Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-21

Then, if he wanted more, he hypothetical
the paper and doubled his cash. He Dor
row ed the entire capital and deposits Of Che
bal k.
As a final means of feathering his nest
he decided to sell the institutions building.
1t was worth about SAC, 600. Breese found a
purchaser who was ready to put up $4,000
and shoulder a mortgage for the other
$40, 900. 1t was arranged by Breese that
this was a second mortgage. He managed
by stealth to negotiate a first mortgage
for a like sum with another party and 20
slip in an additional 5000 on the second
mortgage of the original purchaser. After
raising cash on the mortgages he at last
got $65, 900 for the building. 1t was esti-
mated that by this time he had stolen
about $3.50. 900. Even Mr.. Moxey, accus-
toned to big sums, thought this was doing
rather we'll under the circumstances.
Breese was convicted on the first trial,
but the federal circuit court Of appeals
freed him on a technicality. The jury dis
agreed on the second trial. Again, at the
third attempt, there was a disagreement.
Then came the fourth trial, and another
| conviction, but once more the prisoner got
his liberty because It was found that one
Of the trial jurors had not paid up his
taxes, and in. North Carolina such derellc-
ton renders a man ineligible for jury
duty. So in the end, with the aid OF the
! legal time limit, Breese went free.
Reading of Crime sn LedRers.
1t was not the fault Of Mr.. Moxey, how
ever. In each trial he showed through his
/ wonderful readings Of the ledger entries,
how the banks money had gone. In many
another case has he done this, landing upon
a trail in the midst of complicated figures
which Saffled other expert accountants.
1t was he who Strengthened out the mud
died accounts of the Chestnut Street Ma
tionaI bank in Philadelphia, the CONNER
cial National of Nashville. and the Second
National of Columbia. In the case Of the
Fort stanwlx National of Rome, N. Y,
after the almost trapped cashier had COM
mitted suicide, the examiner u%ntangled the
books that the man had left in a seemingly
hopeless mixup.
Then there was the Union National of
New Orleans, from which two bookkeepers
had stolen 100000. Moxey was ordered to
the scene. one of the bookkeepers heard
he was coming and killed himself. Many
papers and books were missing. But the
investigator put the missing links together,
with the aid Of those that were left, like
an arehaeologist deeiphering ~hieroglyphics,
and brought order out of chaos. The direc-
tors learned from him finally just how
much money had been lost, how It was
taken, and where they stood.
There have been few cases wherein Moxey
failed to clear up all the mystery before
he completed his investigation. 1t has been
said Of him that, If it were possible TO con-
Wet anybody, he Invariably caused the con-
~viction, without, however, making efforts Ia
fasten guilt upon men seemingly innocent,
and without losing his reputation for fair
ness and willingness 10 keep the honest
man out OF trouble, II has been one OF his
theories that an honest banker often makes
banking m~istakes-is guilty of bad bank
| ~ing"-without being dishonest, and he says
he always makes sure not to attribute crime
to such as should not have It laid at theiI
doors.
AddIng Machine Trick Disclosed.
Many and devious are the ways of the
bank defaulter. They have even learned
to tamper with adding machines, so as &c
alter results at the bottom OF the column
without apparently changing the record oil
the paper. That was what the wrecker;
OF the Enterprise National bank of ALE
gheny. Pa, managed TO do. They got away
with N.OoO.0O before M9xey led the sue.