New-York tribune., 1900-10-24
OTHER LOCAL BANK SWINDLES.
ONE OF THE LARGEST WAS THAT PERPE-
TRATED BY sEELY AND FRED
ERICK BAKER.

One Of the largest bank swndles on record came
to light in 1894. when ii discovered that Sam
uel c. Seely and Frederick Baker had defrauded
the National Shoe and Leather Bank, Of this city,
out of $4,000 Seely a trusted bookkeeper in
the bank at a salary of S. 500 year. and Baker,
lawyer. was OF its customers. He was sup
posed to be large holder Of real estate In this
city. He lived in fine style. and Seey afterward
declared that the lawyer kept all the steaings for
himself except $1,000. The bookkeeper was SEN
fenced to eight years in the penitentiary. Baker
committed suicide on the day the crime was dis
covered. Their stealing had been going on for
ten years. Their method to have Seely
transfer by means Of false entries in the ledgers
sums Of money from the accounts Of depositors
who had large balances to their credit to the
account of Baker. Baker would then draw against
his own account, and when his checks were pre-
sented there would be the usual reference to the
ledger and the ledger always showed that Baker
had a balance to his credit.
When the accounts of the other depositors
being made up Seely would make transfers tenn
porarily from yet other balances. and managed TO
keep all the accounts straight for ten years. To
make good this tremendous defaIcation assess
ment was levied the stockholders.
In few months the National Shoe and Leather
Bank was robbed again. The culprit Samuel
Z. Aymar, brother-in-law of Seely, and his booty
amounted to $4,000. He was also a clerk in the
bank His plan TO take money from customers
waiting in line TO make deposits and afterward
make false entries the books OF the bank to
cover up defalcations
The Mercantile National Bank was swindled out
Of S144.OOO in 1895 by Edwin O. Quigley, a bond
broker. Of the firm of Quigley & Tuttle. and also
president OF the Thurston Patent Steamship En-
gine Indicator Company. He confessed his guilt
His plan to forge municipal bonds. upon which
he secured loans from the bank On these bogus
bonds, representing par value OF $4,000 he bor-
months Discovery followed when the Mercantile
National Bank presented coupon for $1,000
bond of the city of Cleveland for payment at the
American Exchange National Bank, the New-York
fiscal agent of Cleveland. The coupon clerk de-
tected the forgery. Quigley bold specula tor
but his firm had solid reputation. His downfall
was due to speculations which he kept secret from
his partner. When he became deeply involved he
tirely.
stole about $4,000 from the National Bank of Com
merce in 1894. He had fautless record with the
bank extending over twenty-nne years, starting
as a messenger boy. He took the money in small
expenses.
The Chemical National Bank suffered a loss to
the extent OF Sl,5e0 through the populations of
John h TAFT, Its paying teller, between 1892 and
Lewis L. Rosse. the paying teller of the Bedford
Bank, Brooklyn defaulted in his accounts to the
extent Of S6.25Q In 1887.
David Morgan clerk in the National Bank of
the Republic, defrauded it out Of 800 in 1884
Frederick z. Edgar, discount clerk the Trades
mans National Bank. defaulted in 1884 to the ex-
| Two such defalcations are fresh in the public
| mind. One is that of George NJ. Valentine who In
| 1899 wrecked the Middesex IN. j. County Bank at
Perth Amboy. He was cashier Of the institution
and his 6efalcation amounted to about $50 O00 The
other and more recent is that of William Schneider.
| who took $l0675S from the Elizabethport On J.
| OF It on Anna Hart Schneider IS stiii at
liberty, though closely pursued by the police