money the following Tuesday. election
day.
Il got telegram Sunday evening to
look ont for the midnight train.
followed two men, who | knew were in
the scheme, to- the station, and when
they got on the train and went off on
il | waited until they returned on the
) o'clock train in the morning. Then
knew the game had fallen through. :"
This dashing plan to head off Ad-
dicks vote-buying fund was Matched i'll
Wilmington and failed of success from
the stupidity or something else of the
detective employed. The men bearing
the money from Addicks' house were
followed. Instead of getting on train
at Claymont they went up the railroad
toward Philadelphia as far as Chester
Here they got on the Norfolk night
express. which stops ut Wilmington.
They arranged things with the conduc-
tor So that they got the use of the
sleeping car smoking room. In this,
with their bales of greenbacks, they
locked themselves. The detective got
on the train at Wilmington. The plan
was To arrest the Doodle bearers, take
them off at Middlctown, where car
riages were in waiting. and drive them
toa town several miles from the rail