The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-03-30
H{MER BANKER JAILED
CHARLES MEAD coNFEsses TO
EM6EzzLlNG $500.
HIS TRADE STORY is DOUBTED
Friends viii Make Effort to Square the
Matter - Warden Beemer May Re.
ceive Employe as Convict - Mead
Censored the Press Report.

ceive Employe as Convict - Mead
Censored the Press Report.
Warden AL Beemer of the Nebraska
state penitentiary has the prospect of
receiving rs u convict under his care
a young man whom he has been EN-.
ploying in bank as assistant cashier
for u number of years. Charles Mead
is his name and until Saturday night
he was assistant cashier at the BEEN.
er State bank at Beemer. Today Mr..
Mead, II young man of about twenty.
eight years, langutshes in u steel cell
at the Cunning county Jail down at
West Point He is charged with, and
has admitted over his own signature,
a deialcation from the bank amount
ing to $500.
Mr.. Mead was arrested Saturday
night and was taken down to West
Point on II freight train that evening
Yesterday he declined to be inter
viewed by The News, stating that he
downfall.
In his written statement, Mead says
that he has been taking money from
the bank funds for several years and
that he has so manipulated the ledger
balances that the shortage failed to
be noticed by bank examiners until
last January when Bank Examiner
Emmett noted shortage and the Of
ficers became suspicious. AT the time,
however, they hoped that it might be
but clerical error and that the bal
ance would come out all right.
His Story is Doubted.
Mead, in his written statement, lays
his downfall to playing the board of
trade. He gives out that be has been
paying sums of about 800 every little
while for several years TO a stranger
who represented himself to be a mem
Der of the Chicago Board of Trade.
Meads story, however, is doubted
by those who know anything about
bucket shops. A man who would be
in position to pretty well know If such
practice were going on in that coun-
ty, said yesterday to The News:
Il don't believe Mead played the
board of trade. 1t is my opinion he
got the money for himself, and never
turned it over to anyone. People don't
play the board of trade through mystic
rious strangers"
Mead Church Worker.
Young Mead, a clean cut young fel-
low who comes from a respected fam
lily at Beemer, has always been con
sidered by his townsmen as an eXem-
plary young man. He has for years
er in the Congregational church of
that place, has been the model in fash.
ionable clothing for the town, and
held the highest regard of all his ac-
quaintances. He did, however, live
in an eXtravagant manner and it is
dressing and enjoying luXuries to an
extent that bewildered some of his
townspeople, who could never figure
out how he made ends meet
Married to Estimabe Wife.
Mead was married some little time
ago to Miss Eunice ST. Clair of West
Point, who comes from respected
family of that community. Just at
present Mrs. Mead is in Pennsylvania,
with her mother, to attend the funeral
of an aunt 1t is said that she will be
home this week. She has been noti-
fled of the trouble by mail.
Friends Hope to Save Him.
Mead's friends at Beemer hope to
save him from striped suit and a
penitentiary cell, and stated yesterday
that they believe they will get him
out. 1t is said that the funds have all
been replaced by directors of the
bank, so that the institution will not
in any way suffer
Although Mr.. Mead would not be
interviewed by The News in his cell
yesterday, yet The News did succeed
in interviewing his friend DR.. Crosby
of Beemer, who went down to West
Point on the afternoon train and spent
from that time until 6 last night in
the Jail with the banker-prisoner.
What does Mead have to say re-
garding his trouble" was asked DR..
Crosby on the train returning.
Nothing" said the physician. ITS
beastly weather, isn't it?"
"Do you know whether it is true,
as Mead says, that he has been play
ing the wheat gamer"
THAT is the current report" replied
the friend. 81 haven't been in Norfolk
since a year ago, during the declama-
tory contest"
Don't you think it's a little pecu-
liar that a banker should be handing
out money to stranger for the board
of trade?"
Aren't there lots of peculiar things
in this world?" side-stepped the doctor
with a knowing smile, and impressing
this psychological phenomenon with
pinch upon the arm Of The News.
But / don't believe it," was ven
tured.