The San Francisco call., 1909-04-30
BANK TELLER IN
JAIL FOR THEFTS
Three Other Employees Under
Surveillance, After Being Dis
charged by Directors

OAKLAND. April 29.-Earle E. Bo-
gardus. the young paying teller of the
Bank Of Germany. is in Jail, and three
other youthful attaches, one a son OF
bank director, have been discharged
IN disgrace and are under constant
surveillance by detectives because OF
a long series OF defalcations. They
are Harry c. Grote, the receiving teller
IN the Bank OF Germany until q few
days ago; his cousin. Bert Bohlender.
q clerk, and Albert O. Kuerzel. 10 years
old, son Of r. Kuerzel, a wholesale to-
baeconist and one of the banks d.
rectors
BAD HABITS CAUSED INorTRY
huerzeL Grote and Bohlender are
said TO have been playing money at
me raeetrack. They drew suspicion
upon themselves by their prodigalitv
ma 1he directors put. experts on the
oAs ana shadows on their trails
tNfee weeks ago. and 10 davs ago they
We're discharged Exporting of the
DOCKS continued and as soon as false
ehlfles and inaccurate totals were de-
tecteo the bank notified the Nationa1
surety company, which had provided
Donos Tor the four employees. and that
company landed young Bogardus be-
ago w uaS ;
WILL SION Is SUSPECTED
Bogardus was the Oldest employe of
ele Iour IN point of service He be-
came paying teller of the Bank Of
Germany a short time after il was es-
tablished and had more opportunities
Tor embezzlement than the others. So
iar only about 1900 shortage has
been discovered.
Apparently there was colIusion
among the bank attaches who have been
discharged When questioned by the
police this afternoon Bogardus gave
the impression that he was covering
Up the peculations of others and II was
hours before Captain of Detectives
Petersen ascertained that the three
other employees had been discharged.
When Bogardus irregularities were
discovered the surety company investi-
gated his private life and found that
he was living a clean life. He is mar
ried and has a mother dependent on
him.
MOTHER SEEKING MONEY
Bogardus' mother is seeking to meet
the losses Of the National surety COM
pany.
The surety company put Bogardus
in jail merely to hold him." said Col
onel Theodore Gier. president Of the
Bank OF Germany. There is no money
lost by the bank for the bond in his
case amply covers the loss. In fact.
the shortage is only about half the
amount Of the bond
This was reiterated by Attorney
George Z. de Cola. secretary of the
bank and counsel for the National
surety company.
Albert Kuerzel lives at eIS Fifteenth
street. He went to work in the bank a
short time ago. and was trusted by his
superiors until his free ways brought
him under investigation.
PAYMENT MAY SATISFY
Grote, lately the banks receiving tel
Ter, obtained a clerkship in the bank
for his cousin, Bert Bohlender, who
lives with him at 2225 Blake street,
Berkeley. Though under surveillance
they may escape arrest by raising
money
Bogardus began life as a messenger
boy in the First national bank of
Berkeley. He raised himself TO be a
book keeper and left last November
TO become paying teller at the Bank
Of Germany. He eloped a year ago
with Gladys Adams, a Berkeley girl,
and they were married at san Rafael,
being accompanied by another couple
who welded at the same time. He
lives at 3IO2 Shattuck avenue with
his own and his wife's mother and his
father in law, H. A. Adams The family
refused TO discuss the arrest. Attorney
r. c Staats Of Berkeley represents
Bogardus.