The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-29
EmpIeys Of The Riverside Bank
Of New York Missing,
LEFT BANK LAST MONDAY.
Pretended 10 Be Angry Because He Found
the Cashier Examining His Books The
Amount Of Shortage $4,000.

nSnt was gwen out DN the olrectoIS Vi
the Riverside Bank. Fifty-seventh street
and Eight avenue. after a meeting which
adjourned late yesterday afternoon:
one OF the receiving tellers has default
ed, resulting In a loss 10 the bank OF
S26, 600. which amount has been charged to
the undivided profits. The bank has
surplus left of $ll4.0O0. in addition 10 Its
capital OF 10000 The state bank exam
iner has been asked 10 examine the bank
TO verify the amount.
III. G. COPELAND, President.
BY order of the Board OF Directors.
The statement Officially confirms the
news that Harry C. Bell, young employe
OF the bank had succembed 10 the temp
tations incidental TO handling hundreds
of thousands OF dollars, although his own
salary was 5000 a year.
So far as the officers OF the bank knew
and so far as the pastor OF Bells church.
the Rev. DIR. r. s. Macarthur knew, and
so far as his fiancee, the daughter OF
William j. Matthews, q defeated Fusion
candidate for the board OF alder
men last fall know Mr.. Bell
was model young man. He
was so conspicuously good in the presence
of these persons that he was frequently
held up as an example TO other young
people who were less circumspect.
But Bell had other friends. who were
going around last night remarking cyni-
cally that they knew that IL Harry didn't
stop ushering I'm church and doing all that
sort of thing, something would drop.
RELATIVES TALK PLOT.
Mr.. Matthews. the undertaken, who was
until yesterday the young mans prospec-
tive and complacent father-in-law found
II difficult even when Bells discrepancies
were pointed out 10 him, TO believe that
he frtta (aIl afNdt anth n
err, with whom he lived. and his sister.
were both quoted as declaring that
wicked injustice had been done to Harry,
and that there must be an awful plot
against him somewhere. But the others,
of whom his finacee and his sister never
heard, said
Mother good thing gone wrong"
Bell is % years old. He had been in the
bank nine years, stating as a messenger.
He was quick to learn. The process of
taking money, which Is ascribed to him
by President III. G. Copeland of the bank,
shows nerve rather than the result of
studious contemplation of the possibilities
of crime.
The bank officers say that Bells meth
adj so far as they have learned, was SIM
plicity itself, the depositor handed In the
money with a slip: Bell took the money
and the slip, wrote the amount in the de-
positor's bank book tore up the slip and
officers say that this process has been
going on since the middle of last Febru-
| airy.
Young Bell entered the bank at about s
o'clock last Monday morning and found
| Cashier Bizallion looking over the books
| i'm the teller's department. II was observ-
| ed that he accelerated his usually meas
ured strides in reaching the cashier s
side.
What are you doing with my books
| inquired the young man, somewhat an
| grily. "Ive been here long enough not to
have people sneaking through my books
| behind my back"
| CASHIERS ANSWER.
| "They interest me, young man." replied
! the cashier.
| "Then I'll see the president" answered
1 the teller II have a good chance for a
| better job downtown and I'm going TO
| take IL IL cannot be treated squarely."
He did so TO the president. Mr. Copeland
| spoke soothingly to him. Mr.. Copeland
| was very fond OF Harry. Said the presi-
| dent: 1T Is only because the books do
| not balance exactly. We will have to 60
| over everybody's books until we find out
| what the trouble is We know you arc
| honest of course Don't be childish"
| But Harry insisted on being childish
| He marched out OF the front door of the
! bank muttering about that place he
could have downtown. The president was
sorry TO see him go. He is sorrier now.
Young Bell went TO Il. Il. Hewitt's liv-
| cry stable, near the bank, and told Mr.
| Hewitt, OF whom he was a highly regard
ed patron, that he had just had little
| trouble with Mr.. Copeland, but that ht
guessed II would be patched up all right
Next door to Hewitts is the tobacco
store of a Mr.. Billor, of whom Harry
bought Just one little pack of cigarettes
| IIa 20 III 90
but ne made point OF telling his friends
that he never smoked before oclocl
in the afternoon.
His time belonged To his employers, III
( said, and he had no right to devote any
OF It 10 his own pleasures. Now Billol
says that Harry dropped in TO see him or
Monday evening. But as far as could b'
learned nobody else who knows him has
sene him since Monday morning.
AT BELLS HOME
The young man lived with his grand
mother. Mrs Charles Robbins, at 3i5 West
| Fifty-seventh street. Inquirers there
was no other information to be gained
except that any story that the young mar
was an embezzler was n wicked falsehood
Both his parents are dead.
They lived I'm Middetown, ~. Y, and
moved there from Newburgh years ago
The father and mother separated in lSS
| after a long continued quarrel The IA
ther was blind.
| No immediate effort was made 20 trace
Bell after his departure IRON the bank
because. despite his actions. the president
did not dream that the boy had been steal.
ing. Further examination OF the books
however. showed that there had beer
stealing and a great deal of Il. Then the
boys surety. the Aetna Indemnity com
pany OF Hartford. was called on TO pro
duce the young man or the 5000 for which
II had gone on his bond.
| The officers Of the bank said that the
surety company seems 20 lack interest ir
the matter. This may be. however, be
cause A. +. Schwanneke. manager OF the
New York office. Is very ill with a fevei
at his home In New Brighton. Slater