The Washington herald., 1909-01-31
Western Penitentiary Holds Greatest Aggregation of
Bankers Who Have Gone Wrong Ever Gathered
Beneath One Penal RooEEighteen Men jailed
for Breach of Trust-S25, 100000 Embezzled.

the deprsvity and criminalIty that are
rampant. but the decency that is lsnguid,
and the respectability that IS Indifferent
That Is the thing We have to fight
here"
Mayor Guthrie said:
There is no question about it. our city
Is getting cleaner. purer, and more
healthy in every way Councils refused
TO help in crusade TO save babies lives
and 70 appropriate money It was done,
however. and the death rate was re-
duced BY . pei. cent. Is not that worth
while9 Is not that expedient2 II We
want TO preserve the pUblic's health
physically and morally; Il We want 70
have 6ecency. # We want 10 prevent
rapacious graft and crime and &C.
generacy. the people must purify the
government by their votes
The ~Bankerx' Colony.
The truth of what the reform mayor
and A-r. Well and al the practical reform
ers say Is evidenced BY the Bankers
Colony referred TO, for IN the Western
Peniutentiary is the greatest aggregation
OF bankers who have gone wrong that
was ever gathered together under one
penal roof Eighteen men are now there,
four OF them having been sentenced as
late as January Is 10 serve five years
each. None OF them are Of Pittsburg,
but they are al OF the nearby country in
the western part OF the State. and have
been subjected to the same tempta tons
and imbued with the same general Pitts
burg spirit Of get the money.
q - ~U
states have been aStOunded by the chain
OF defalcations exposed, the reckless mis-
use OF funds and the case with which
large sums OF money were embezzled by
trusted officials. In ten years the funds
embezzled. largely sunk in wild specula-
tive schemes and riotous living. have
amounted TO 4 total Of S25,0o0. .000. Some
Of those who led tfe bankers into the pit
falls have never been punished because
political influence has saved them from
jail
In the colony now in duress are such
men as William Montgomery, One-time
friend of Senator Quay. He was the
cashier OF the Allegheny National Bank
and stole more than 8. 500 0o6 John
Young. a former auditor, and Henry
Reiber, a former paying teller OF the
Farmers Deposit National Bank, stole a
million. Others in the colony" are Her
bert ". Tiers. discount clerk of the First
National Bank; c. p Ray and J. NJ Xix
son. OF the Union Trust Company;
Charles MenZemer. Thomas W Harvey
and Mcmillan. Of the Enterprise National
Bank; Lenert s. Cook. who helped 7.
Lee Clark in promoting several deals with
the funds of the Enterprise. Councilman
Martin Is IN the bankers ward. Rhine
hart. who with four others was sentenced
on January IS. VIII add 70 the band OF
convicts. OF the latter are Harry s. Nc
Kee. cashier OF the ClintonviIle Bank.
who was sentenced to five years; John NJ
Mckee, his father. and William C. Nc;
Kee. who got five years
( For permitting Overdrafts on the Mer-
Z chants National Bank, OF Mount Pleas
ant, Charles E Mullen, the cashier: r
I X Hisem. the president, and z. II
Steinman were sentenced TO FIVE years
( This gives an idea OF the situation thai
/ has prevailed in the Pittsburg district
Wells Statement.
A. Leo Wen. counsel for the Civic Vot.
ers' League. has been repeatedly be
sieged for statements on the work o.
his organization in prosecuting the graft.
I
such requests until last week. when h
granted to the Public Ledger an inter
view setting forth at length the worh
+ Of the league He plunged into the sub
/ ject by saying:
The public demands the conviction O.
I the grafters. The conviction of the graft
/ ers is the conviction of the pubic With
1 criminal eomplaceney has the public
/ placed and kept in Office those known Il
/ have sought Office purely for selfish ends
with like selfish ends in view the people
have pursued their respective avocations
acting. If not saying that public good be
damned. but now that It has been damned
I they damned those who damned it
I 'All this. however" he went on to say
''presages good It shows the awaken
/ ing. COuncilmen are not the only one.
who are seeking bail Men Of promi
I nence and position. who paid for right:
and grants are likewise hunting bail, bu-
better far than all this IS the fact thai
the aroused and awakened public con
science is hunting bail because it know.
/ il cannot prove an alibi
1T was present. IL saw. Il stood by. i
was an accessory before and after tn
fact. Nothing OF earth can withstand