New Britain herald., 1916-11-29
CLERK ADMITS THEFT
 OF $I,OOO A WEEK
Invested Loot and Conducted
 Chain of Cigar Stands

New York, Nov. 29.-Adolf J. Loef-
 fer was locked up in the Tombs last
 night after he had confessed that
 for two years he had stolen nearly 1000 a week from Francis H. Leg
 gett & Co.,. wholesale grocers, by
 whom he was employed as a shipping
 clerk at s25 week in the warehouse
 at Thirteenth avenue and Twenty-sev-
 enth street. But Loeffler was not
 downcast nor discouraged.
 He is 30 years old. and in the opin-
 ion of the young man he is certain
 to make his fortune no matter what
 sentence he may receive. To have hidden thefts of such magnitude,
 Loeffler argues. might indicate that he was merely a clever theft. To have invested his steaHngs so that now he is able to make almost entire resti- tuition, although he has lived in lux ury, operated three automo piles, and employed a chauffeur at 8 weekly wage equal to his own. at a total ex. penditure of probably more than $15,-
 900 yearly, is testimony, in his opin-
 ion, to his financial ability.
 'If I could have had one more year." said Loeffler yesterday, 'I should have become a rich man. With the money I stole I started a string of cigar stands in office buildings and hotels, and my earnings from this have been large. Why I even bought
 my cigars from Leggett's. I don't
 know just how much I took, but I
 can pay most of it back. and in an-
 other year I could have returned all
 of it and retired wealthy''
 Loeffler lived with his wife at 156 West Eighty-sixth street in an apart ment which he rented for $15O a l month. His ordinary living ex-
 penses, he said, were upward of $500 a month and the furnishings of his home were worth $35,OO0. He owned
 jewelry worth 5000 more All this he has turned over to his employers, together with his stock and fixtures in his various cigar stands. so that he has restored probably threequar- ters of what he took.
 His Method.
 The young man was questioned closely by Assistant District Attorney Ryttenberg as to the method by which he obtained money from his employ
 CTS, and as 8 result MT Ryttenberg 1 has summoned officers of Leggett S, Co.,, to his office. and today will try
 to go further into the details of the case.
 According to Loeffler the whole sale grocers did a large export bus mess and depended on a State street firm of shipping brokers to find bot toms for their wares. This firm ren- dered weekly bills for forwarding
 charges, which were audited and en-
 dorsed to the cashier for payment Loeffler says he raised the amounts of these bills after they had been en- dOraed. so that a check for an amount
 in excess of the true bill was always | sent to the shipping brokerage firm. Then, according to Loeffler, by ar
 engagement With this firm, he would
 receive from 1t check for the diff ference between the true bill and the Leggett payment. made out in a check to bearer on the Hanover National bank. A member of the shipping firm introduced him at the bank, he said
 and he took these checks there and
 cnnhed them.
 MT. RSttenberg called on the brok~ cra for an explanation and was in formed by the manager that the | proprietor was in England, and the manager, acting under his orders, l was following a custom adopted by | the owner before his departure. Ac- | cording to the Assistant District At 1 torney, this manager admitted that 1 he thought the transaction unbus- 1 inesslike, but said he had been made 1 to understand that Leggett & Co. had 1 adopted this means of paying some commissions to agents of foreign gov
 ernments in return for large war or ders This, officials of the firm deny l Charles T. Ward. who made the 1 charge against Loeffler, said the dis 1 covery of the thefts had come only l when the firm noticed an unusual de- ] crease in profits in tho export branch l of the business. The young man was arrested early Tuesday morning and
 pleaded guilty when arraigned before
 a magistrate yesterday. Pending &C.,
 ton by the grand jury he was re- ! mauded to prison. - --,-