The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-06-15
He WAS CRIMES VICTIM
How a Millionaire Compelled
a Bank Clerk to Steal,
A STORY WITH A MORAL.


Five Years in the Penitentiary-on
of the Principals Committed Suicide.
Out of Kings County Penitentiary
in Brooklyn, n. Y, recently, after
more then five years servitude, step
ped the victim of one of the queerest
crimes in history-a man who stole
| S354,000 for the accommodation of
another whom he scarcely knew, in
! whose house he had never been, whom
he never cared for and whom eventu-
| ally he hated. While columns have
been written about the instrument
| by which this crime was committed,
| little has been said concerning the
master mind which planned the loot
ing of the Shoe and Leather Bank,
and under the impetus of which Sam
uel C. Seely was no more than a wood
en- puppet.
Frederick Baker was a man of mid
! die height and more than middle age
rotund, well dressed, with gray hair
and a rosy face. A large landowner
and a reputed millionaire, he yet was
beginning to feel the pinch of en-
barrassment. He kept an open ac
count with the Shoe and Leather
Bank, and happened to deal with Seely
because the latter had charge of the
ledgers from A to X.
1t all followed Bakers carelessness
in writing out checks for Sl100 more
than his account was good for, and
I Seely, accustomed to handling his or
ders for considerable sums, let them
/ go through, When Seely found it out
next day he was a badly frightened
man. The thing that he should have
I done was to have reported the matter
instantly to the president, but that
I might have entailed a reprimand and
\ Seely was too weak a man to face his
| chiefs displeasure. Moreover, he un.
/ derstood by report that Baker was a
man of wealth, and it did not occur to
/ him that such suave. white haired,
well dressed old gentleman could be
rascal. So he sent a postal card
requesting him to cover the deficiency.
4 Baker got the card and tore it up.
Two days later Seely came painting
into Bakers Office and asked him to
square up, and it took the shrewd real
estate operator only about one minute
to take his measure as a man whom
1t would be easy to work
That's right" he admitted, after
the pass book had been balanced, and
then he told a beautiful story of a
real estate deal" which would ma.
terialize in few days, after which
the account would be promptly
squared.
Baker realized that Seely couldn't
betray him, even If he wanted to.
Then the game began in earnest.
Baker had been making small deposits
all the time, and checking the money
out; but now the checks began to
grow larger and the deposits smaller.
There were little overdrafts every
day or two, and every time he met
them Seely realized that he was indeed
in big hole" and that it was get
ting steadily bigger.
So 1t went on from week to week
and month to month and year to year
The checks grew larger and more fire.
quent, the overdraft bigger and big
ger, and Bakers promises smoother
and more magnificent. And Seely
still believed him. He never threat
ened Seely with State Prison. He
was never brutally dictatorial, as he
might have been. He was always re-
gretful and hopeful, but every day
his checks came in at the bank. and
poor Seely had to see them paid or
confess shortage. which was I'D in
the tens of thousands of dollars. and
he couldn't do that
Meanwhile Baker was living like a
fighting cock. spending thousands of
dollars annually. He had an expen-
sive family maintained handsome
town house 2 a beautiful country
home and was able when he chose to
take his family to Europe for a va.
| cation.
During all this time the man who
was providing thousands for Bakers
speculations was pounding along on
$35 a week, trying to meet his insur-
ance premiums and to make payments
on his little house in Halsey street,
Brooklyn. Every day after banking
hours he went home clinging to a
strap in a crowded trolley car, while
the man whose tool he was could ride
in carriage.
But Seely did not go entirely with.
out reward. After he had supplied
Baker with good many thousands
1t occurred to him such accommoda-
ton was worth something. So occa-
sionally he went to Bakers office
and timidly touched him" for a few
dollars. Sometimes it was 50 to go
to baseball match, or S. for the the
atre. and sometimes these loans" of
81 or S. or 800 never Inconvenience
Baker, because he had only to put out
checks for S., $40 or 81, 900, and Seely
had to see him through.
All told Baker got about $4,000 a
year from Seely. Seely got about
$1,000 year out Of Baker, and he paid
for 1t with an amount of misery and
suffering which few men endured
And all the time Baker was making
Al -