The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1909-11-27
BANKERS ARE INDICTED

F. w. Kettenbach, president of the
Lewiston National Bank, G. W.
Robett, George H. Kester and w. F.
KettenbacE., all present or former
officers of the bank, have been in
dicted by the federal grand jury for
unlawful distractions of moneA
misappropriar1on of money and
false reports and entries. These
men are charged with conspiracy In
misappropriation of the bank funds,
The total defalcations are said to be
37,226.19. The indictments have
been returned, but the people OF
Lewiston profess the utmost conf
delce in the. innocence of the de-
PENDANTS. They are all prominent
and substantial men and the charge
s made that the prosecutions is u.s.
ing a poor duke to besmireh the
reputation of the men and the
bank. The Tribune is not acquaint-t
ed with the history of the case. We
uAOOA OIoAOr NAdI a ClCI
made confession duplicating these
officials in an attempt to cover up.
his populations. With the confess.
sions of criminals the people of Idaho
have little patience. In the indiet-
ments of grand juries they have
little faith. In this part of Idaho
we have had experience with both.
True bills of Indictment were RETURN.
ed against men here, who at their
trial, absolutely proved theiF inno-
cence. 1t was evident that personal
and political enmity engendered
the prosecution. 1t was shown that
malicious prosecuting attorney
could persuade the grand jury to
indict, when the evidence showed
little or no justification for an in
dictment. 1t may be the same in
the Lewiston case. The Tribune of
that city in speaking of the indict-
ment, says:
at is not easy, in view of other
rights mtermingling with those
under discussion, and which
are equally prehious and inviol-
able, with one as with an
other, to review the circumstances
with anything like candor, and at
the same time keep within the limits
of the properties. 1t is fair to say,
however, that the accusations seem
to do such violence not only to the
visible facts, but to human reason
as well, that evidence vastly differ
ent from any which it is believed has
been produced, must be forthcom-
ing before the allegations are given
credence. The accused men are
men of large financial resources and
most extensive financial connections.
They are owners of more than the
half of the bank which they are ac-
cused of giving an employee carte
blanche to loot. The looted funds
did not go into speculation, which
has tempted many good men to their
undoing, but in ridiculous and clum-
sy wastes, being, in point of fact,
re-embezzled or extorted from the
original source of leakage, to a large
extent. The accused men are. now
of large financial means, having no
reason whatever to go outside of
their own resources for any under
taking which might interest them.
AS 1t happened, the building up of
their bank was the only undertake
ing of any moment that interested
them. Bad luck or costly errors
have at times produced apparent
crises in good mems affairs, leading
to desperate efforts at retrieval.
These men have had, and have,
abundant and idle funds at their
disposal, as testified by their prompt
restoration of the great bulk of the
gums embezzled from their bank.
for any part of the acts ascribed
to them, while the various methods
by which the embezzlement was ac-
complished and the facts surround
ing the circumstances speak for
themselves. On the other hand, the |
newspaper organs of the prosecution |
have indicated from the beginning |
that the purpose was to .smirch the |
poor dupe then in their power. It |
is comparatively easy to do this, |
the uses of which the |
government of the United States, /
jurisdiction of Idaho, can be put of
recent day. This is shown as to
Senator Borah. as to Governor
as to more recent and |
instances OF procuring I'm
dictments by grand Jurors carefully /
and secretly in advance by the pros
ecution's agencies, when upon open
and legitimate hearing, not a shred