The sun., 1903-09-04
EDISON STOLE S5O,000 AT LEAST
A\DTHE 81 " NE TOOk FROM THE
nm RtH WAY REACH SSJ,OOO.
Sic Forged signatures 10 Notes and Checks
and Pilfered Cash Is Wcll-RcstitutiOn
impossible. Though the Edison Family
wished 10 Make lt-They Are Horror
stricken ny New Revelations Of Guilt.


.bo, and killed Mrs Fanny Pullen, and
then himself. was a forger and an en-
h.v,L.r TO the amount Of beEween $50 600
and $4,000
Edison obtained this money from st.
N,craels Church, by which he had been
,muloyed for the last four years. He OBJ
tanned II hy forging notes and checks and
by piIicrDg from the cash which passed
through his hands as clerk. The exact
amount Of his stealings Is not known yet,
tr the church authorities did not dis
cover until last Thursday that they had been
robbed
The Investigation was started on Tues
dsy, when expert accountants went to
work on the church accounts. While it
MAS going on Edison, crazed by the dis
coyery. sho. the wife Of his friend ard put
bullet through his own brain.
Although it came out Oh the day Of Ed
sons murd n aud suicide that he had stolen
money from the church, those aware OF
the amount of his stel,pgs, an amount
which would mean disaster to a less wealthy
rarsh. preserved the reticence that they
had maintained from the time the truth
however, the facts were learned from
members OF the vestry, who decided II
would bc fut lie to attempt to conceal the
real situation.
just what will be done to reimburse the
church is yet undecided The members
ofhis family have told tho church authorities
lnat much as they would like to pay back
every dollar of the amount he stole, they
zee no way of paying back anything like
the full amount, even if it reaches the lee ser
estimate nov made. The amount known
already to be goae is made up OF note for
$4,000 and checks aggregating $1,000.
All of this and more Edison is believed to
have lost in Wall Street
As a preliminary to recovering small
part of this, the family has agreed to per-
nit the church to take possession OF the
furniture and effects in Edson's fat, and
these are to be sold at auction. The pro-
ceeds will GO to reimburse the church
meeting of the vestry was held last Light
to talk over this and other matters,
Edson's place was that OF clerk of the
church corporation. Through his hands
passed practically all Of the church re-
copts. Apparently devout churchman
himself and a constant attendant at the
services, he was trusted implicitly, and
the merest scrutiny so it would appear,
was made of his accounts.
The treasurer of the church is William
r. Peters. brother of the rector. and there
was an auditing committee made up Of
himself and two other members OF the
,TNry. Until last Thursday they did not
fvee, the faintest suspicion that anything
vas kywrong with Edson's accounts or that
ne Was anything but the trust worthy official
they had always believed him to be.
But last Thursday Mr.. Peters was called
70 the Hudson River branch of the Corn
Exchange Bank at Seventy second street
and Columbus avenue, An officer OF the
bank showed him there a note for s25, 900,
on which appeared the signatures of Gill
bert u. Ease. clerk Of the vestry, and his
own, a. required by law. This note had
been CieCollnted Mr.. Peters saw AT once
that the signatures were forged. He also
saw that only one man could have COM
,ritred ne forgery and that man was Edison,
Ersnf, was then spending vacation in
Bath. Ne with his wife. Mr., and Mrs,
puIlen were with them. Mr.. Peters lost
M time in telegraphing Edison to return at
once. t'e also So NJ n message to Mr. P,llen
asking him ,o come, too. They arrived
together on Friday. NJ, Peters con-
fror'od Edison with the note and the latter
'hon and there admitted that he had be-
core involved and was guilty of forgery
although he promised that he would
"s'raghten out the matter" and that it
would be made right
It WAS then that Eison went home TO his
WI and confessed She. Mortified ard
nr.rwhs lined, herself by the disclosure,
ln nh'm ard went to tho home Of her friends
the PuIcue Elson disappeared. The
church p,cple did not SOC him again, but
thcy mad" no attempt to have him ar
rested aEI kept the secret among them
& iNc,. Whil, examination of the church
accounts went on.
NoHo Of tnem, in fsci, had determined
lust what 10 do when Elson settled it for
them by going to his own apartments and
in the presence Of his wife ard brother
endrg hi. own life and with it that of the
woman who had been his own and his wife's
good friend.
The details Of Fdson's thefts. as far as
they are known, and Of his connection
with the church, which is one Of the wealth.
lost parishes in the city, was told yesterday
by members OF the vestry. As clerk OF
the corporation Edison succeeded Thomas
Fulton now secretary Of the Citizens
Union When Mr.. Fulton resigned four
Years ago there were several applicants
for the place but, backed by his friend
Mr. Pullen. then as now vest ryman Of
'hc church, Edison was appointed His
salary was 81 900 year and in the course
Of tie four years his duties were gradually
"y'ended until he finally came TO have
charge Of the business Of the parish
Like many Of the large parishes Of the
dlocese the accounts Of the parish we're as
large as those of an important commercial
corporation considerable part Of the
churchs income is derived from rents of
property in the business dist riot, given
over by Trinity parish ar an endowment
There l. no charge for pews, the members
continuing 10 the church's support by the
envelope system. All this money was
turned over TO Edison, who was supposed to
deposit II in the Corn Exchange Bank,
where IA" church funds were kept
According 10 members Of the yestTy
y has been the custom Of the church to
have an audit of the books made once
year by a frm Of accountants This is
done toward the end Of the year, IL seems
certain therefore that Edson's stnalinRs
were committed in the present year
Although Edison was known to be living
a. rather expensive rate for man on .
1000 salary, this did not attract attention
Tor The reason, ~ members OF the yestry
tali Yesterday, that Edson let II DE under
s'poi that his wife had money and that
~ dlso had private income. For the last
ioIr years he had occupied al apart Ulent
Al ID rad M Ia.