The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-10-23
the insurance company win probably

| ara OF The rHSb Ndtlohoi oeehN WIZ
present. and the matter was gone over
Messrs. Hoerr and Willard arranged to
advance to the stockholders of the Ma
pleton State bank $4,000, to make up
the amount of the shortage, which, added
to the surplus of nearly $4,000 which
the bank had, will nearly fill the gap.
The bank has $65, 900 of good notes, and
the depositors will not lose anything.
This is the statement made this after
noon to The Free Press by Mr.. Willard.
Depositors Will Be Protected.
Judge Buck and Mr.. Hoerr went to
Mapleton this morning, expecting to re-
turn on the noon train, but were unable
to return on that train. Possibly in order
to avert run ON the bank, the institu
ton was closed, but information from
Mapleton this afternoon was to the eff
feet that it would probably be reopened
in two or three days. Every preparation
will be made to meet run, and every de-
positor will be paid in full if he desires.
The bank is not affected by the shortage,
the depositors shall not lose dollar.
The capital of the bank is $4,000, and
the stockholders are liable for the
amount of their stock. Judge Buck owns
S. 900 of the stock, and this is the sum
that he hastily raised to make good his
liability, Mankato banks advancing him
the amount, as stated above. The de-
posits of the bank, all told, amount to
about $4,000. The county has 81 ,427.72
in the bank, but it is secured by bond,
if such a security is needed, which it is
not in this case.
The way that Mr. Buck was able to
take his fathers private funds without
the latter's knowing it was simple. His
father gave him many thousands of dol
lars I'd loan out, and he loaned the
money, taking notes for the various
amounts. AS payments were made on
these notes, he would keep some of the
money, instead of reporting the payments
to his father In this way he is said
to have secured from $1,000 to 5000
This loss, together with the assessment
of $4,000 on his bank stock and the
loss of the bank, will run his individual
loss up to $2l $780,
Heavy Blow to Judge Buck,
This is heavy blow for one who has
reached the years that Judge Buch has,
and who should retire and enjoy the
fruits of his industry. While it does
not wipe out all of the property that
Judge Buck owns, it will take away
good share of that portion that was re-
turning an income, the balance being
mostly unproductive real estate, that
sometime will be valuable, but which at
this time is not property which brings
in returns.
Judge Buck may alter his plans and
not go to California for the winter as
he had expected. He had planned to re-
tire altogether from the practice of law,
and had disposed of portion of his law
library but it is said that he will take
up law practice again. He will have the
sincere sympathy of his many friends
in the severe blow that has fallen upon
him, not merely on account of the finan-
cial loss, but on account of the acts of
his son.
Claims He Was Blackmailed.
The cause given by A. A. Buck for
taking the money intrusted to his care
and making use of it is that he has
been the victim of blackmailer. His
account, as told to his wife, is that when
nineteen years of age and alone in Chi
cago he was singled out by designing
family and for some cause made to pay
them sums of money at intervals during
the time intervening. His mothers
health and then his fathers caused him
to refrain from consulting with them or
standing the trouble that he imagined
would follow his refusing to make pay
ments. Having made the first payment,
thinking that that would end the mat
ter, he feared that this fact would tend
to show an admission, and he made pay
ments as they were called for, until $780,
600 in all has been turned over to the al
legged blackmailers. He has at last re-
ceived receipt in full, and is free from
the spell of these people, who are said
to constitute whole family.
To support this story of blackmail,
the family have several papers, and, in
fact, Mrs. Abbott has had some know
ledge of it for several years, though
she did not know the extent of it. The
family now know all about it, from
the lips of the young man, and they all
stand by him. His father, sister and
wife are each thoroughly loyal to him,
and denounce the Matchmaking enter
prize as "graft" that he should have
never stood for, as the parties had
no legal or moral hold upon him.
No Woman in the Case.
They say that this was not a case
where there was woman back of the
matter, but they absolutely refuse to
say why the money was demanded, or
what constituted the scheme of the al
legged blackmailers That $4,000 should
be paid without an effort to get rid of
such vampires is strange thing.