The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-12-30
MARcH6ANK. CONVICTED OF EN-
5EZZlEMENT PHlIhNTHROPIST.
EVERY PUBLIC ORGANIZATION
Few Persons in Joplin Knew That
the Public Spirited optinist Came
to the City From Peni-
tentiary Cell

Joplin the tact that H. b. March
bank had I'm years gone by been
convicted of a felony ami served a
term in prison became known only al.
ter his death by suicide here last
week. The Joplin newspapers did
not refer to the dark period In his
life, and the first iutimation to the
public came in the reviews printed
by eastern newspapers. Even then
many of his acquaintances refused
TO accept the truth Of these reports
until intimate friends of the dead
man verified them
There was reason for this skep.
ticsm. Few men serve term IN
prison and come ont with disposition
unspoiled and unspotted and yet
Henry Marchbank was an optimist
| of the most pronounced type. So
emphatic was this element IN his
nature that small wonder follows the
rather general doubt that such an
! experience couli have come into his
life. 1t did not shadow his existence;
he buried ii behind him.
What! Marchbank an embez.
zler!" exclaimed his friends. "Impos.
sible!" Since his death those who
knew the story-the few to whom
he had told the tale of his New Jer.
| sey misfortune-have been compel
/ ei To repeat il often to satisfy the
| demands of friends Of the dead man
In 1889, Henry B. Marchbank was
/ convicted in New Jersey of miscon.
duct in the management of bank.
! or its fund two and one half mil.
lion dollars hal been misapplied He
was the confidential clerk OF the
bank president. He was sentenced to
serve five years and at the end of
three years he was granted an un-
conditional pardon. Marchbank. 10 a
few here. told the story without re-
serve, adding only that he became
the scapegoat for others higher in
the service of the wrecked bank.
In support oi this he gave the
showing htat brought him pardon
before the expiration of his sentence
with the unusual feature of his un.
conditional restoration 10 citizenship
Marchbank's acquaintanccs and
friends in Joplin believe this They
cannot believe that a man wicked
enough to wreck "A bank could bear
the attitude toward his fellowmar
that was so noticeable In March
banks makeup. They cannot recon
cile his generosity with the past
j No man criminal at heart evci
left the penitentiarv with his well
\ wishing feeling toward his fellow
men, they say, and then they tel
\ of his career since he came to Jop
lin, about three years ago.
II. b. Marchbank possessed a small
fortune when he came here, but whe,
he died this was gone, and prob
] ably no factor contributed so mucl
to the vanishing of his accumulation
as his generosity and his devotion 4
public enterprises One of the mos
intimate friends of Marchbank wa
I George b. Temple merchant no,
. dead. whose affairs became icopal
dized few weeks before his dcatl
Marchbank took some of Temple
ouStanding accounts and devoted scN
eral days to collections for hi
friend, merely as an act of goo
will, ana without pay and al IN
same time he urged others to d
the asme, always with the plea
/ Get out and help collect George
accounts and Wen put him on hi
feet aud save his business" Marc
banks business was running ltse
/ while he devoted his every effort I
saving Temples business.
= Marchbank joined every organic
= tion devoted TO the upbulllng
the public welfare. He was "A mel
Der OF the Commercial clubs
Joplin and Webb City; he mai
tanned membership IN the Y. NJ.
\. He cared nothing for money 4
personal uses. His friends here I,
a.
= when the democrats nominated
> city ticket last spring, Marchban
unsolicited. mailed 10 each candida
S. bill. Some OF these candldat