The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-26
Civic Traitors.

; \ - :
Frank q. Bigclow, who confesses to
having robbed the First National Bank
Of milwaukee,, OF which hc was president
was a traitor. II
It is bad enough for q man under any,
circumstances to take thnt which does
not a,e,ong. to him. 1t Is bod enough for
/, man to steal oven whom poverty pinches
him, when he is naked and cold ana nun
gry. but 1t Is worse for man III conf
Portable circumstances and high station not
only to take that which does not belong
10 him. but IN SO doing to betray q trust
and to bring distress and probhbly rum
upon many innocent persons BlscloWss
robbery came very near wreck,ng the pank
with which he was for SO long tlme
associated. He Is q man of inteillgence'
he understands the banking business thor
oughly; nc has been reared in good at
mosphere; he knew full we'll WnHt -
meant to use tho funds of the bank He
gally: lie could not plead ignorance OF IN
nocence With his Dyes wide open ne TOOK
money which ala not belong to him, and
used it for speculative purposes. If he
had won out he would have paid the money.
back to the bank, but us he did not WIN
tho bank had to lose. Tho bank was not
to share in the profits. Ho MADE the
bank take all tho risk, and the only thins
If could hope for was to get back the
money which had thus been taken away
II reminds us OF tho man who borrowed
a SUN Of money from his friend ana when
the friend finally called upon him for pay
mont, replied that he had invested me
money in n lottery ticket; II he won, he
would repay the debt: if he lost and his
friend ever said anything more to MN
nbout it he would brain him on the Spot.
Mr.. Bigelow knew full we'll what he was
doing: no knew that no was making the
bank take lottery chances with no hope
Of gain; he staked everything-the ban l $
money, his own money, his reputation ana
his character, upon the ups and downs
If the stock market and the wheat market
and lost.
One Of the snddest features OF the story
is that when arrested no wns sitting IN
the library with his wife and tho warrant
charging him with embezzlement was read
in her hearing What an awful thing It
is for a man in such position to betray
his trust! How terrible to deceive his
| friends, to impair the credit and possibly
destroy the bank, to shake the public con-
| fidencc and worse than nll to bring dis
grace upon his family. How can man
| with spark of honesty in his nature
i with a spark of love in his heart for his
! family take such chances for the sake
Of gain! Years ago there was a similar
case in this same city OF Milwaukee
| There lived in the city n banker who
was brilliant, popular and tho idol of his
family. There we're several loyely sisters
who looked upon him as tho soul OF honor
and chivalry.s IIei was theirSg,,ides and
] their model. They believed that he EN-.
bodied all that was good and noble ir
| man. But the temptation came upon hlr
| ana he yielded. IIe betrayed his trust
He was tried and convicted and sentenced
to a term in prison. and the members
! his family, wife and children and those
lovely sisters never recovered from tn
shame and horror Of the betrayal.
O, the tragedy OF crime III high places