The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-08

After he had acknowledged before
John Is. I.ightfoot. Jr., and James w.
Gordon. receivers; before his father
and before others that he was himself
responsible for the shortage OF S13,-
46l.I2 in the assets of the Common
wealth Bank in which he had been a
bookkeeper, John II. Harding. twenty
five years old, succeeded yesterday in
eluding detectives assigned to servo
three grand larceny warrants on him,
md is still at large. His father, ].
H. Harding, promised last night, how
ever, upon demand by the police. that
the young man would surrender him
self this morning.
Though Harding's self-confessed
peculations range over wide period
of time, and involve several hundred
varying amounts, only three warrants
were sworn out against him by Chief
| or Police Werner He may be held on
NIL or any one of them. and supple.
nentarN warrants for each separate
theft may be issued against him.
Given Ten Days Delay.
! with the tracing of certain funds
unaccounted for to the young book
keeper, the work of the receivers was
practically ended; and. after they had
delayed handing in their report ten
days. In order to allow Harding and
ms Iamily TO fulhl a promise TO make
good the shortage, they filed yesterday
M inc result OF their Investigations
heir report contained the findings or
me American Audit Company. whose
accounting showed Harding to be re-
sponsible for the missing funds The
ten days respite had been granted on
the plea of Attorney John A. Lamb.
VINO had Informed the receivers th,t
taIuihs mother and father would
S nae ana secure their joint bond to
"ne soou the obligation incurred by
their son The receivers reported thar
thc hardings refused at the last 70 se
cure the pond, and that Attorney Lamb
20 Whom certain papers and memo
randa or real and personal nronerty
oelonsing TO young Harding had been
turned over refused to return them to
the receivers "
Owns Two Automobiles.
! Partial recovery NAV he had +h
as tarding was bonded In the sun, ~
/ $4,000 by the United States E'id.,;t
ana Guaranty Company. and he Is en-
I ,itieu ,u 10 nave offset against his liza
I pil1ty $4,000 represented bv a casi,,a,1
check The receivers learned also tb,,
lie is the owner of two automobiles
now In Norfolk
Harding took amounts varying from
| 20 TO sum more than l,000 Some
,iines' according to the books checked
/ pehlhd nm, he stole nearly every dav
III the week, and then took n short va.
cess In peculation. During the first
: ieW months, the records show he did
not take money on the thirteenth day
OF the month. Toward the latter pe-
riod OF his peculations, however. he
became careless and the thirteen day
/ held no terrors for him. lie disrerard
| ed lt entirely. II is shown that the
! thefts continued up TO within a few
! days OF the failure OF the bank and
! the appointment OF receivers To toi,e
do Of
/ tors who had here their meaRrc ac
/ counts.
! When confronted with proof of his
suilt. Harding said that he thought the
J amount would not exceed more than
! $4,000 When later lie aided in check
! ing up his own false entries, he found
/ that his estimate had fallen far short
| or the whole sum involved. The small
! thcttS of the day became hundreds at
| the week end and thousands when the
BOOKS were closed against him.
Total Shortage S13,46I.72.
| According to the report illed by the
receivers. John Il. Lightfoot, Jr., and
! James w Gordon, Harding Is directly
! responsible for shrnkage in the as
/ sets OF tho Commonwealth Bank OF
Sl345l.72. When the report was filed
with Judge Moncure, of the Chancery
! Court. he Immediately called into con-
| ference Commonwealth's Attorne,.
Minetree Folkes and Chief of Police
{ Louis Werner. and. for u short con-
sultation with them. IL was suggested
F., that warrants for young Harding's ar
! rest be sworn out. Major Werner then
| being fully Informed OF the facts fu
| tho case. made oath to the warrants
before Magistrate ]. y. Purdic, and In
a short time the whole detective force
was engaged in searching FOR the de.
! faulter.
Hardngs thefts, according TO his
! own confession before the RECEIVERS, his
! father. Thomas + Howard. Allan Tai.
| bott and ii. G. Proctor. were laid npou
simple plan. He made out checks
| in his own name or the Commonwealth
| Bank. In which he had no deposit. md
! then destroyed them when brought by
/ the clearing. house to the bank In
! which he was employed. covering the
| shortage by forcing the additions or
| the general ledger. He did not charge
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