Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-05-17
81 900 900 has been discovered at n,

%A,VVV,VVV udS Oeeu discovered at Oul
| bank
"Who is guilty." was finally asked
Frank G. Bigelow,'' responded
| Pfister, impressively.
The directors were literally struck
speeches. for moment. Then sew.
eral expressed disbelief, and asked
what proof existed.
Mr.. Bigelow has confessed to me
himself" declared Pfister. HE says
his shortage is $1,20O,000."
A meeting of the directors, with
President Bigelow present. was hastily
| arranged. The defaulter seemed re-
lieved by the discovery, and appeared
| before the directors and calmly spoke
his confession.
Another story has it that William
Bigelow, vice president of the looted
bank, and brother of the defaulter, ex
posed the shortage. although at the
time he suspected other officials of the
bank instead of his brother.
Bankers Save the Day.
When the extent of the defalcatiou
became known, naturally a run was
started on the bank and to meet the
emergency and restore confidence
more than $10,000,000 in actual
money was raised within two days tc
stop the run of frightened depositors
| and save the greatest bank of Milwau
| kee from being swept from existence
The panic was stopped by the. formid.
! able array of money, but to accomplish
this there was the most remarkable
rapid assembling Of cash in decades.
| Chicago bankers contributed $1,000.
600 of the total. the metropolitan finan.
ciers being first to go to the rescue OF
their imperiled brothers of Milwaukee
Another million was furnished by
the Milwaukee clearing house. In ad.
dition the other banks of Milwaukee
called in 100000 of their reserve
funds for emergency purposes.
The II directors of the robbed bank
| contributed total of 81, 635 900 by per.
sonal. pledges from their private for.
tunes, which aggregated more than
$20, 100000.
Only last September in addressing the
| American Bankers association in the
Waldorf-Astoria, New York city, Bank.
er BfgelOw, who at that time was
looked upon as one of the lights and
authorities of the banking world, said:
However much prejudice there may
appear to be at times against bankers
our business is of the utmost useful.
ness and Importance and the right pur.
suit OF it, in it's broader and better as.
poets, requires all the courage and all
the conservatism we can demand"
Then he recited Robert Louis Stew.
enson's prayer:
To be honest, to be kind; to earn a little
and to spend a little less: to renounce when
that shall be necessary, and not to be EN-.
Filtered; to keep a few friends, but those
without capitulation; above all, on the same
grim condition to keep friends with himself
here is a task for all that man has OF
fortitude and delicacy. -, :.
To-day he stands self-confessed to
having done all that his utterances OF
last year forbade. - =
Then he quoted the old lines:
Our little systems have their. day.. :.
They have their day and cease to be-
Now for the Reckoning.
His System" has had it's day and
come to the full light of the law--he
before the bar of Justice; at home, q
.wet-eyed wife; on the streets, rdishon.
ored friends; in the distance, the gates
ajar of q prison. = - = D.:
r. A Friends Testimony.
Yet in his, darkest hour q friend
writes Of him: ILL., { !: ..=:
HE was a humanitarian of the
broadest type. III. He has made more
young business men than any man In
the middle west. He loved young men
He loved children. Never yet have ]
heard Of q worthy young man In hasi
ness trouble being turned away By
him. u. s =...s .s.=$