The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-09
Great Indifference Displayed
By the Treasurer of the Big
Four Railroad When He
Was Confronted.
HE PROMPTLY ADMITS
HAVING STOLEN SUM
Cincinnati Man UnconcernedIy
Asked the Astounded Vice
President "What Are You
Going to Do About It?"

New York. Nov &C. L. Warmer.
until a week ago yesterday local
treasurer at Cincinnati, O., for the
Big Four Railroad. one of the Van
derbilt lines, stole $643, 900 from that
company before he was even suspect
ed of being a thief by his superiors
in the railroad service.
Announcement to this effect was
made last evening from the office Of
Albert H. Harris, vice president of
the Big Four, whose headquarters are
in the Grand Central station.
This is the brief and formal type
Harris last night:
''The amount of the defalcation Of
c. L. Warriner. local treasurer of the
Big Four at Cincinnati, has been as.
certained to be $643,O0O. Warriner
has turned over to the company prop
erty amounting to over 100000, and
there will be received from the AM
erican Surety company, on its bond.
$4,000, leaving the net amount of the
shortage something less than $5OO,OO0.
Is Under Arrest.
He has been arrested and is now
held to await the action of the grand
jury at Cincinnati.
"The method which Warmer adopt
ed was to cover his defalcation in the
item cash In transit At the end of
each month there are considerable
sums Of money on their way to the
local treasurer from the station agents
and others which have not been re-
ccived by him. It was by including
in this item the moneys which he had
in fact stolen that Warriner was en-
abled to conceal his defalcation."
Just a week ago the general finan-
cial and auditing officers of the New
York Central system were startled to
receive from Warriner, in the office
of Mr.. Harris. at the Grand Central
station. full confession of his short
age. He had been brought here from
Cincinnati by Vice President John
Christensen, head of the auditing de-
partment of the Vanderbilt lines, ac-
companied by Mr.. Hackney, the Big
Four's chief counsel at Cincinnati.
Showed Great Indifference.
The Saturday before, or on October
80, Warriner told Vice President Car
stensen in the Big Four offices at
Cincinnati that he was defaulter
'for very large amount Carsten-
sen had only few hours before dis
covered that there was an unaccount-
able discrepancy between the actual
cash on hand in WARMERS office and
that which showed on his books
When he called the treasurer's at
tention to this Warriner, with amaz-
ing GOODNESS, said to him:
well, I guess there ought to be-
have stolen more than a half mil
lion dollars from the company"
The vice president was so dunn
founded at the mans indifference, not
to speak of the vast amount of money
involved in the theft, that he found
speech difficult for minute or so.
The two men sat facing each other in
silence for awhile. Then Christensen
asked the confessed thief what he
was going to do about it.
The question is, what are YOU and
the company going to do about it 90
calmly replied Warriner. without the
slightest tremor of voice.
1t was agreed that they would come
to New York together, where Warrj-
ner could make a clean breast of the
affair at the general offices of the Van
derbilt lines. They left Cincinnati
Monday morning and arrived here
Tuesday morning. Warmer was not
under arrest. He slept soundly on the
way from Cincinnati-more soundly.
in fact, than did either Vice President
Christensen Or Attorney Hackney. Ar
irving at the Grand Central Station the
three had breakfast together. Then
they went to the office of Vice Presi-
dent Harris. Awaiting them there
were Mr.. Harris. Vice President E. V.
w. Rossiter, at the head of the finan-
cial department of the Vanderbilt sys-
tenn, and two stenographers.
Got Down to Business.
Without unnecessary ado the party
settled down to the transaction of the
strange business before them. This
was to reduce to writing the confess
sion Warriner had already made. with
as much detail as it was possible for
him to employ. in order to assist the
railroad officials to better under
standing of his astounding crime After
he had concluded his confession,
which was taken down word for word
by two expert stenographers, Warri-
ner breathed q heavy sigh of relief.
Il am glad it's off my mid" he said
This was not accompanied by tears.
entreaties. pleadings for mercy. War