Connecticut western news., 1915-09-02
CANAAN BANK
 EMBEZzLEMENT
CASHIER GEORGE ROGER CON- FESSES AND IS ARRESTED

Crime Committed Long Ago and
 SkiIful!y Concealed in the Books.
 Examiner Deceived for Years.
 The sensation of the last few days i'll this community has been the apprehen- sion of George Roger, cashier of the Canaan National Bank, Friday morn ing, charged with embezzlement of S5, 300 of the bank s funds.
 The cashier was taken into custody by Constable Rhoades at the instigation of United States Bank Examiner George M. Coffin, of New York, following an examination of the bank $ books, which revealed the shortage.
 At the same time the following notice was posted ill the bank:
 "Mr. George NJ. Coffin, United States bank examiner. after an exami- nation of the affairs of the Canaan National bank, reports an apparent shortage in the accounts of George Roger, cashier, of about $500. MT. Roger has been removed as cashier and J. H. Lansing has been appointed tenn porarily. The bank is fully protected by $l0,O00 bond on the National Surety Company of New York. - This notice is signed by George S. Fuller J. H. Roraback, H. c. Lockwood, George l.. Parsons and H. B. Ives, a majority of the board of directors.
 Roger was taken tC, Hartford at once, by Constable Rhoades to o.appear before United States Commissioner Richard F. Carroll, for the preliminaries to a hearing in the United States District Court. Commissioner Carroll was ill at the time. however, and, permission being granted by United States District Attorney Thomas J. Spellacy, the prisoner was brought back to Canaan for the night, remaining in the custody of Constable Rhoades but being allow ed to sleep at his own home.
 Saturday morning he was. again taken to Hartford and brought before Com missioner Carroll on a warrant issued by Attorney Spellacy. He was placed under $5, 900 ponds, to appear for trial in the United States District Court, at New Haven, the latter part of Septem- Der. These formalities were gone through with at the home of Commis- tsioner Carroll, who was still too ill to make the trip to his office for the pur. pose.
 Mrs. N. l.. Jackson, of Canaan. and Mrs. James F. Mallory, of Sherman, Conn.,, went on the bond. Mrs. Jack son is a sister-in-l law, and Mrs. Mallory sister of MT. Rogers wife.
 The prisoner came home Saturday Of ,J ;s the day ot his trial
 Roger had been cashier of the Canaan National Bank from the time the bank was opened, something over eight years ago, ihaving come direct from the Mil. lerton, N. Y, National Bank, with which he had held clerical position for a number of years. and striking fact in connection with the develop ments here is, that the embedding ap. pears to have been done shortly after the local bank started business. as Roger has virtually admitted. The first Sus- picious circumstance that set the bank officials to thinking was a hint from the United States Bank Examiner, Mir. George M. Coffin, who notified President Fuller last February tlat he was unable to reconcile the accounts between the Canaan bank and certain corresponding hanks. This was called to Rogers attention and he went 10 work on the accounts ill question, with the result that in June they were made to appear reconCiled, and no further specific complaint was heard from the examiner until August 16, two weeks ago, when similar disagreement in the accounts with corresponding banks impelled the examiner to inform Presi- dent Fuller that there was something peculiar in the Canaan banks system of accounts, and advising him, as presi- dent, to look into the matter. In this correspondence it developed that Roger had promised to write the Commis- sioner, explaining the discrepancy, but had failed to do so.
 This fact coming to the attention of MT. Fuller, at the same time that the examiner demanded that the matter be attended to at once, MT. Fuller called 3 special meeting of the directors and the situation was discussed. It was decided to give Roger two weeks va cation at once, stipulating that he should have no access to the books in the meantime and that he should give up his keys.
 Examiner Coffin was then sent for and a thorough examination of the banks books was gone into. This re- vealed enough to warrant suspicion that the accounts with its correspond. ing banks had been juggled to cover up dishonest work, and that the juggling had covered series of years and suc- cessfully deceived the examiners.
 With this knowledge in his mind Vice-President H. B. Ives last Thursday secured an interview with Roger at the