The San Francisco call., 1908-10-24
SUSPICION CAUSES FLIGHT

weeks vacation TO utOp lIOHl SlSi ilL ell
tirely that suspicion turned against
him.
SUSPICION CAUSES FLIGHT
Pinkham, who is well known in both
San Francisco and Oakland was a
familiar figure about the clubs and in
local society circles before the fire.
He was an intimate friend of Tyler
Henshaw, brother of Supreme Justice
Fred Henshaw and William G.. Hen
shaw, the Oakland banker, and it was
through the influence of Tyler Henshaw
that he secured his position with the
Tacoma mill company. He was origi-
nally employed in the coffee and spice
house of w. H. Minor and later worked
for George McNear & Co., grain mer-
chants.
Because of his personal friendship
for Pinkham, Henshaw recommended
him highly to President H. c. Cheese
brough of the Tacoma mill company,
and the latter gave him an important
position at a large salary. His in
tegrity never was questioned by Cheese
brough nor by any of his former en-
ployers until the present trouble de-
veloped. Shortly before the fire he was
taken out of the local office of the
company and sent to Tacoma, where he
was given a responsible position. A
few weeks ago he came to San Fran
cisco and spent several days among his
old acquaintances. Here he learned that
his accounts had been questioned and
almost Immediately disappeared.
The investigation SO far conducted
has led the company officials to believe
that the thefts were confined to a short
period. Pinkham was in the habit of
opening the early mail before the ar
rival of any others in authority at the
Tacoma. Office. His plan was to with
hold any checks that he saw fit CASH
ing the small ones through the COM
pany's own cash drawer and the larger
ones at the banks, where he had au-
thority to make the company's indorse-
ment.
COMPLAINTS REVEAL SHORTAGE
The discovery of the shortage came
about through complaints from out
siders having business dealings with
the company that they had received no
proper receipts for payments made to
the Tacoma office. Most of these let
ters were secured by Pinkham and de-
stroyed, but some reached the higher
officers of the company. The discrep-
ancy was at first put down to error.
but having learned that the matter was
being looked into, Pinkham fled. Then
the investigation was conducted in
earnest. with startling results.
Pinkham's parents live in the east.
He was married to Miss Peck of Oak
land, but about a year ago his wife
died. and since that time rumor in Ia
coma has coupled his name with that
of married woman well known in So
ciety in that city. This woman has also
disappeared, and the two are believed
to have taken a steamer to the orient.
Pinkham's movements up to the time
that the woman disappeared have been
traced up and down the coast. Since
then no clew as to his whereabouts
has been found. Chief of Detectives
Fitzgerald of Tacoma, who lived next
door to Pinkham in that city, declares
that he spent most of his evenings at
home and that he was not a patron
of any of the tenderloin saloons or re-
sorts.
POLICE PUT ON TRAIL
AS soon as the shortage in Pink
hams accounts was discovered, Presi-
dent Chesebrough of the Tacoma mill
company went to Tacoma to investi-
gate. He returned to the city a day
or two ago and last night said:
sT have no idea how large the en-
tire embezzlement may have been
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