The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-11-26
HARRYL. MACHEN
MAKES A RECORD
and ISPROMOTED
Cane Bank Examiner Placed
in Charge of Memphis
Institutions.
ONE BANK UNDER HIM
HAS S1O,OOO,0OO CASH
Official, Here For Holiday, Tells
of Catching Oklahoma
Thief.

Harry L. Machen, 4 United States
Bank Examiner, after four months in
the service, arrived in Cape Girardeau
yesterday morning, to spend Thanks
giving with his family, and to join
them in Thanksgiving for the promo
ton he has Just received from the
Comptroller Of Currency at Washing
ton.
In one third Of year, he has pass
cd out of the bush league into the
major league class of national bank
examiners. In that period he has dis
covered a shortage of seven years.
standing, located discrepancies in 4
number of other financial institutions,
and received the congratulations of the
department at Washington for his ex-
cellcnt work
When Mr.. Machen joined the serv-
ice, he was placed in charge of a ter
ritOry, which embraced q part of Ar
kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, but the
banks under his supervision were Of
the smallest national Institutions. This
territory was similar to that assigned
to all bank examiners upon entering
the service. Ordinarily, the official is
kept in the bush league class for sew
eral years.
Mr.. Machen has been transferred
from Oklahoma and Texas TO West
Tennessee and Northern Mississippi,
and almost all Of the small towns in
Arkansas have been turned over to an
other examiner. Mr. Machen now has
the four national banks in Memphis,
Tenn, under his supervision. The
FIRST National in that city has de-
posits aggregating $10,OOO,000. He al
so examines a bank in Little Rock,
with resources exceeding S5,000,000.
The banks under his control are among
the very largest in the South.
Some of the cities in which he eX-
1
Smith, Helena, Texarkana and Jones'
borO, Ark; Memphis, Tenn, and
Greenville, Columbus and Cornith, the
largest cities in Mississippi.
He had not been in the service
three weeks when he discovered 4
shortage of $4,000 in the accounts OF
the assistant cashier of the First Ma
tional Bank of Hugo, Okla.
Mr.. Machen entered the bank on his
first inspection shortly after , O'Clock
in the afternoon. The tellers had Just
about completed their balances and A
J. Biard, assistant cashier, who was
the acting cashier, had put the money
in the safe. This was on Saturday aft,
crnoon. and the time lock was set tC
open on the following Tuesday.
AS Monday was Labor Day, the bank
remained closed. Mr.. Machen called
for all of the notes on hand, which are
classed as paper" Biard turned then
over to the examiner and departed
When the Cape Girardeauan finished
checking them, he locked them up anC
pasted the seal of his office over the
door of the safe.
On this was written the warning
that it could not be opened, except IL
the presence of the National Bank Elk
aminer. The following Tuesday morn
ing Mr.. Machen appeared at the banl
at s o'clock and the safe was opened
He took charge of the contents anc
counted the money to see if it tallie'
with the books.
He found a large deficit, and t
make sure that he was correct, he re
counted the money. The second tim
his tally was the same. He summone
Biard and asked him if he had an
more cash that he had not turned ovel
He said he had not.
"Well, there is a shortage here, Nh
Biard, and l want you to explai
where the balance of the money is,
said Mr.. Machen.
Biard retired to the directors room
and asked the bank examiner to cor
fer with him.
az wish you would go over ths
money carefully, Mr.. Machen," sal
Biard.
81 have done so," replied Mr.. NJ;