Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-10
AGAIN IN TROUBLE.
Henry B. SpauIding. Formerly
of Belgrade, Arrested.
Charged a Second Time in Boston
With EmbezzIement.
Was Called Best Book. Keeper in Bos
ton, But Lived too High.

ticularly those in Belgrade and vicin-
| ty, will be much interested in the fol-
| lowing story which appeared in the
Boston Globe of Thursday. Henry 3.
| Spaulding, the central figure in it, is
native of Belgrade and lived there I'M
| til young man. He is a son of the
late Sewall Spaulding, one Of the lead
ing farmers of the town and for years
on the board of selectmen. He has
| brother in business in Boston, ana
many relatives and friends in Bel
grade who will be deeply grieved to
learn that he is again in such serious
trouble. When boy and young man IN
| Belgrade, Mr.. Spaulding was liked by
| everybody, and was a manly, upright
fellow of much ability. The tempta-
| tons of q great city proved too strong
| for him. The account of his latest
wrong-doing and earlier career is thus
given in the Boston paper:
Another step in q life of alternate
poverty and luxury, of wonderfully
clever criminality and folly, was
reached when Henry. or Harry, b.
| Spaulding was arrested at his Munroe
street home in Roxbury, yesterday
| afternoon by Boston inspectors on a
new charge of embezzlement.
He was found at home, surrounded
| by every degree of comfort. On finding
the cause of the appearance of the off
GERS he assented without a murmur
| and accompanied them without any
show of resistance. And when the cell
door of the city prison swung back
upon him it placed under key man
who was capable, eight years ago. of
embezzling 100000 from one of the
great dry goods firms of the country.
The police records show for the year
1895, in January, that Harry b.
Spaulding was arrested on the 18th of
that month in New Orleans by then
| Deputy Supt. William H. Pierce and
| Inspector Joseph Dugan for embeZzle-
ment Of $4,000 from Wheeler, Blodgett
&, Co. of this city. The amount for
| which he was taken was not the true
amount of the embezzlement The true
sum was probably about $60,0e.~s
though in the Indictment thread $4,000
Spaulding was taken in New Orleans,
bankrupt, hungry, friendless and in the
throes of rheumatic fevers, His friends
had deserted one by one! His money
was gone. He gave himself up to the
Boston inspectors with the same readi-
ness that characterized him yesterday
afternoon. H. is
On the strength of circular issued
at that time by Superintendent Ell
bridge, policeman in the, Louisianan
city arrested Spaulding, though he
called himself Leonard and had shaved
off his moustache and otherwise dis
| l.. A 70, dow
was in Boston, in the Charles Street
iail. On the first Monday after his ar
rival he was brought into the municipal
court and pleaded guilty to two counts
of the indictment. In default of $20,00O
bail he remained in Jail until his trial
in the Superior criminal court, where,
on January %, 1895, he was sentenced
by Judge Richardson to four years in
state prison.
He appeared in court in rheumatic
condition, and Dcnitent at heart. he
had nothing to say. Strange enough,
at the trial, when everything looked
black for the man, two men steppetJ
forward, and asked to be heard. They
were Charles w. Blodgctt and Edward
lie. Wheeler, members of the firm from
which the money had been stolen.
They asked that the sentence imposed
should be the minimum. They felt that
Spaulding had suffered quite enough
since his departure from Boston,
Philanthropic citizens interviewed in the
mans behalf. He was unmarried, Of
good habits, they said. The police said
he was a drunkard and horse-player
doomed.
| Spaulding had led a whirlwind life.
Nearly six feet tall, handsome, of ready
| entrance in the best circles he became
acquainted with the fastest set in the
| city, He lived at the best hotels and
spent easily three times his salary on
what might be called legitimate eX-
pcnscs. He made no secret of 1T. The
end came only when there was dis
solution of the firm for which he
worked, when the examination of the
books proved him to have been a de-
faulter in the thousands.
More pathetic than anything else, he
was what is calld a self-made man.
From the position of Office boy in the
firm of Wheeler, Blodgett & Co. he had
worked up to be cashier, and there
seemed to be no end to the possibilities
for him. He was easily the best book
| keeper employed Ill inc SieS, ii' hoN
ulty was at that work.
Harry b. Spauding fell, went to state
prison a brokcn-dow man, u man OIL
lost ambition, of wasted talents. He
was not long in the institution, now
ever, before he began to make himself
useful there The books under his cX-
pert care, were gems of accuracy and
neatncss He was valuable man, ana
he made himself popular at once IN
consequence of this his sentence was
shortened considerably, and at the end OF
about So years he stepped out into the ar
again, a free man. ,
Spaulding had been rich; he had p pee,
poor. The day had passed over mn I'M
when his associates were OF the pest yea
in New Orleans he was destitute, anu
there was q lapse of only TWO moIltiis M ~,
the radical changes of fortune. ne :
wheel had turned upon him again; out o.
prison. with the stigma which rfShtiuiiy
or wrongly ATTACHES to sentence tiieie'
he looked about for work.
| In Worcester he found employ Iiie Il !.
where they had either not heard o. nus
disgrace or. as it later proved, did no.
care He went to work as Dookkeepcl,
and proved an able man. untll one udS
the firm suddenly flew into the ar anu
died of spontaneous combustion, td'ihS
Spaulding on the hard turf again. .,o.
In this condition he struck bos,oil
| ogain He made no secret OF MS StoIH >