Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-09-14
the company OF the friends whom you had
invited to participate in the festivities

when caller was announced. was obliged
to leave our guests in order to receive him
in the library. This man lost no timc in
stating the nature of his business with me-
His name was Thomas Chatham: he was
an expert accountant. who had been en-
ployed at the Knickerbocker bank to ex-
anime the books, and he coolly informed
me that he had just discovered n serious
error In my bookstore that had enabled
a depositor to overdraw his account by
largo amount. AT first refused to be-
lieve him, although he submitted copies
from the books showing exactly how the
blunder had been made. When he intimated
that 1t only rested with me whether the
error should be reported to the bank,
Indignantly refused to listen to him. He
remained perfectly unruffied during our
Interview and left me Mt last with the
statement that he would walt "a hours be-
fore handing in his report to the presi-
dent
my first step on reaching the bank
the next day was to verify Chatham state
ments. Alas! they were only too true. There
was the terrible blunder staring me in the
face. could not understand how had
come to make IT. but there 1t was. and
nothing could explain 1t away. had hoped
against hope up to this time; now saw
clearly that I was ruined man.
There was only one honorable course
open to me--to frankly confess my respon-
sibility for the blunder and take the con-
sequences. whatever they might be.
hesitated. and l was lost.
II hesitated because felt that my posi-
ton was at stake Would not my error
appear inexcusable to the officers of the
bank, since could find no palliation for 1t
In my own eyes2 was 50 years old.
shrank from the necessity of beginning
again at the foot of the ladder which
had so laboriously climbed after lifetime
Of oota ftn,,o y,1o - -
no easy matter for me to find another po-
sition.
THE more / thought the matter over, the
more became convinced that there might
be another way out Of my trouble. Was
1t not probable that the depositor who had
proflted by my mistake had done SO inno-
Gently? If so, would he not be willing to
repay the amount overdrawn? AT the
worst. If he should refuse to do this, might
it not be possible for me to scrape together
and borrow enough to make good tho de-
flciency? In this way could correct the
blunder and no one would be the wiser for
it. But what of that man Chatham? Would
not his report betray me? / recalled his
intimation that the nature of his report
depended upon myself AWhat did he mean
by that? Probably he would set price
upon his silence. This would add consid-
erably to the amount ! should have to
raise; but would not this be better, after all,
than the loss of my position? AT any rate.
should not be any the worse off for lis
tenins to his proposal, whatever 1t might
be.
"That afternoon, as soon as the bank had
closed, called at the address Chatham had
given me. He evidently expected me.
With him was man whom he introduced
as James Withers, the depositor in whose
favor my blunder had been made. Had
not been laboring under great excite
ment, 1t is likely that my suspicious would
have been aroused by tho strangeness of
Withers' presence In Chatham's room. Tho
two men received me pleasantly, and the
alleged Withers, even before could breach
the subject. expressed his regret at hear
ing of the error which had been commit
ted and assured me Of his willingnessto,
reimburse the bank; but-ahl there was an
ominous but He was short of ready
money Just then; everything he had was
tied up in q promising enterprise which
was bound to bring in magnificent profit
In the course of few days II only he could
raise a few paltry hundreds to enable him,
to hold out little longer. II he failed
to scrape together this small amount. all
would be lost. 1nsidiously and relentless
ly they drove me toward tho trap they had
prepared, and / was weak enough 10 fall
into 1t. Before the interview was over,
had consented to allow Withers to still
further overdraw his account, and had
received his solemn promise to refund, be-
fore the end of the week, the entire amount
he owed the bank. Then Chatham suggest
ed that 1t would be wiser to let the sec
ond overdraft come from another ac-
count. Withers agreed with him and stated
that the check could be made in the name
Of Henry Seymour. a relative of his. who
had recently opened a small account with
the Knickerbocker bank. / strongly OBJ
jected to sharing the secret of my infamy
ut, h,,f Ry,oI oil
self to be overruled by the plausible scoun-
drels into whose clutches had fallen.
THE next day took my first step In
crime. by making such entries as would
insure the honoring Of Seymours check.
After that was completely in the power Of
these two men. 1t was not long before
discovered that I had been their dupe.
Chatham's acccomplice was not the true
Withers; for this man. few days later,
made u large deposit, which more than
covered his previous overdraft The false
Withers was Henry Seymour himself.
"As soon as had committed felony, 1t
became unnecessary for Seymour to keep
UP any further pretense of desire to re-
fund the money had helped him to steal.
l was now in the meShes Of crime as deep
ly as my accomplices: and. from that time
to this they have forced me to act as their
cats-paw. During this period of two years
the bank has been robbed in this way of
gone to Chatham and Seymour.
You can perhaps imagine what hell
my life has been during that time. With
prison and disgrace staring me in the face:
and with the absolute conviction that ex-
posture must inevitably come sooner or
later. 1 have suffered the torture of the
damned. At the bank, have been in a
perpetual state of suspense, I have start
ed at every word spoken to me: I have
seen suspicion in every glance which has
met mine; l have trembled and paled at
every approach of one of the officers OF the
bank. And yet I have not dared to abb
sent myself from my desk for an hour, lest
an examination of my books during my
absence should reveal my crime. have
been the first to reach the bank in the
morning, and the last to leave 1t at night;
have not even taken the few minutes
during the day which would have been re-
CURED to enable me to obtain hurried
meal On one preteXt or another. during
the last two years. have had to forego my
annual vacation. / have dragged myself
to my post when was so i'll that could
hardly stand. because I could not AFFORD
to have anyone take charge of my books
for even an hour. And all that time. with
full realization of my degradation and
infamy, have been forced to continue my
frauds, knowing that each one brought
but knowing equally we'll that refusal
on my part to continue my stealing would
result in an instant betrayal by my ac-
complies.
''At last further concealment became Inn
possible. A week ago the yearly examina-
ton of the books took place. The expert
accountant EMPLOYED was. as usual Thonaa