Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-14
SON ADVANCES THAT THEORY in.
STEAD OF CLAIM THAT
HE HAD FLED
TURNS OVER PROPERTY
Theodore stensIand FIatly Denies Any
knowledge of crookedness in the
Bank Prior to August 3-Suhnnits
Documents.

Chicago, Aug. 13-Theodore Stems.
land son of the fugitive Milwaukee
avenue State bank president, in
statement last night fatty denied he
had ever profted by the steals perpe-
trated. He submitted documents
which he claims will prove he had 40
knowledge of the crookedness of the
banks affairs prior to August 8, and
advances the theory that his father
has not fled the country but has COM
mitted suicide. 1t is known that young
Stensland gave to Receiver Fetzer last
Saturday deed to all his fathers real
estate in the county for the benefit of
the bank depositors..
Evidence further tending to prove
that the flight of President Stensland
Of the wrecked Milwaukee Avenue
State bank was deliberately planned
and that the son, Theodore. was a
knowing party to the plot, was obtain
ed yesterday by Police Inspector Ship
py. The testimony, if truthful, dis
proves young Stensland's assertion
that he knew nothing Of the banks
condition until informed by letter
from his father.
The inspector also received informa.
tion to the effect that the crookedness
existing in the bank was known to sew
eral Of the principal employees for sew
eral years, and that they demonstrated
unavailingly to President Stensland
concerning the irregularities.
Spends Day in Vaults.
The information bearing on Theo-
dore Stensland's relations to his faith
er's disappearance was given the IL
spector by L. F. Bodicher, custodian OF
the safety deposit vaults
con July IA President Stensland
spent almost thetswhole of the day in
the vaults said Bodicher. tHe went
through all the papers he had in his
deposit box and made several trips to
and from his private Office. He carried
papers back and forth and spent some
time in arranging them in the box.
He did not appear to be excited, and l
paid little attention to the matter at
the time.
sWhen Mr.. Stensland finally left the
vault, after locking his box, he called
me to him
From now on you may let my son,
Theodore have access to my box he
said.
'The next day, or the day thereafter
Theodore came into the vault and said
he wished to get into his fathers box.
He had the key to the box He opened
UP the box and looked over the papers
for some time. Then he went away.
Several times after that he came in
and opened the box
\ kowaIsIe Revealed Bark Secrets.
The information concerning the lcng
standing knowledge of the crooked.
ness possessed by the leading en-
.Ioyes of the bank was furnished by
Inn Gulliksen, the savings teller. The
Ggularities he said, were first
fought to his attention by Frank j.
.owalski, the assistant receiving tel
s Ter, who committed suicide on last
Friday night.
\ ga couple of years ago." said Gullik
sen, "Kowalski came to me and said
y he thought something suspicious was
7 going on in the handling of the ac
counts He said he had discovered a
discrepancy in the books, and he asked
me to go over the figures with him.
did so, and saw there was real dis
crepancy, and that it had existed to ali
appearances for some time. The diff
ference amounted to several thousand
dollars.
Confront stensIand with Error.
"After waiting month or two to see
if the discrepancy would be wiped out
we decided to call the attention ri
President Stensland to the matter. Sc
we laid our figures before him, think
ing that he would be glad of the infor
nation.
go, there's nothing in that Stems
land told u.s. You don't understand ali
the business of this bank. You know
your own departments, but you don't
see beyond. You run along and mind
your own business and obey orders
and everything will be all right Her
ing and I will manage the bank, and
we know what we are doing There's
nothing wrong, you can rest assured
after that we decided we must be
wrong about the discrepancy, for we
couldn't see how Mr.. Stensland would
want to defraud his own bank
Gulliksen said. also. that Kowalsk
JAtat that time threatened to resign if the
discrepancy were not wiped off the
books, but he was mollified and reas
sured by Stensland that the condition
III the bank was above suspicion