Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-30
DISAPPEARANCE AND RETURN
circumstance That Led 10 Former
and Connected with Latter

y -
Gilman. paying teller Of Wells, Fargo
Co.'s bank and Rob 20 nunlleds OF
ffierds. disappeared myaterlously sat
urdav morning. He was found again
AZ his Lame yesterday, and Is now n
the custody of Chief OF Police Paul, HIS
accounts al the bank are sud TO show
o shortage of between SSO'0OQ ana WV
COO. though II is conserVatiVely estl-
iaated THAI the amount viii not reach
that sum.
For day and half no mans friends
were mere worried than were those or
The councilnan-teier For day and
n half they scourcd the hills, where he
was said 10 nave gone With a gun over
his shoulder but they got no trace
'rhe boys dead out there In the
hills" said one Of his friends, with d
surety. It's only a question OF where
the body is and II must be found
Ii was with this feeling that me
searching parties worked They knew
chat Robertson had gone away In the
morning With q shotgun and two
shells. and they knew that he had some
| shortage at the bank. II was either
| thar he had absconded or that he had
| committed suicide, and the most of his
| friends preferred TO believe that he had
| taken his lie,
But lote Last night the news became
public thu, he was back at his home
| again. and thai Chief Paul had been
notified and had formally taken him In
| TO custody.
Robertson was at his home all day
| yesterday. He had spent the day pre-
vious out In the wet hills, alone with
| his thoughts and with loaded sh<
gun ever with him. For nearly "a
hours he fought the battle with self,and
| al the end Of It, he decided TO come
back and face whatever charges might
be made against him-'face them like
| man.
II was 1880 yesterday before he was
| discovered at his home by former
| Detective Sheets and Councilman
Davis The discovery was accidental,
| Sheets and Davis having gone there for
| piece Of clothing 10 give the scent
| 10 bloodhunds from the fort. Instead
of the clothing, they found Robertson
| himself.
The distressed man was In a terrible
| frame Of mind. He faced his old friend,
| Councilman Davis, with the shotgun
| and told him not to come in, or he
| would XIII Rim. Davis withdrew ana
awaited his opportunity, Then he and
| Sheets argued with Robertson until
they get him &c give up the gun.
Robertson admitted TO these two
friends that he had shortage at the
bank, and that IL would total some
thing like $4,000 or $50, 900, but he was
excited and nervous TO an awful de-
gree. and no reliance is placed on the
figures. But he also said something
that is very significant.
Harry Duke knows all about the
| shortage he Is reported to have told
these two men. Being a good fellow,
got me into this trouble. 1t was a
matter of obliging a friend"
For eight or nine years, according to
| Robertson, the defalcatlons have been
going on. 1t had reached point where
exposure was inevitable There was
| only one course open that he thought
he could take. This was suicide, and II
was with the full intention OF taking
his own life that he had started out on
Saturday morning.
Getting a shotgun and a couple Of
shells, he went out into the hills to
! kill himself Before he had gone far,
the rain overlook him, and he sought
shelter In narrow cave. While here
one OF the searching parties passed
within 10 feet Of him. He heard them
talking. He heard their expressions Of
sympathy and concern, and II set him
thinking
Up 10 this time there had been no
thought IN his mind save suicide. But
when the realization rushed fun upon
him that he had friends innumerabe
and that their concern for his welfare
was great, lie began to think that il
might be better for him TO go back. SO
he stayed In the gulch all night long
fighting the battle At about o'clock
in the morning he went back to his
house. He still had the gun and the
shells. neither Of which had been fired
The utmost secrecy was maintained
both Saturday and Sunday over his
disappearance. While his friends knew
about II Saturday and were out search
ing for him, they would not divulge 1t,
and It was not until Saturday night
that Il was known by any but his i'm
mediate friends that he was gone. And
not until he was turned over 10 Chief
Paul at 1890 last night did anyone save
,hese friends know that he had return
cd.