The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-07

Special 20 Tie Post
Lexington, Va, March 1.-The following
letter. which was received here yesterday
explains the mystery OF the disappearance
Of G. NJ. FIggat who looted the bank OF
Lexington OF $500 during a period OF
twenty years as trusted cashier OF that
I Institution. and left here February Ia.
1885. as though TO take a little business
. trip The letter is from Fincastle, Va, to
a friend here. and il written by the for
mer teller OF the bank. who is a brother
in-law of G. NJ Ffggat.
At the time OF his disappearance the
Ascending cashier was sought far and
wide. end rewards we're offered. out he
was never found At one time he was
said to have been seen in Missouri by a
young lady from here on a visit to that
State, but he was so much changed that
she thought herself mistaken. This was
probably about the time OF his short
disappearance" mentioned in the letter
below He WAS thought by some to have
gone TO Mexico and by others TO Canada.
His dcfalCaJOns were only discovered by
a newly elected President taking charge
Of the bank.
According to the bank examination
$1,000 was the amount involved. 5000
due depOsitOrs ard $4,000 capital OF this
he got away with N45.OOo
Stockholders and DepositoTs Losers.
The stockholders lost all their invest
ment. and the depOsltorS from time To
time have received ~diyidenis from the as
signee which now amount to 70 per cent
or their deposits. About > per cent more
Will be realized, and then the looted bank
with Its cashier. will pass out OF remem-
brdnCe. save by the poor men. women
and Children whose hard-earned savings
disappeared With the lOng-trusted cashier
The letter referred to says:
"On the 18th of February Turner Nc
Dowell, Of this place, received a letter
address to J. II. II. Figgat Mcdowell
is j. IL. II. Figgats administrator. and
that is the way that the letter was yiven
to him by the postmaster stating that a
man by the name of Charles Miles had
died at his house at LOckett. Colo on the
LIST Of February, and wanted u know
what he knew Of him. The man 81. W
Wills by name) said that ne found a little
slip Of paper in his prayer cook on which
was written in pencil, Wrte to J. Ii. If.
figgat. Fincastle, Va
We were almost perfectly satisfied that
the letter referred TO our Mr.. Figgat, but
10 be satisfied beyond a doubt my brother
James wrote to Mr.. Wills. and to-day we
received a long letter setting forth al the
facts, and We now have no doubt mat the
man referred 10 was Mr.. figgat.
Figgat's prayer-book.
''He sent the little slip Of paper Of which
/ speak and the writing is unqupstiOn-
ably Mr.. Figgats lie sent also his
prayer-bOok, IN which the name Charlie
Miles is in Mr.. Figgats writing.
'He says that Mr.. Figgat came TO his
house in May. 1898. and stayed some time.
! went away and stayed somewhere NJ
hotel, and then came back to him. lie
died with heart disease, and only com
planned "A short time before his death, and
died suddenly. retaining consciousness to
the last. Mr. Wills Is a farmer and Com
missioner Of the Revenue He does not
say anything about what Mr. FisgaJ diI,
except that he did a little writing aud add
ing for him on his books lie says he
paid his board $50 per week, and mad
about SIS when he died; that he was de-
Gently buried and tells of the kind OF cOf-
fin and the clothes In which ke Was
buried; that the amount expended was
more than he had. and that friends. Of
whom be had many, paid the balance
His description Is very accurate la many
particulars. Mr. Wills says that he had
seen Mr.. Figgat take a drink, but that he
did not drink 10 excess.