The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-02
M. {. Foster, Former Village
Treasurer at HardWick
CAUGHT IN TEXAS
His Accounts Are Alleged to Have Been
Short Several Thousand Dollars
He Disappeared Four Years
Ago.

Marshall, Tex, March 2.-Mark f.
Foster, the alleged absconding treasurer
OF the village Of Hardwick, Vt, who
disappeared about four years ago, leay-
ing behind him shortage in his ac-
counts amounting to about $4,000, was
arrested few miles outside this town
yesterday by detective Howard w. Nor
gan of Wood Morgan Detective agency
Of Boston. assisted by local officers, and
started yesterday for the East, having
waived extradition.
Foster disappeared from Hardwick on
April 10, 1908, having told his office
assistant, woman, that he was going
to Montpelier on business. The follow.
ing day the auditors went over his books
and found them in such a state. il is
alleged, that they deferred further ac-
tion until Foster came back.
But Foster did not come back. 1t was
learned that after Foster had reached
Montpelier, where he drove. he put his
horse up in livery stable and told the
! stableman he would call for the rig the
following morning Not calling for the
team and not returning to his post in
town, the officers OF the town went over
the books again, found shortage of
$500 and took steps which resulted in
the indictment Of Foster by the Gale
donia county grand jury and the hunt
that was at once instituted. Prior to
his departure rumor was in the air
that there was a shortage in Fosters
accounts, but the treasurer manipulated
the books SO cleverly, it is claimed, that
the town auditors were unable to locate
the shortage and pronounced the ac-
counts 20. X"
After the experts had gone over the
accounts, it was found that his town
collections and moneys. the school money
and his private cash account had all
been kept together and little could b.
done until the bills all came in, the bank
account had been checked up and private
deals had come to light, when it was
learned that the total shortage to the
town footed mp to $1,000, and about
$1,000 more in his outside specuations
was added. making the entire shortage
about $4,000
After his start on April 10, 1908. he
bought a ticket to Montreal and went
direct in sleeper, and after reaching
the Canadian city he grew suspicious
that he might have been recognized bv
the ticket agent at the Montpelier sta
tion, and doubled back to New York
City, and, according to the detectives,
he is supposed to have obtained money
from a married relative in Brooklyn.
He went back to Montreal to throw
pursuers off his trail and from there to
Chicago, then to st. Louis, Kansas City,
and three weeks after his departure from
home he landed at Denver, where he is
said to have relatives living He is said
to have made an effort to obtain money
from Gen Foster Of that city. who is al
legged to have refused to have anything
to do with him. and he then moved out
to another part of the state. worked on
a ranch. and later went to Nebraska,
where he opened hotel.
Later in California he tried his hand at
fruit raising, then went to Florida,
where more relatives lived and who re-
fused to assist him; then he Travelled
to New Orleans and finally located in
this town.
A telegram was sent to Vermont and
an answer was received that Gov. Mead
had granted the requistion for Foster,
but he decided to waive his rights and
accompany the officers.
Foster is A years old. was born in
Brooklyn, n ". and educated in the
public schools, his father being a we'll
known music teacher in college of that
city. Foster is an accomplished singer
and plays the violin and other instru-
ments and this added materially in trail
ing him. for he was passionately fond of
music. At the age of l6 he moved to
Vermont and while quite a young nan
married at Calais and later moved to
Wood bury. where he was employed as
in the Woodbury. Granite
company. and later kept books in
Lowell, Vt. wholesale grocery store. He
moved to Hardwiek about Is years ago
and was at one time employed as book
keeper by the Hardwick Granite com
pany. 4
Ii is expected that Foster will reach
Boston some time Sunday, when he will
be taken back to Caledonia county to
await trial