Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-20
PLAYED FOR MILLIONS
Two S15-a-W Week Pittsburg
Bank Clerks Succeed in
Stealing s25o,oo0
BUCKET SHOPS GET IT ALL
Confession of Teller Wray, Upon Sem
tence to Ten Years in Prison, Reveals
Sensational Affair in One Of Richest
Banks in the country-Two Worked
Smooth Game.

0duNS III ltI0 SSNIs' WV ~
Smooth Game.
Pittsburg, Oct. 20.-4C. b. Wray and
C. S. Hixton, $50 month clerks in the
Union Trust Company, one Of Pitts
burg's richest banks, pleaded guilty
yesterday afternoon to stealing at least
$25O,00O from the bank, and We're sem
fenced to ten years in prison, but be-
fore sentence was passed Wray told a
story that made the court room gasp.
Hixton broke down and pleaded for
mercy. Wray met his fate with a
smile.
I'VE were playing for high game.
the same as millionaires," he said to
the court. I'VE were never able to win
as they do, and suppose we will have
to suffer the consequences"
Then when Judge Young told him
he might go on il he had anything to
say before sentence was passed, Wray
continued:
Like every one else in the financial
world in Pittsburg, your honor, we
were simply money mad. We handed
millions every day; we dealt In mill
lions in every thing. We We're con-
stantly talking money, and constantly
hearing of opportunities whereby we,
bank clerks, making $50 a month.
might become millionaires, too We
saw many opportunities vanish because
we did not have the money to take ad-
vantage of them, and Their we began
to steal from the bank"
Loot Bank With Greatest Ease.
Wray said his position in the bank,
of which all the directors, among them
HI. &C. Frick and Senator Knox, are mil
lionaires, was that Of teller and his
salary SIS a week. He declared 1t was
the easiest thing in the world to steal
from the bank and go on stealing with-
out limit and without fear Of detection.
This was his method:
Teller Wray would make out false
deposit slip in the name of a deposit
tor, whose account had lapsed, or who
had died, altho there still remained a
few cents to his credit, He would then
pass this deposit slip on to Hixton,
who, as an individual bookkeeper,
would enter it. Then Wray would draw
forged check for near the amount of
the deposit and take the money. Hix-
ton, when the check reached him,
would destroy 1t.
Asked by Judge Young how much
the two employees had stolen Wray re-
piled:
II can't tell you the exact amount.
It was over s250,OO0 however"
Their Books Never Examined.
"But would not this discrepancy
have been discovered by an examina-
ton of the counter book?" asked Judge
Young, turning to Treasurer Gleffer,
who was in court.
1--WE never considered 1t necessary to
examine the counter book" admitted
Gleffer.
Judge Young gasped, and then said:
"Well, I guess you will consider it
necessary in future" and even the
two. prisoners smiled at the discom-
future Of Treasurer Gleffer.
when, we saw SO many opportuni-
ties slipping away from u.s.. said
Wray when he continued his story, I'VE
started to work our system, expecting
that we would be able to put the mon
ey hack again without its being miss
ed. First we took $500 and lost it. 1t
was so easy to get the money that we
continued to play. The money was
simply burned up. We don't know just
how much we took. but it was about
$250Q0O and probably more. OF that
sum the bucket shops got nine-tenths.
Pour Plumber Into Bucket Shops.
1--WE got half an hour off every day
at noon for our lunch, and instead OF
devoting it to that purpose we visited
the bucket shops. There we received
the tips from the proprietors and gave
20 II orders. 1t was like putting money
in a rat hole Finally we were so deep
in that we had to get larger sums OF
money from the bank to pay our loss
es, and we took as high as $4,000 in a
single day. On one transaction alone,
and with one broker, we lost $4,000.
eve bought and sold short, just as
they advised us. I remember only one
time that we won, that was $25, and we
we're sure that the tide HAD turned. But
then it was soon the same old thing
again"
Did the owners of these bucket
shops know you?" asked Judge Young.
They knew US, knew where we were
employed, and knew that our salaries
amounted to only $50 a month"; replied
Wray.
"These people should be brought into
court" said the judge, to District Ats
torney Stewart.
Poker Claimed Little Of 1t.
Resuming his story, Ntray declared
that while. he lived high life for a
time, still he had never been extrava-
CANT. He supported his aged mother in
good STYLE he said, and she supposed
that he was one of the rising young
millionaires because he was connected
with a bank whose directors are all
millionaires.
He said that in addition to the mon
ey that he spent with the bucket shops
part of his share was lost in playing
poker at the Randall Club, prominent
political organization Of the city.
at was the same there as it was at
the bucket shops" declared Wray. ut
seemed 1 could not win anywhere"
Hexton, who was made of weaker
stuff than Wray, admitted that the sto-
ny uas true hut begged for the courts