The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1916-09-07

THE sFCclAL AGENT SAT ON a
by accomplices 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 suspicion
that Torrance. the assistant cashier,
was playing the market on the funds
of the bank Torrance was known to
be placing orders with a 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-
pensive establishment. entertained Law
ishly, was often absent from town,
was nervous. highstrung, in bad
health.
All these facts led him 10 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 ac-
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
ruse of inducing the depositors to call
for their balances.
1t was to get a better line on the
business of the community. and par
ticularly upon the accounts of Comp
ton. that the special agent secured
position as bookkeeper in joys
grocery store Here he found, in the
first place. that the buying for the
Compton home was most profiigate
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 a bank is usually the
Individual who opens the mail. and
many of these have been known to
cash personal checks and destroy them
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 were being juggled BY
the cashier Gard, as the grocer's book
keeper, found a pretext to send to the
bank fer a record of some personal
checks of Cempton'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 a 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
sonal 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
onstrating 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 a manipula.
ton OF the accounts of current depos-
itors. The system is the simplest in
the world. When a 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 it 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 a long time. The cashier chooses
for spollation the accounts that ii is
least likely about which inquiries will
be made. AS far as the books of the
bank are concerned they are as though
the deposit had never been made. and
the bank examiner. therefore, has no
way of discovering the shortage.
Gard, through the store for which
he worked made several deposits, and.
upon one pretext and another. sent to
the assistant cashier of the bank for
the record of them in the absence OF
Compton They did not show on the
account of the grocery store and the
matter was passed over as mlsun.
Outstanding But so was second ave-