Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1916-01-14
SUICIDE CASHIER
LOOTED BANK
Bogus Notes to Extent of ST..
600 Found In Vaults
EXAMINER SUSPECTS PLOT
What Became of Money Mystery
Unexpected Examination His IN
doing = Sculpture Commission
Busy With Statuary Designs.

Southington.-Loui X Cgrtiss. cash
Ter Of the Southington National Bank.
whose sudden death has since proved
to be suicide. turns out to have been
a forger so adept as to deceive ut
/ terly the banks officers and directors
/ and the National Bank Examiners for
/ ten or twelve years.
/ The disclosures indicate that Cur
tiss had accomnlces among printers
or engrayers. The National Bank Ex-
aminers fear that these aeeomplices
have sold spurious commercial paper
/ to other small banks in New England.
Immediately after his death the Ma
! tionaI Bank Examiner was loath to
| believe. as were the banks directors
and officers, that there could be any
| thing seriously wrong in his accounts,
and the officers formally declared his
kaccounts correct they know now that
he was short sS7 500, and the exami-
nation is not concluded.
Examiners, under the direction of
| Chief Examiner James B. Brennan of
Boston and Otis M. Freeman of
Providence, are to start an immediate
| investigation of other institutions to
discover whether here was wide
spread conspiracy affecting other in
stitutions. They have called in agents
+! of the Bureau of Investigation at
Washington to assist them.
Curtiss's scheme was as simple as
it was unique. He provided himself
with blank note forms identical in
printing, engraving, paper and water
mark with those used by firms which
were regular customers of the bank.
On these forms, supposedly obtained
from printers who knew the secret,
he would forge notes and extract cash
to the amount of the notes.
Curtiss's accounts were examined
four times a year, at regular inter
vals-twice year by the directors
and twice a year by national bank
examiner. His accounts were exam
ined probably fifty times without an
irregularity being found.
Knowing the date of the examina-
tons, the cashier was able to substi.
tute new and unmatured notes for
the old forged ones in advance of the
examinations But unknown to the
cashier, the date was changed. The
| national bank examiner arrived unex-
pectedly. Curtiss and his son. Edwin,
who is the teller, were working I'M
| concernedly. 1t was near the close
of business and the examiner asked
| that the securities and cash be turned
over before the vault was locked.
The cashier responded promptly.
But he must then have known he
| could avoid discovery no longer. In
| the packages he gave the examine
were notes which had passed muster
| at the examination last July, which
showed on their face that. if valid,
they were overdue. investigation OF
! these notes was inevitable.
Curtiss lived above the bank and
| lost no time in making away with
, himself. He was found ten minutes
after he had left the office by his wife
| and had just strength to murmur:
I'm dying / took ammonia" Ten
minutes later he was dead
The bank officers refuse to give out
the names of the firms whose paper
was forged 1t is known that much
of the commercial paper bought by
the bank is supplied by Hartford
| brokerage house with clients in New
York, Hartford and Boston.
Curtiss had been in the employ of
the bank since its organization in
| 1882. He was bonded for $4,000,
which reduces the banks loss to
| $67, 500. and the bank may also col
| lect from a small estate he is be-
| ieved to have left.
No one ventures a suggestion as to
| the uses Curtiss made of the money.