The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-03
NO TRACE OF MAYOR BELCHER.
jSEARCH or PATERSON FRIENDS
PROVES UNAVAILING.


Investigation Shows That He Owes SIS .OOt
Admirers Make Coed All Debts Il
Trust Companies Improb
PATERSON, N. j.. Aug. ALTHOUGH
his family and his friends have searched
long and earnestly for William H. Belcher
Paterson's missing Mayor. 1t was admitted
to-day that he has disappeared a. COM
pletely as though the earth had swallowed
him. Tho Mayor owes, according to HE
friends, $4,000, $1,000 Of which, accord
ing to the State Banking Department
he obtained by Misrepresentation and
fictitious collateral from banks and trust
companies.
The Mayor Is very popular. and his friends
have rallied to his support even In his un-
explained absence. They have promised
practically to make good every debt he
owes. They have already satisfied the
trust companies from which he obtained
loans on collateral, the nature Of which
tnay lead to forgery charge against him.
According to his law partner A. NJ Chal-
mers, the money has been turned over in
,CaSn 10 tnoeo inbututiOns, dho HiooV VI VIC
bankers express themselves as satisfied.
Despite all this work on the part Of his
friends toward smoothing the way for
the Mayors return, not ono clue as to his
whereabouts exists tonight. Late this
afternoon several OF his friends admitted
having fears that he might have killed
himself. They based this fear on the fact
that for month the Mayor has not acted
like himself.
There was rumor to-day that the Mayor
had been found In New York. 1t wasn't
true. His closest friend, George Burke.
brother Of the Mayors secretary. went to
New York early this morning believing
he could find the missing man. Late this
afternoon he telephoned Mr.. Chalmers,
the Mayors partner, that he he'd not been
succesaful. Mr.. Chalmers has telegraphed
10 different cities whore the Mayor has nj
atives. but without result Not a soul
among his friends or family has seen
Belcher since he boarded q trolley car Mon
day morning bound for Singac, near his
home. Nobody remembers seeing him on
the car.
What makes the Mayors disappearance
more inexplicable is the fact that he knew
that that very afternoon his friends were
to have a meeting and come to his support
Had he appeared at that meeting Paterson
would have been saved from soandal
Desperate efforts we're made last night
to keep the scandal quiet representative
citizens even getting the heads OF the news
pa pers here at a conference to agree to
print nothing OF the matter. Not Pater-
son paper contained line about 1t until
this afternoon.
Mayor B,lchor. |. appears. has been a
busy borrower for ten years. For what
purpose he borrowed 30 much Is one OF the
mysteries Of the case. His friends think
he may have been specializing. He has
been closely identified with the business
life OF Paterson, and 1t Is said many banks
have lent him money on his personal note.
He has been vice-president Of the Silk City
Trust Company for years until last night,
when he was deposed.
His principal business connection, how
ever, outside OF his law business, which
was small, was the Manchester Building
and Loan Association, Of which he is presi-
dent. He founded this seventeen years ago.
Lately In order to got money. the Mayor
has been putting up as collateral his pass
books in this company. According to bank
ers. such collateral has been counted as
gteu Cd, But, In order to be Of any value,
these books have to DO attested by the
associations secretary.
According to the figures given out to-day
the Mayor borrowed IS, 1900 from the Ger
man-American Trust Company, 1880 from
the itizens Trust Company, 5000 from
the Hamilton Trust Company $500 from
the SIX City Safe Deposit and Trust Com
pany and about $1,000 from the Paterson
National Bank. For part Of these loans
he gave notes, considered good, and stoc
which he owned in the Silk City Safe Deposit
and Trust Company, The rest Of the col
lateral consisted Of the pass books.
What tie banking officials discovered
when they came to examine these books
WIGS thGt alterations had been made In
them crediting Beloher with more shares
than he owned. In one case, it is said,
ten shares, representing 81, 900 were credited.
whereas the amount should have been one
share, cipher apparently, having been
added. In another case an entry had been
mace to the effect that loan on the book
from the association to Belcher had been
paid.
All OF these entr les bore the attestation
OF Secretary Alice apparently. but Mr..
Alice denied to the officials that they were
his signatures and showed them that the
entries were fraudulent. This reduced
the value Of the books as collateral to the
extent OF 81, 400 in the case OF the German
American Trust Company, about 81 200
In the case OF the Citizens Trust and 81 800
at the Hamilton Trust. In the case Of the
5000 loaned by the Pa terson National,
It Is said, the collateral was all In stock and
notes, sufficient to more than repay it.
The Silk City Trust Company for It's loans
holds two mortgages on the Mayors prop
erty for 50, 500 and a note for t1,l57
In addition to these loans the Mayor was
said to be indebted to the Building and
Loan Association 5000 and, &C cording to
his partner he has received personal loans
from friends amounting to Is 900 possibly.
When the authorities confronted Mayor
Belcher last week with the results OF their