The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-08-22
Herbert {. Thompson Arrested on a
Charge of Embedding Funds
of MeiseIbach Company.
WOMEN AND WINE PROVE HIS RUIN
Bookkeeper for the Meiselbach Company
systematically Robbed the Com
pany of six Hundred Dollars.


known to bicycle makers and dealers
in all paras of the United States as
ebert" Thompson, occupies a cell in
the County Jail here this evening on
charge of embezz1ement. Thompson
was arrested just before noon today,
and he is charged with having embez-
z1ed a large amount of the funds of
the A. D. Meise1bach company, which
company he had served in the capacity
of confidential bookkeeper for the last
two months.
The arrest of Thompson will cause
great sensation in the world of the BIZ
cycle, for no man on the road was bet
ter know than Thompson. He had re-
sided in Kenosha for the past four
months, and part of this time he had
held the position as bookkeeper from
which he was deposed when his crime
was committed. The amount of
Thompson's populations is not yet
known, but experts are at work on the
books of the company this afternoon
and it is thought that the sum will not
exceed a thousand dollars. He was
clever in his work, and most of the
money was secured by the raising of
checks. He admitted to Mr.. Meise1-
bach that he had cashed six spurious
checks, and it is possible that others
will be found before the experts have
completed their work.
Since Thompson has been in the
company's employ he has lived a gay
life, and the first ink1ing that all was
not right was brought to Mr.. Meise1-
bach this morning when a check for
hundred dollars was returned from the
bank. 1t was examined, and when
compared with the register of checks it
was found that the check had been
drawn for the sum of $3.50 and that
the embezz1er had secured the entire
amount of 500 in currency. When
confronted with the check Thompson
''gave up the ghost' and admitted that
he had raised five other checks of SIM
liar denominations. He was at once
placed under arrest by Deputy Sheriff
Becker, who is employed at the Meise1-
bach plant.
Once in jail Thompson broke down
completely and admitted to the jai1er
that "he was up against it now" He
made no further confession of the
crime, but when seen by a reporter of
the EVENING News this afternoon he
declared that he had nothing to say.
Later he said: "Just tell all the boys
about the country that I died happy
and don't let the old folks know about
it,
Thompson, while but twenty-seven
years of age, had held an enviable po-
sition among the bicycle statesmen of
the country until few months ago.
He was a man of many accomplish
ments. He was a native of England
and lad been we'll educated. He came
to America with Schne11, the we'll
known bicycle manufacturer, and for
the past ten years he has been
connected with the bicycle bust
ness in Chicago, Milwaukee and
Toledo. Four months ago he came
to this city and as he was down on
his luck he was forced to walk into
this city from Chicago. Here he met
A. D. Meise1bach and asked for a po-
sition. Meise1bach put him to work as
a 1aborer promising better position
as soon as the man was ready to work.
He was rapidly advanced to the posi-
ton of head bookkeeper and had been
drawing a large salary until his arrest
this morning.
A few days ago Thompson was ar
rested on a charge of disorder1y con-
duct and this arrest led to the first ex-
animation of the books. It is claimed |
that since Thompson has been in Ke-
nosha he has been a frequenter of
gambling dens and he is reported to
have lost vast sums of money in these
places.
Thompson will have hearing in
the Justice court tomorrow and will
probably be bound over to await the