The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-06
BOTH SHED TEARS
StensIand and Herring Sit Side
By Side in Court
And Tell the Story of How They
Robbed the Bank.
GET SAME SENTENCE.
Four Years Added to the Presi-
dents Prison Term.
They Are Held in Chicago for
InQuisitOrial Purposes.

Chicago, Nov 6.-The story Of tbs
looting of the Milwaukee Avenue State
bank which closed its doors August G.
was told by Paul o. Stensland, the
president. and Henry ". Herring, the
cashier. hwo did the job. in Judge
Pinckney's court yesterday afternoon.
The telling occupied only one hour
and a half, but in that comparatively
brief space of time was crowded a SER
mon on the consequences of Nrongdoing
that will be remembered by the throng
Of spectators who witnessed the dra-
matte finish to the career of Henry ".
Herring, man about town and bank
thief. The spectators saw the iron grip
Of the law for the second time fall upon
Paul .. Stensland, already doing pen
ace IN the penitentiary for one phase CT
his misdirected skill as a banker.
Inc impression made by Suensland IN
the witness stand was that he was Gag
er to make known all the details of the
bank Wreeking- He said:
Ten years ago I was perfectly SOL
vent ana worth 4 million dollars. My
dOWn1du began during 1885 when I in
vested $150.eg0 in a real estate sub
division / used my own money and
then borrowed large sums About six
years ago Walter Fradtzen, the savings
teller. stole $68000 from the bank I dis
covered it and put in fraudulent notes
ton.
Herring looked after the extensions
OF this and other fraudulent paper and
when the extensions became too num-
erOus, replaced them with other
fraudulent notes. I was like the
ostrich burying his head in the sand
was afraid to question him at all I
simply signed checks against these
spurious notes. About a year ago
advised Herring not to forge directors
names to the notes lest some day the
directors examine the books. did
not know of good many notes that
Herring forged and I don't know how
much he got personally, but 1t wss a
good deal. I estimate that I got and
used 100000. putting most of it into
real estate investment. No one else
was involved il such speculations. di-
rectly. 1 fed because I knew that af-
fairs had reached such a state that
gconcealment was no longer possible
When the story was ended sentence
was passed upon the men, who sat side
by side before the bar. IN answer to
pleas of guilty on two indictments.
one charging forgery, the Other ens-
bezzlement, Judge Pinckney sentenced
Stensland and Herring to serve from
one to fourteen years in the peniten-
tiary on the forgery charge, and from
one to ten years on the embezzlement
charge The sentences were concur
rent and therefore equal to a single
sentence of from one to fourteen years
III lllE case Oh Cl6flSldUQy VINO
ViOusly was sentenced to serve from
one TO ten years on another embezzle-
ment charge, the sentence Of Judge
Pinckney added four years to the first
sentence. Stensland is now here on
leave from Joliet prison as a witness.
The forgery Indictment under con-
sideration charged Stensland and Her
ing with forging the name of NJ. A.
Labuy. a director of the bank, to
note for $500 on May 28, 1905.
H.
charged Herring with stealing $1,000
from the bank August 2, last, the date
of the since famous deal in Union Pa
ci1c stock.
Stensland and Herring helped each
other in telling the story Of the bank
wrecking and both the miserable old
man with the close cropped hair and
the self-possessed man, generally
credited with being the brains of the
crookedness, shed tears in the course
of the narration Stenslands tears
were those of humiliation and shame
Those of Herring were for the four
children and the wife he had caused
to feel disgraced- Relatives and
friends Of the prisoners stood in the
crowd, some Of them weeping in sym
pathy
The states attorney. John J. Healy
seconded by assistant states attorney
Harry Olson, who helped bring back
Stensland from Morocco. We're the
prom oters. IN the series Of questions
used by Mr. Healy. two notable onlis-
sions were remarked by persons cog
nizant with the case. He did not ask
the witnesses about the Steel Ball
company which is said to have sWaI-
lowed up s180.000. and he did not ask
Herring about the gamblers to whom
he is said to have given his illgotten
wealth.
When permission was asked of the
court to retain the prisoners In Chi
cago for a week or ten days for in
ouisitorial purposes. it became under
stood that their testimony will be used
to draw other actors in the shady
financial drama into the net of the
law.
MnrInn Ar laLInulrA