The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-19
THIEF GETS OVER
$4,000 FROM BANK
Local Institution the Victim of an
Expert Crook.
THE MONEY IS NOT LOST
MYSTERY SURROUNDING THEFT
OF REMITTANCE LETTERS.
IN way that is still a mystery the

IN way that is still mystery the
Commercial National bank OF this
city was robbed Nov. s OF cash re-
mittances amounting 70 $5,50e. The rob
berry did not become known to the local
bank officials until Friday afternoon.
Then the information came in the form
OF q telegram from Florence, Colo. tell
ing OF the arrest there of William Cor
ner, having In his possession checks on
banks In various parts of the country,
the face value of which was between
$4,000 and s. ,09c.
Immediately upon the receipt of the
first information the officials of the
Commercial National banis opened tel
egraphiG communication with tbs Of
ficials in Florence, Colo. They wished
to ascertain if the letters had been
postmarked, in order to have the feder-
al authorities take the matter IN hand.
The information came back that the
letters had not been postmarked, and
that Corner claimed that he had picked
them up in the street between the
Commercial National bank and the
pOstOffice.
On the strength of this information,
Postoffice Inspector Frank Q. Sharp re-
fused to take the matter in hand. I'm
less. he said, il could be clearly shown
that the letters had been put in the
possession of the postal authorities he
would have no jurisdiction in the mat
ter.
County Attorney p. p. Christensen
when called upon took the position that
it would be impossible for him to do
anything in the matter unless it could
be shown that Corner was guilty OF "A
felony and could be extTadited. He
held that the checks and drafts. being
nOn-negotiable, had ~ intrinsic value
and that unless IL could be shown that
they had been altered and the endorse
ments forged, he would be helpless in
the matter
Federal Authorities Take Hand
The first consideration of the bank
was to get possession OF the checks iu
order that their business might not be
embarrassed. Captain J. B. Burbidge
and Detective George Chase We're called
IN. They were placed in cOmmunica-
ton with the authorities in Florence
and ascertained that Corner had been
arrested merely as q vagrant. The diff
hculty in getting definite information
led to the belief that the Florence Of
heials were holding back for a reward
No reward was offered by the bank
Yesterday afternoon the bank in Flor
ence was wired 10 get possession Of the
Commercial National bank paper found
on Corner. Last night the information
came back that all papers had been
taken Ia Denver by 2 United States
deputy marshal t. bee turned over to-
the postal authorities. This would in
dlcatc that Corner viii De handled by
the federal authorities after all.
\
the Commercial National. saia last
night that no one connected with the
bank knew how Corner came into DOS
session OF the letters. He is Of the opin-
lon that they must have been stolen
from the mails. On the evening Of Nov.
> tWenty-one remittance letters were
sent out Fourteen OF these reached
their destination in proper time The
other seven are missing. These seven
contained remittances amounting 10
So.5Oc one of these was addressed To-
New York, one To RaWlins. Wyo.. one
TO Rexburg Ida, two 10 Ogden. Utah.
one to Evanston, WyO., and one 10
Blackfoor, Ida.
Some Things Hard TO Understand.
These remittances were made in large
manila envelopes with the address,
Stamped in large clear letters and with
the business card of the bank i'm thu,
%
go astray unless through fraud The
custom of the bank is to prepare these
ieItefS IN the afternoon and send them
10 the postOffice by the boy between ;
and o'clock in the afternoon
The bank officials are convinced that
these letters We're not stolen from the
bank. They cannot understand how
they could be lost on SO public a street
as Second South street at that hour Of
the day, and no one see them but a crook
travelling about over the country. Tho
fact that he had other letters and other
checks in his possession is taken as evil
dence that he does not depend unon
picking up letters accidentally drOnOed
system.
No loss can come to the local bank as
the result of this piece of rascaIitv. Even
II some of the checks are altered and
cashed the person who cashes them viii
be held responsible The bank has a
complete record of each remittance To
gether with description Of each check.
This description includes the data as 10
the endorsements.
Story of Corners Arrest.
The story Of Corners arrest is told in
Herald:
Florence, Colo. Nov. 18-William Cor
ner. said to have innumerable aliases. he
heved by the local police to be one of the
smoothest and most successful bank rob
Ders. check forgers and kiters in the
country, was captured here at $50 o'clock
yesterday morning by City Marshal
Green.
Corner is said TO be wanted IN
score of cities, including Salt Lake. where
he is wanted in connection with theft
from the Commercial National bank He
has been trafled for months by police and
detectives. When taken 10 police head
quarters and searched. checks aggregat-
ing between 5000 and $1,000 made on
nearly II every bank in the United States.
were found in Corners pockets. tOgeth-
er with a large amount OF bank data
The prisoner Is evidently well informed
on the condition of hundreds of banks
'On the afternoon of Nov. the Com
merciai National bank of Salt Lake civ
lost checks ranging from so cents -
5000 each. Seventy-five of them were
taken from Corner this morning and
large number are missing
Corners work would Indicate that he
is an expert at the business, as the en-
dorsement of the Commercial National
bank in many instances was erased from
the checks by some kind Of acid. No less
than $1,000 worth of checks are missing
Immediately after his capture the au-
thorities wired the Commercial National
bank. telling Of the arrest Of the man. An
answer was received within a short time
describing the checks and asking that the
man be held until an officer could be sent
here for him. The largest check in the
bunch was issued by the New York Life
Insurance company TO Mary Alta HOr-
ton and was in payment for the death
of her husband. II was issued Nov. S.
1905.
Corner is only "a years old. aud came
here last night supposedly from Cripple
Greek.
There were 5000 worth of time checks
in the bunch, issued by the Utah Con
struction company. ard also si090 worth
of checks issued bV J. A. BeckWith G