New-York tribune., 1910-07-30
Detectives Catch Him at Res
taurant with His Lawyer
Soon After indictment.
CONFESSION A WRITTEN ONE
Blamed Cotton Pool for Losses,
and Said Bank Was Wrong
to Put It's Affairs in One
Mans Control.

securities. was picked UP by detectives
yesterday afternoon in Fulton street as
he was entering Mouquin's with his
counsel, Leon 3. Ginsberg. An hour
earlier Gfnsberg had teIephoned to Mr..
Mott. the acting District Attorney, that
he would surrender his client at the Dis
trict Attorneys Office, and the lawyer
insisted afterward that ne was on his
way there with the little cashier when
the detectives upset his calculations
An indictment charging him with
grand larceny in the first degree was
filed against Wider in General Sessions
at o'clock yesterday afternoon, and
Judge Foster Immediately issued bench
warrant for his arrest Thomas Hughes
and Louis Hyams, Central Office men,
who had stuck close to Wider's counsel,
had their man in custody an hour later.
Wider was allowed to eat his luncheon
at Mouquin's, and then the party rode
to Police Headquarters in a taXicab, and
Inspector Russell took the prisoner s
pedigree. Later he was taken to the
Criminal Courts Building and arraigned
before Judge Foster in the latter's cham
bers. Bail was fixed at $4,000, and
Wider was remanded to the Tombs. IS
his counsel was unable TO furnish that
amount of bail. He will be arraigned
for pleading in General Sessions on Mon
day, and his counsel told Judge Foster
that Wider intended TO plead guilty.
The maximum penalty for his crime is
ten years in state prison.
Wider's Appearance Deceptive.
Wider is q short. clean shaven little
German, of boyfsh appearance. He
hardly looks his thirty years, the age he
gave the police, and 1t was remarked
that he was far from looking like a man
with nerve enough to get away with
more than half u million dollars. He
shrank behind his counsel, and con-
stantIy held his straw hat before his
face to avoid being snapped by the
photographers wherever he appeared
after his arrest He nearly collapsed in
the District Attorneys office He was
pale and trembling. and sank into
chair with an audible sigh while waiting
to go before Judge Foster. The de-
tectives had to help him in his walk
through the hall TO the judges cham
bers.
And when he was safely locked up
across the Bridge of Signs Mr.. Mott re-
called the little cashiers confession.
which was an exhibit before the grand
jury It was written on July y, on the
bank letter paper, and merely addressed
to the Russo Chinese Bank.
"Genrlennen.'' it read in substance, I
might as well tell. In few days 81, 900
shares Of Pennsylvania Railroad stock
have to be delivered to the National
Bank Of Germany at Berlin, and 1 can't
deliver them, because they are not here.
I took them. and you will also find a
large number Of other securities missing
which l took. Whatever is missing you
may know 7 took them. I meant to put
them back, and I I'm sorry I can't re-
turn the money, but it was that
cotton pool that broke my neck. Ny
wife doesn't know anything is wrong
but I am going to tell her to-day It's
your own fault. anyway, for giving one
man charge of everything, from A to q
Wider was indicted on the specific
charge of stealing one hundred shares OF
Baltimore & Ohio stock from the bank
on May 22, which were placed to his ac-
count in the brokerage firm Of Dick
Brothers & Co. and subsequently sold
for him The grand Jury investigation
on Thursday was a short one. Earle T
Shaw, manager of Dick Brothers & Co.
and Carl Schultz, acting manager of
the Russo-Chinese Bank were the onIy
witnesses called. Mr.. Shaw is said TO
have testified that Dick Brothers & Co.
dealt with Wider as an individual Gus
toner. and did not know that he was
with the bank
Wider Had Account Eight Months.
Wider had had an account with the
firm for eight months. 1t amounted TO
many thousands of dollars at different
times. it was said. and In the light of
Wider's confession it is presumed that
most of the money went in cotton specu-
Iation. Mr.. Mott said yesterday that the
report that Wider had any power of at
torney from the bank in his specuiations
was not true. He had been permitted
to sign checks and attend to other small
matters. and that was all. Mr. Mott
said
The arrest of the cashier yesterday
was not unexpected IN the District At
-orney's office. Instead of calling Wider's !
for whom subpoena had been
issued. before the grand jury on Thurs
iay. Mr. Mott had a long talk with the |
lawyer in his office. in the course of
which Mr. Ginsberg intimated that he
knew where Wider was. Mr. Mott told
the lawyer then that the best thing for
nim TO do in the circumstances was to
produce his client to-day.
C:insberg didn't tell him then that he
would do So but the District Attorney
felt confident that Wider would appear
as soon as a warrant was issued for
him. Believing that Giusberg would get
r touch with his client yesterday the
detectives kept a close watch on the
LAWYER until Wider apparently met him
py appointment downtown. and they |
headed for Mouquin's. The Central
Office men were not taking chances of
anv kind. and they made the arrest as
soon as they knew that warrant was
out
Ever since Wider disappeared detec- |
lives have been watching the house at