The Cairo bulletin., 1906-02-17
REV. GEO. H. SIMMONS OF PEORIA,
SAID TO HAVE BEEN A
SWINDLER.
He LEAVES NO ESTATE
Used $1,000 of His Wife's Money and
Gave Her Forged Notes or Which
He Paid Interest to Keep
Down Suspicion.

/
fruitess search for papers, all Mrs
! George RI. Simmons had left repre-
senting 80 900 in cash she once had
are forged notes showing that tht
money had been dissipated by the
former Kentucky preacher and bank
er. who committed suicide one week
ago. Grave charges are made by
| the widow and her brother. e. q
Ezell, of Palestine, Tex. There is not
dollar left the widow
The several days spent since the SEN
ational suicide of Or. Simmons in In
vestigation were for the purpose Of
discovering what estate he had left,
He had always said that he had a
will and also $4,000 in life insur
ancc. None of these can be found.
Mrs. Simmons, when she was mar
ried TO the former preacher and banker
at Meridian, Miss had $4,000 invested
in street railway securities in the
south Dr. Simmons induced her TO
call In these and allow him TO handle
her money. After some hesitancy on
her part she had her brother to make
the deal She turned the money over
to her husband He gave her notes
for the amount and always kept up the
interest.
She placed the notes In private
receptacle, which was deposited with
a local bank. All of them were found
70 have been forgeries. II is thought
the notes had been signed by the hus
band himself.
Among the Instruments We're The fol.
lowing: H. NJ. Belden. Mossvllle, ST.
900; Newton C. Ward, Princeville,
$4,000; ]. j. Tomplan, Kickapoo, $700.
Mr. Ezel first visited Mossville. but
could find no one by that name. 1t was
discovered that not person named
really existed. The notes were rank
forgeries. There were also others.
A diligent search for the insurance
policies disclosed that DR. Simmons
had for long time paid the prem
iums and then finally cashed the poll
cies for what they were worth. The
loans thus secured were spent Mrs.
Simmons had agreed with her hus-
band that If he took out several insur-
ance policies she would keep up the
payments He would never give them
4. oil nj in
his place 10 meet the premiums as they
fell due.
What Dr. Simmons did with his
money Is a mystery. He has left the
widow penniless The large sum she
had given him in good faith is gone
II was a pitiable sight in court when
the widow. with tears in her eyes
said that she had not a dollar in the
world. All these years she had been
under the impression that her money
was being safe-guarded. Once she
had asked her husband TO take up
one of the notes, but he had talked
her out Of it. saying that the loan
was well secured and it would be bet
ter to draw the interest than take
any risk Of losing II in other chan
nels.
Even more startling things are com
ing TO The surface. showing to what
extent the dead man had gone. That
he was embarrassed financially is most
evident The last days we're a strug
gle 10 make both ends meet as far as
his obligations extended. Failure TO
find a way out of the trouble, in addi
lion to other disclosures. prompted
him 10 take desperate action.
II develops that at : o'clock Of the
he was found dead he had
gone into the basement TO see the fur
mace He told Mrs Simmons that
somebady had stopped It up. and that
be would see to it. II was az this time
hat he is supposed TO have burned a
big batch Of private papers.
Pieces Of charged paper showed
hat the Macon stock. whicn was con
'idered valuable. had been destroyed.
It is also generally believed that DIR.
simmons had thrown the win. insur.
ince papers and correspondence in the
fire.
At a mass meeting Of depositors TO-
hight John Wilton. receiver Of the PeO
pies Saving bank. the private bank
-un by the late Or. Simmons made an
fficial statement showing the bank
liabilities al S1f5049. aud assets al
I10Ss27. The report further shows the
never had a dollar Of
money invested in the bank. but that
al its assets including the building
which il occupies were purchased with +
deposits and that the bank had been
nsolveut for at least six months. The
receiver expects the assets to shrink
10 $4,000 al best OF s. cents on the
iOllsr for liabilities. The deed for
he hank building is in the name Of
Dr.. Simmons personally and The widow
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