The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-25
RECIPE FOR BIG THEFT
Comptroller Tells How Teller
AlyOrd Stole 100000.
STOLE FROM THE MAILS
ADDED AMOUNTS TO PREVIOUS
DAYS EXCHANGES.

Washington, Oct. ct. 2. Kane, acting
comptroller of the currency, today gave
out the following statement regarding the
defalcation in the First National bank of
Nav York:
During the progress of the examina-
ton by Bank Examiner Hanna Oct. I, of
the First National bank, Assistant Cash
Ter Backus discovered that the note and
exchange teller, Alvord, was short in his
cash TO an amount which has since been
found to be $500, 900.
His thefts nave been going on for
long time. The plan of conceaIing them
and making the cash on hand agree with
the amount for which he was accountable
as shown by the books, was to take out
OF the morning mail, of which he was in
charge, a sufficient number OF cash items
to cover the, aggregate amount of his
detalcatiOn and add them to the eX-
changes for the clearing house receipts
during the preceding day The eXamina-
ton of the exchange showed the total
amount correct, but $4,000 OF the items
had been taken from the morning re-
ceipts and listed with previous days ex-
changes. the amount of morning addi-
tons being reduced that much so that
the sum of the two aggregated the correct
amount A change in the slip by Alvord
later in the day caused inquiry and COM
paciSOn TO be made at the clearing house
when il was discovered that the two
items OF previous days exchanges and
morning additions did not correspond
with the list checked by the examiners
and account of the current days cash
and checks in hands of the third teller,
shortage seems to nave been about 800
600 two years ago and mas been Increased
sId1ualiy since thal IIne' Iae teIIer con
ceallng the same In the morning -addl-
tons, which always amount TO much
+ more than the amount of his shortage
and never enter into the count Of the
preceding days cash
No Way to Check It
Thlr Tc to
the morning additions to the exchanges
except by counting the note teller's cash
tons Of cash in the evening, which is
otherwise objectionable
The bank has charged out the amount
of the shortage without impairing its
surplus or undivided profits account
"A further examination of AlvOrd'
books by the officers of the bank shows
that his stealings have been going on
for several years Fourteen months ago
he took a two weeks vacation and ex-
animation of his tickets preceding his go
ing and after his return shows that ne
covered his shortage while absent by
10 q -tiIiOVI U 1880 - 0uI %
town accounts, and credited back the
amounts on his return before the monthly
statements We're sent out The amount
OF his shortage at various periods in the
past seems to have gone up and down,
and 1t is probable this is due to the fact
whenever he had reason to pxnact any
investigation of his cash or a. periodical
visit from the examiner he would doctor
it by means Of these false charges against
large accounts In the present instance
the examiner went into the bank a month
ahead of the usual six months period. the
last preceding examination having been
made May, 1860, and this unexpected visit
prevented a manipulation of figures by
Alvord and led TO a discovery OF the de-
This theft could probably have been
prevented by a rotation of the clerical
force of the bank, thus placing each de
partment under the supervision of differ
ent heads successfully
There is no way to accurately check
the accounts of an employee if he has &C
cess to the succeeding days cash from
which to make good his shortage from
! has always had, and has also the oppOr-
tunity TO hold back credits for a longer
time than the day on which the letters
enclosing items are received
Posed as Earl's Son.
Considerable information as to the
fashion in which Alvord spent the bank $
funds is impaired by race track habitues-
a well known bookmaker had this TO say
about the missing mans acts at Saratoga:
''AiVOrd was a regular freQuenter Of the
tracks. He was always accompanied by
a woman with blonde hair who wore. a
veil. which. while not thick, served to
hide her features. so that if I saw her
nize her.
tenn That is to say, he knew all the
boo&makers by sight, and at a race ne
me $500 on this horse He would go the
rounds of the boo1ies. putting bet with
each one Then every Monday all the
bookmakers would go TO the United States
hotel and there he would settle up in cash
Because of this popularity the book
makers used to call him The Prince -
Al Davis, another tuFfman. made the
statement that in Saratoga. Alvord was
known as the Hon. Mr. AlvOrd. the
younger son of an English earl Davis,
too, says that AlVOrd was invariably &C
companied by a woman
The banks officers positively deny that
any one in the bank or any of its de-
oositors was IN collision with Alvord.
AlvOrd, according TO dispatches to the
Times from Syracuse, was born in that
city and belongs to a family of bankers.
His father was Cornelius J.. AlvOrd. ST..
brother of the late Thomas F AlvOr0,
formerly lieutenant governor of the state.
Alvord Still at Large.
AIvord has not been arrested and it was
said no news had been received of him.
Mrs AlvOrd left her home in Mount Yer
i non and came to this city this morning.
1t is said that she does not intend to re-
turn to Mount Vernon. 1t was learned
today that when the Alvords went to
Saratoga last summer they took with
them all their horses and carria Ses. 1t
took two cars TO transport the outfit The
horses were blOOded animals and the We
hicleS were all of the handSomest descrip-
ton One set of harness alone is said 10
have cost $3.50 and everything about the
stable equipment was on the same scale.
Found Death at Exposition.