The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-06-14

! totals Of the letters on the casn doom
The general ledger and the genera
cash book were kept by the cashier
In order to make the total amount o.
deposits In the individual ledger agree
with the amount shown by the gen
eral ledger. Coleman resorted to false
debit entries (plugs) and the reduc
| ton OF balances when carrying TOR
ward accounts. Within FIVE years
Coleman looted the bank of more than
| 100000 and he is now serving long
term in the state prison. The direc
tors noticed the reduction OF the de
posits in the bank, but attributed 1t tc
competition. The defalcation was no,
discovered until the books were ex
amined by the auditors of the Harvard
Trust company, to which concern the
directors had agreed to sell out.
Henry M. bearing. cashier Of the AL
bion National bank of Albion, Mich,
is serving a term in prison. A search
of the cashiers desk, after the closing
of the bank, disclosed leaves removed
from the loose leaf individual and saw
ings depositors' ledgers carrying cred
It balances aggregating s1S5.317.41'
which Of course represented a short
age In each of an equal amount. This
method Of covering" had been In
vogue since the bank began business.
The cashier stated to the examiner
that he found no difficulty at all in
deceiving the directors. The bills re-
ceivable were added by him on an add
ing machine; the list was checked
with the notes Of the directors, but at
no time, the cashier stated. did the
directors check the total Of the add
ing machine list with the general
ledger. The assistant cashier stated
that practically all of the manufacture.
ing customers notes owned by the
bank were forgeries.
Not Balanced for Three Years.
Earl Stannard. bookkeeper Of ma
tional bank at Pomona, CAL, IS under
arrest on the charge Of abstracting
more than $15O,OOO Of the funds Of the
bank. One of his methods it Is al
legged was that employed by Coleman
of extracting the clearing items
from the morning mail before they
were seen by the cashier or others
and destroying all items in favor Of an
oil company in which he was interest.
ed. OF the fifty-six pages Of inactive
accounts, thirty-six, it is charged. were
falsified for total of more than $780,
900. Not for over three years had the
active and inactive ledgers been foot
ed and balanced on the same day.
F. T. Arnold, cashier of the First
National bank of New Berlin, N. Y.
Is awaiting trial because of an esti-
mated shortage of about s150,0OO III
the deposit account. He is charged
with issuing certificates of deposit
which he failed to register. or If regis
tered the entries were for lower
amount than the face of the certifi-
cate called for. 1t Is understood that
no one but Arnold was allowed to
make any entries in the certificate Of
deposit register. which is wholly In,
his handwriting and presents many
evidences of erasures and changes in
figures It is said he concealed his
work In several other ways.
insect Quarantine Bill.
Representative Simmons of New
York on behalf of tn, committee
on agriculture has reported favor.
ably bill to enable the secre.
tary of agriculture to establish quar-
antiEe districts for plant diseases and
insect pests and to regulate the i'm.
portation of nursery stock and other
plant products. Mr. Simmons says
that under our present laws the Unit.
ed States has become a dumping
ground for diseased and insect infest-
ed plants.
If the Simmons bill. is passed the
United States will be able to retaliate
upon Austria Hungary. France, Ger
many, Holland, Switzerland and Tur
key, all of which countries absolutely
prohibit the entry from the United
States of all nursery stock and ad.
nit fruit only when the most rigid ex
animation shows freedom from In.
festation
1t is said that If the Simmons bill
had been made law some years age
the historic elms of Cambridge. Mass.
might still be standing. including the
great elm. which is still standing but
Is almost dead under which George
Washington took command of the Con
tinental army Of the Revolution. II
was the embark beetle which was
the chief agent in the destruction O.
the Washington elm and the othel
elms of Massachusetts. This beetle
slipped ir from Europe unchallenged
and unmolested There was no quar-
antlne to keep the pest out and as a
result splendid old trees are now be
ing chopped down to be used for fire
wood.
Pests Come From Europe.
The authorities in the department
Of agriculture have figured it up all
very carefully. and have come to the
conclusion that more than half of the
important insect pests of fruits and
farm crops are Of foreign origin, and