Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-13
DALzELL BROWN C0NFESSES
FALSE ENTRIES
DEPosIToR TWICE ATTEMPTS TO
KILL SELF
Man Who Sent Ruef and Schmitz to
Jail Represents Them as At
torney for Banks
Creditors

Dalzell Brown has not yet secured the
$4,000 bail required and remains in
prison.
Francis ]. Heney and his partner,
Charles w. Cobb, are to represent the
depositors of the wrecked California Safe
Deposit and Trust company in all civil
actions instituted for the recovery of
what money they can from the chaotic
affairs of the collapsed bank. The books
of the bank show that Eugene ID.
Schmitz, row in the county jail, had
$177.64 in the bank, while Abraham Ruef
had s1550S72. Six thousand dollars OF
the funds of the Teachers Annuity asso-
citation, intended for the aid of aged or
retired members, was also deposited In
the institution.
Accompanied by w. II. Chickering, his
attorney, David f. Walker, president OF
the California Safe Deposit and Trust
company, today called at the office of
Heney and laid before the latter all
knowledge that he had of the conduct
and state of affairs in the failed institu-
ton. Mr.. Walker last night. in state
ment given out by him. practically laid
all responsibility for the condition of the
bank upon the shoulders of j. Dalzell
Brown, it's general manager.
The aged bank president and his attor-
ney arrived at Heney's office at ll:So
a. m, and were closeted with him for an
hour. stenographer was called into the
room and took down Mr.. Walkers state
ment, which will be used by the district
attorneys office in the prosecution Oh
the criminal cases that have grown out Oh
the crash of the bank.
Mr.. Walker told the assistant district
attorney all that he knew about the dis
appearance of the Cotton estate securl-
ties and the management of the bank.
Neither he, his attorney, nor Assistant
District Attorney Heney would give any
details of their meeting, nor of the ma
ture of the statement made.
]. Dalzell Brown has made confession
to the bank commission. n
Brown has confessed that fictitious en-
tries were made in the books of the bank.
The confession was not voluntary one,
but came af er Brown had been subject
ed to long sweating process by Bank
Commissioners Garroute and Sherer.
Finally, when Brown was cornered. he
blurted out, Eyes, it's true; those entries
do not represent real transactions"
100000 False Entry
The entries which Brown has confessed
s1OO, ,0O0 which appeared as assets of the
bank. These items as recorded on the
books made it appear that the California
Safe Deposit and Trust company had on
deposit 100000 in each of two New York
banks
Brown maintained almost to the end of
the interview with the commissioners that
the entries represented genuine assets,
but when pressed further for complete
explanation ..e broke down and admitted
the truth
Thomas Norby. depositor in the in
solvent California Safe Deposit and Trust
company, twice attempted suicide this
morning. I-e first turned on the gas in
his apartments at 22S Waller street, but
this failing to- end his life, he cut mis-
throat with a razor and again lay Town
to die. He soon lost consciousness and
was found ONE hours later by people
in the house who detected the odor of
gas. He vas removed to the central
emergency hospital, where the physicians
say he cannot live.
Norby Is a carpenter. He came to San
Francisco several years ago. BY close
saving he had laid aside from his wages
$780, This he had deposited in the
wrecked bank. Since the failure of the
bank Norby has been out of employ
ment and decided that death was the
shortest way out of the trouble.
Army Men Hit
Almost every officer at Fort Mcdowell
had an account in the bank. Many of
them had been intrusted with company
funds and had deposited them in the
bank. For these funds they are person
ally responsible.
The savings of the officers did not
amount to a great sum but most of the
men who have been stationed here for
any length of time have saved few
thousand dollars. One officer, who had
just reached California from the east,
placed $500 in the bank the day before
it closed.
A mass meeting of the depositors of the
California Safe Deposit and Trust
company was held tonight at Dreamland
pavilion. About 1000 depositors at
tended, and represented all of the sections
which have been holding independent
meetings for the past ten days.
1t was decided to organize as a perma-
nent convention and the report of spe-
cial committee outlining a general course
of action looking to the conservation of
the defunct banks resources was
oAoDfad