Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-25
NO GLUE FOUND 70 THE
DEFAULT|NG TELLER.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK'S DETECT
IVES SEEKING IMPORTATION
CONCERNING
HOW HE SPENT THE MONEY.
BELIEVED TO HAVE DEVOTED
MOST OF 1T TO LUXURIOUS
HIGH LIVING.


L. Alvord, the defaulting teller of the
First National bank, has not been ar
rested, and it was said no news had
been received of him. Mrs. Alvord left
her home in Mount Vernon and came
to this city this morning. 1t is said
she does not intend to return to Mount
Vernon.
1t was learned to-day that when the
Alvords went to Saratoga last sum-
mer they took with them all their
horses and carriages. 1t took two cars
to transport the outfit The horses
were blooded animals and the vehicles
were all of the handsomest description.
One set of harness alone is said to have
cost $1,000, and everything about the
stable equipment was On the same
scale
Vice President Hine, of the First Ma
tional bank, in answer to a number of
questions put to him in regard to AL
word and the general situation, said
that the bank had cleared UP the whole
matter of the defalcation to its own
satisfaction. This was interpreted to
mean that just LOW and when Alvord
had taken the money had been dis
covered by the officials. Mr.. Hine said
he did not care to talk about the mat
ter
President Baker, when he arrived at
the bank from Tuxedo early to-day,
would not say anything to inquirers,
except to refer them to the vice presi-
dent.
The First National Bank has CORE
spondents in almost every city of any
size in the country. so that it's mail
from correspondents is always very
large In some cities Philadelphia for
instance, the number of it's correspond
ents is more than half a dozen. All
through Pennsylvania in the coal, iron
and oil districts, it has representative
banks as correspondents, and its mail
is probably larger than that of any
other banking institution in this city.
According to Vice President Hine,
while Alvord handled a great deal OF
the money that came into the bank,
he had nothing to do with the monies
that were dispatched to interior cor
respondents.
In spite of many rumors, some of
them very circumstantial, it may be
positively stated that the officials of
the bank have no definite idea just
what Alvord did with the large sum
of money he stole. That much of it
went in high living and luxuries for
his family is clear, but the bank Off
Gals believe that less than one-fourth
of his offerings went in that way.
Wall street is full of stories telling
how the defaulter was a heavy loser
in the stock market, and although the
bank officers refuse to discuss that
phase of the matter, there is no doubt
that their detectives are looking into
it and if Alvord's broker or brokers
can be found they will be made to dis
gorge if that should be possible.
In Wall street the opinian prevails
that Alvord was superior defaulter
that is to say, he was cleverer than
the average of his kind He probably
realized that the majority of his rivals
of the past got away with very little
money. Banking men were disposed
to believe to-day that probably Alvord
managed to make his escape with sew
eral hundred thousand dollars. 1t was
thought that the Schneider Elizabeth
port defalcation helped to uncover Al
words operations. Becoming nervous
and apprehensive over the notoriety
obtained by Schneider, Alvord failed,
through neglect or nervousness, to
check up some of his transactions and
the result was exposure.
Manly pcISOHdl iIl6uuS Oh aINOTQ III
Mount Vernon believe he has committed
suicide John H. Murphy, one of the
bankers most intimate friends, said
to-day he firmly believed that Alvord
had taken his own life.
He is just the sort of a man who
would do such a thing" said Mr.. Muir
ply. While he is phlegmatic and ap-
parently takes matters as they come,
he is in reality a sensitive man
Il wish, as his personal friend, to
deny the story current that there was
another woman in whom he was inter-
ested. He was deeply attached to his
wife and family, and did not associate
with fast set"
a supplementary statement given out
by the First National bank officials
this afternoon says:
"Alvord's false entries appear to have
commenced about five years ago.
Until his recent disappearance AL
word had not been absent from the
bank during one business day this
year"
This contradicts the numerous re-
ports that Alvord was a regular at
tendant and heavy fbettor at the Sara
toga races this season.
Mrs Alvord returned from New York
|, to her Mount Vernon home late this
afternoon.
The following Is sa4f 10 be 4 fsfr-9fss
of the. Aivord possessions, all or nearly
all being in the wife,s name: