The San Francisco call., 1909-09-06
Mrs. Emma Spaulding Bewails
Loss of $4,000 Deposited
With California Trust
Aged Woman Absolutely Desti-
tute After Selling Jewelry
TO Satisfy Daily Needs
LandIady Tells of Small Loans
Made by Mrs. Bartnett Un=
til Several Months Ago

GV THILE financial fancies of golden
w hue em.nsts from the wreck
w Of the California safe deposit
and trust company and the atmosphere
the electric thrill Of the names of the
money kings as they gayly trip over
one another's heels to join in its re-
habilitstion. Mrs. Emma Spaulding. 90
years old. who declares she has $4,000
deposited in the concern, is absolutely
destitute, wondering how sch may raise
g to meet bare living expenses.
Il was with feelings of utmost de-
light and satisfaction that Mrs. Spauld-
ing read OF the flights TO New York of
Walter J. Bartnett and his meetings
there with sundry millionaires who
were coming forward with the neces-
sary cash to put the concern on its
feet again. For she had pawned the
last OF her diamonds and hoped that
the proceeds would last her until some
sort Of a dividend was declared.
Depends Upon Charity
She gasped in surprise when she read
a published account Of the manner in
which Gates. Crocker and others were
taking the trust company in hand and
Of the wondrous benefits that would
ensue to the depositors. Then she
wondered how she could tell her land
lady that she could not meet her rent.
She was pleased to read the reports
-
which lay hidden away somewhere
among the. assets of the bank. Then
she cried little in the knowledge
that she depended upon the charity of
Mrs. Belle Marlin. her landlady, for
her livelihood.
For two years she has waited,
hopine that each month would see the
settlement of the business, so that she
could secure some of her money; but
month after month slipped away and
money and jewelry vanished and she
was face to face with poverty, harder
TO bear for one so old from the fact that
all her life had been spent in ease and
contentment.
Loans From Mrs. Bartnett
of course" said Mrs. Marlin, land
lady Of q fat at 1927 Webster street,
where Mrs. Spaulding lives, I have
no doubt that in a few more years
everything will be settled, but" She
left unfinished her sarcastic views on
high finance.
Mrs. Spaulding came to my house
some months ago" she continued, "and
Informed me Of her trouble. She is an
old woman. but it was easy to see that
she had known better days. She had
some diamonds and jewelry, but these
went piece by piece. and a month ago
she sold the last of them.
--On various occasions Mrs. Bartnett
has visited her and sometimes lent her
money. IS and SO at time. The last
loan was made several months ago, and
since then she has not appeared.
Widow Left With Plenty
1T is not worth while criticising
anybody, but it appears that frenzied
fnanciering has reached its height
when a woman with $4,000 in a bank
is forced upon strange charity for
living and the people responsible for
her misfortune are allowed to do as
they please.
An old woman like Mrs. Spaulding
requires special care and attention, and
my only reason for making public her
condition is that the authorities. or the
courts. or whoever has the power to
remedy this state of affairs, should be
allowed a glimpse of the suffering of at
least one Of the depositors in the Cali
fornia safe deposit and trust COM
pany How many more out Of the 12,-
900 depositors are in similar condition
I do not know The probabilities are
that there are several.
The case of Mrs. Spaulding is the
first one OF its kind to be made public.
She is the widow of John Spaulding, a
San Francisco businessman, who died
10 years ago. She was left in COM
Portable circumstances and had ample
for her needs for the rest of her
life when the California safe deposit
and trust company went into the hands
of a receiver.