The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-17
F. W. PETERSON IS CAPTURED Montgomery Embezzler in
 New Orleans. FORMER BANK CLERK
Accused of R0bbing Farley
 .. Merchants of $4,965.
Bond Company Made Good Defalca- ton, But will Prosecute Young Man Who Disappeared
 from Here in August.

Fred w Peterson charged with em- l bezzling s4,ss5 from the Merchants and Planters Farley National Bank Of Mont gomery, was arrested In New Orleans | yesterday and will reach Montgomery this morning in custody of a<gnited States deputy marshal.
 Peterson, who was a collection clerk for the bank until last August, was cap tured at the instance of the Fidelity
 and Deposit Company of Maryland,
 which made his bond for 5000 As soon as the amount of Petersof's dedication was ascertained. the bonding company settled with the bank. paying the full amount. and immediately began steps flor the apprehension of Peterson. w. W. Collins, a special agent of the bonding company, came to Montgomery as soon as Peterson's shortage was dis covered. He checked the accounts of the collection clerk, settled with the
 bank and has remained here directing the efforts of detectives to capture the young embezzler.
 Came Here From Selma. Peterson, who is about 90 years old, had been employed by the bank five years. coming here from Selma. On Au- gust 3, last, he asked his employers for a leave of absence from his duties, say ing he desired to spend two weeks in North Carolina. and rest from work. Since that time he has not been in Mont gomery, and no one at the bank has heard from him.
 It developed yesterday, that Special Agent Collins of the bonding company.
 has had detectives throughout the coun- try searching for the young man. J. l.. Hall. president of the Merchants and Planters Farley National Bank, | admitted yesterday that Peterson was suspected of wrong-doing before he went away on his vacation from which he was | to return in custody of officers. MT. | Hall said that few days after Peter son left Montgomery his accounts were examined, and 1t was found that the
 collection clerk had robbed his employ CTS. ss
 The exact amount embezzled by young I Peterson was not disclosed by Mir. Hall. Iii fact, MT Hall discussed the matter reluctantly He said that the bank had been reimbursed by the bonding com pany. and that the embezzlement and consequent arrest of Peterson was mat l ter which concerned the agents of the
 bonding company, and not the officials | of the bank. Es Speaking of the character of Peter son. Mir. Hall said. he had heen sober. | steady and reliable until about two
 months before his departure from Mont gomery. He dressed modestly Mir Hall
 said, did not drink. smoke or gamble. so far as, he knew. and was not extrava-
 gant. He boarded some time with an ex- cellent Montgomery family. and his hab-
 it's were good.
 Fell Into Evil Ways. It Is customary with bank officials,
 Mir. Hall said, to, in a measure, keep an espionage over the habits of em- ployes. In June of last year, he said. | he learned that young Peterson had fallen into evil ways He had formed as-
 sociations which, MT. Hall declared, had
 ruined him. He did not have the moral
 courage to withstand these temptations
 and he robbed the bank. MT. Hall said he was quite sure the
 entire sum was taken from the bank
 within the period of two months just prior to Peterson's departure from Mont gomery. The excellent checking system of the bank, he said. made it certain
 that the dedication of Peterson would | be discovered, as 1t was indeed, known
 before he left Montgomery that there
 were irregularities in his accounts. | Special Agent Collins of the bonding
 company said he had been seeking to ap-
 prehend Peterson since last August Pink
 ertOn detectives, he said. had been work | ing on the case and his company had
 spent considerable money to effect his
 capture. It was thought at one time that
 Peterson was located in New York city,
 but a picture of the young man, sent
 there from Montgomery, dispelled the
 thought
 Caught in New Orleans. Friday" said MT Collins, "I learned
 that Peterson was in New Orleans. A
 Montgomery officer went there and swore
 out a warrant before United States
 Commissioner charging him with embez-
 Eling money from a national bank. He
 was then arrested and taken before the
 Commissioner, who committed him to the
 custody of the United States Marshal. A
 deputy marshal will bring him to Mont
 gomery and they will reach here Sunday
 morning. Peterson will be tried in the
 United States Court here and you may
 say that my company will vigorously
 prosecute the case"
 MT. Collins talked at some length about the earnestness with which bonding com
 panies prosecuted men whom they se-
 cured and who defaulted He said his
 company had frequently expended as
 much as the amount of a dedication to bring guilty one to justice.
 Peterson, as has been said came to
 Montgomery about five years ago from
 Selma. His father for many years con ducted a popular saloon there but re-
 moved his family to New Orleans some
 time ago. The young man began his ca-
 reer as a telegraph messenger boy in Selma and later entered the defunct Com mercial Bank of Selma of which Colonel R. M. Nelson was President
 Peterson is described as weighing about llb pounds. He is slender, stoop should cred and walks with shambling gait. Friends Knew Whereabouts.
 In Montgomery Peterson was we'll known, especially among young bank clerks and their friends. One of his form CT associates expressed surprise yester- day when told that detectives had been after the young man several months. He said Peterson had made no secret of the fact that he was in New Orleans; that several of his friends here had heard from
 him and that he had been there some time.
 At police headquarters yesterday it WAS sald thst no report had ever been made there of Peterson's dedication and that