Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-09-20
PHILADELPHIA
CROOKS SUICIDE
Long List of DefaICdtiOns
As RESULT OF WILD
Cat findECiering

The Philadelphia correspondent
for the Chicago Record-Herald says:
Beginning with the sensational fail
ure of the Keystone National bank
in 1901, which ruined men whose
regulations were as untarnished as
that,of the president of the Real
Estate Trust company, and which
resulted in Jail for two of them,
Philadelphia has had an amazing
series of financial scandals and
bank wrecks. Bank depositors
have lost millions, but the greatest
inroads of the wildcat financiers
were made in asphalt and in Con-
solidated Lake Superior. In these
two companies the public, largely
in Philadelphia, dropped upwards
of 500, 900, 900. In nearly every
suicide caused by wildcat finance
attempts have been made to sup
press the facts, as in the case of the
president of the Real Estate Trust
company, whose suicide was known
TO the members of his family, the
coroner and the coroner's physician
for six days, and was even sup
pressed by Philadelphia papers.
Unfortunate speculation without
the defalcation feature brought
about the self-inflicted death of
Franklin B. Gowen, president Of
the Philadelphia and Reading rail-
road, and one OF the most brilliant
and successful lawyers in the Key
stone state. He shot himself in
December, 1889. When an APP
praisal CT his estate was made it
was found that he had left but
$3.50, 900 in personal and real prop
erty of an estate that in his life
time was estimated to be pyof TN be-
tween $4,000, 600 and SO, 600.
He had been induced to invest in
southern lands, where, it is believ-
ed, he suffered great losses. Will
lam M. Singerly, proprietor Of the
Philadelphia Record, president of
the Chestnut Street National bank
and the Chestnut Street Trust
company, died under circumstances
which pointed Enthusiastically to a
death self-inflicted. Cyanide of
potassium is believed to have been
the agent, but so far as the rec
ords of the coroner's office 90,
that cause is not ascribed. Both
banks failed, and Singerly was
found to have secured $500, 600
from one of them on collateral Sc
curity of only SIS, 900.
Joseph c. Ditman, president of
the Quaker City National bank,
disappeared mysteriously and for
two days it was believed he had
been robbed and murdered. After a
drive through Paramount Park, his
empty carriage and the horse were
found. Forty days after his disap-
pearance the decomposed body of
the banker was found floating in
the Schuylkill river. His fortune
had been lost in speculation. Ben
jamin H. Gaskill, a stock broker,
cheated his friends and then killed
himself to avoid facing them. He
was thief and a forger, but this
discovery was not made until after
his death. His forgeries forced
the City Trust, Sale Deposit and
Surety company into bankruptcy.
His methods were ingenious and he
reaped something like a million
dollars on raised stock certificates.
Robert Adams, Jr., familiarly
known as BERTHE Adams, former
minister to Brazil, prominent as
one of the original explorers of the
Yellowstone region and member OF
congress from Philadelphia, COM
mitted suicide by shooting in the
Metropolitan club, Washington.
Wildcat speculation was di.
'Tectly responsible. He died penni-
less, having dissipated a fortune OF
$500, 900. Josiah r. Adams, q
prominent clubman and lawyer,
killed himself in hotel. He was
nominated for judge of the superior
court. A bitter attack was made
upon him by local newspaper. He
was accused of having conspirec
with another man to defraud the
public by get-rich-quick scheme
in which il was alleged that humid
reds Of persons were induced to in
vest to their sorrow. Adams made
a weak denial to the charge anc
Withdrew from the ticket. The
matter preyed on his mind and he
shot himself. John Field, once
postmaster Ct Philadelphia, a mem
Der of the old wholesale dry goods
house OF Young, Smyth, Field s
Co., shot and killed himself ir
Fairmount Park while insane. He
came from Ireland when he was
fourteen wears old and began aS er.