The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-09-07

THE SPECIAL AGENT SAT- ON A
by accomplces of Compton. Case com
plete. GARD"
The manner in which these conclu.
sions were reached are but typical of
the methods of the sleuths of the de-
partment Of justice. Gard had come
to New Beaufort with but a suspicion
that Torrance, the assistant cashier,
was playing the market on the funds
of the bank Torrance was known to
be placing orders with Wall street
broker.
At the boarding house Gard learned
that Torrance lived modestly in a cot
tage with his wife and babies. had not
been seen to make any display of
money, was of sturdy farmer stock. On
the other hand the investigator imme-
diately picked up the facts that the
cashier, Compton, maintained an eX-
pensve establishment, entertained Law.
ishly. was often absent from town,
was nervous, highstrung, in bad
health.
All these facts led him to watch the
cashier rather than his assistant. They
led him, also, TO some experimental
testing OF the condition of the banks
accounts He knew that a dishonest
employee of bank. in appropriating
money, had to charge it to some &C
count to make the books balance. The
large, inactive accounts offer a most
tempting opportunity of this sort; but
these were found to be intact by his
MISE of inducing the depositors to call
for their balances.
1t was to get better line on the
business of the community, and par
ticularly upon the accounts of Comp
ton, that the special agent secured a
position as bookkeeper in joys
grocery store. Here he found, in the
first place, that the buying for the
Compton home was most proiligate
and evidently wasteful. He found,
further, that the bills were always
paid without question and by check.
Knowing Of an old trick that has
brought many a cashier to ruin, Gard
sought a way TO test these personal
checks to determine whether or not
they actually found their way to the
personal account of the cashier.
The cashier of bank is usually the
individual who opens the mail, and
many of these have been known to
Il ,,n1s a doc trA hnt
when they came in for collection,
charging the amount to some account
where it might temporarily be hidden
To determine whether or not these
personal checks we're being juggled by
the cashier Gard as the grocer's book
keeper, found a pretext to send to the
bank for a record OF some personal
checks Of Compton's which he had
handled a few days earlier. The call
was made while Compton was out to
lunch, and the checks could not be
found. Through another dealer Gard
succeeded in getting second similar
request made with the same results
He concluded that Compton was at
least juggling his personal account
and charging the amount OF his per
sonnl checks to some other account
probably loans and discounts.
In various ways the special agent
found opportunities, even without see
ing the books OF the bank, of dem
onstratng to his satisfaction that the
accounts were being juggled. This
was particularly true of new deposits
When a cashier Is particularly hard
pressed he may resort to manipula
ton of the accounts Of current depos
itors The system is the simplest IN
the world When depositor hands in
his money. the cashier enters the
amount IN the pass book of that indi
vidual as a receipt. Then, instead OF
entering the money TO the depositor's
credit. the cashier puts 1t IN his pocket
Thus there is nothing TO show for the
transaction but the entry in the pass
book. and that may not be presented
for long time. The cashier chooses
I for spOliation the accounts that 1t If
/ least likely about which inquiries vii
4 be made As far as the books OF the
4 bank arc concerned they are as though
/ the deposit had never been made. anc
/ the bank examiner, therefore, has nc
way Of discovering the shortage,
Gard, through the store for which
i he worked, made several deposits. and
I upon ono pretext and another. sent c
! the assistant cashier OF the bank foi
the record of them In the absence o.
| Compton They did not show on tht
account Of the grocery store and TIM
matter was passed over as a misun
! Outstanding But so was second ave