The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-06
NO LIBERTY FOR
WELLS-FARGO MEN
Robertson and Duke viii Remain
In Jail.
OTHER CHARGES ARE FEARED
DETECTIVE THAoKER SAYS HE'D
MAKE THEM.

THERE WILL BE NO liberty. tenn
porzry or otherwise. for Harry
Duks and A. A. Robertson. if the
either of them, should get bail. 1 would
IT, Realizing that they confront a hope
less situation, the friends of the two
accused defaulters yesterday aban-
doned all efforts to raise bail. This
unexpected action was the result, prin-
cipally. of run1or that, even were
the men released, their re-arrest on the
charge of forgery would Immediately
follow.
The rurnor proved TO be correct. De-
teetiYe j. n. Thacker last night said !:
1 would certainly be a fool to take
a chance on either of them getting out
OF town. If Robertson and Duke, or
either of them should get bail, I would
at once prefer additional charges to
mold them. They can be charged with
forgery and with falsifying accounts
Not only that, but each item of money
enDezzied constitutes a crime. and we
could be preferring charges against
the two men for months to come, if it
proved necessary We certainly will
not allow Duke or Robertson to get out
on bail"
Duke said yesterday that his friends
had given up the effort to secure bail
on his own instructions
Robertson's case is in the hands of
mis- intimate friends, and he made no
comment, but they seemed to have re
signed themselves to the situation as
it exists.
The prisoners are not lonely at the
Jail. Robertson had about thirty call
number Mrs. Duke visited the fail
twice and made things as comfortable
as possible in the cell for her husband.
taking him meals, making his bed and
attending to other little needs which
usually come within the duties of a
truSty.
A development in the case yesterday
was the arrival from San Francisco of
A. P. Redding, the head of the Pacific
surety company. and Allen knight an
expert accountant from the parent
banking institution They went at
once to work in the local bank, and
were engaged until after midnight this
morning counting the cash on hand
1t viii take three weeks yet, accord
ing to estimates, TO expert the books,
and it may be longer before the exact
amount of the shortage is known.
The shortage is big enough" re-
marked Mr. Thacker 1T is a good
deal larger than stated in my COM
plant If Robertson said it was be-
tween $4,000 and SOC. 900, he probably
knows what he is talking about.
"A good deal of money went in the
last three weeks, we have learned.
Robertson has been gambling consid-
erably, and / am informed that he
recently lost $4,000 in a night against
the wheel, but paid only 5000 of it,
Mr. Thacker was not prepared to say
whether or not any other charge would
be pressed against the alleged default
ers If a conviction was secured IN the
embezzlement case.
Only TWO Implicated.
The detective is of the opinion that
only two were concerned in the crime
At least. If there was a third party
in it, he declared that he knew nothing
of it.
THE assistant cashier handled ali
the checks. The paying teller handled
all the cash. Those two could work
the game perfectly, where no other two
in the banks employ could do so. If
the cashier of the bank had been more
active and handled the checks himself.
it might have been discovered sooner.
Duke declined a short while ago the
invitation of Mr.. Dolly to take his va
cation. He knew, of course, that to
leave the bank for a single day might
result in exposure. Neither could Rob
ertsOn have left without danger of a
discovery. That is probably the reason
they were so attentive to duty. Neither
of the men. so far as l can learn, has
ever missed a days work
Mr.. Thacker, who is the principal
witness for the prosecution, was in
consultation with County Attorney
Christensen yesterday regarding the
date of the preliminary hearing. In all
probability it will take place next
Thursday or Friday. In the meantime,
Manager King of the Wells-Fargo
company will arrive from New York.
Judge Powers came up from Nephi
to spend the Fourth, and will return
today. He did not get d chance to see
Robertson, and would not discuss the
case.
Il won't know anything about it,"
said the judge. until 1 get other mat
tiers off my hands.
rnANCI Ia RnNhl CTViC