The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-10-05
ROBBED NIECE OF.
MAN WHO MADE HIM.
BANK ACCOUNT OF HEIR IN Ex.
MONTANA CATTLE MAN
TAMPERED WITH.

Woman, 20 Years Old, Deposition
Whose Bank Balance Was Found
100000 Shy When President
Martinsdale OF Chemical National
Bank Passed in His Final Checks.
When Cyrus w. Field laid the At
lantic cable, one of his principal fin
anclal hackers was the late Wilson
G. Hunt, who died some 20 years ago
in New York City, leaving a vast for
tune, much of which had been accu-
mulated in the dry goods business,
and later invested in the Chemical
National bank of which he was one
of the founders, and in New York
City real estate
At one time Hunt was interested
in a large cattle company that OBJ
Grated in the southeastern portion of
Montana and made several trips to
the Treasure state. He was quite a
devotee of sport and hunted big game
in the country north of the national
park, sending several fine specimens
of deer, elk, mountain sheep and buff
falo back to Gotham.
He was lavish in the expenditure
of money and extremely hospitable.
He became quite a favorite with
stockmen and with cowboys and as
result he will be pleasantly recalled
by old-timers, who will also prove
Interested in the story of the defalca-
ton of Joseph B. Martinsdale, who
appropriated 100000 of the funds
of Miss Ellen d. Hunt, an elderly
woman of 70 years, niece of the late
Wilson G. Hunt, from whom she in
herited over million dollars.
Tried to Keep it Secret.
Martlnsdale was protege of
Hunt and it was through the friend
ship and interest shown in him by
the Montana stockman that he was
able to rise from an insignificant po-
sltlon as clerk to president of the
bank. Martinsdale was implicitly
trusted by his associates in the bank
and his defalcation, which has been
covered up for years, was discovered
only on his death recently.
Special efforts were made to keep
secret the identity of the woman
whose account was juggled by Mar
tinsdale to secure the 100000 and
the bank made the sum good. De-
spite these efforts the identity of the
depositor was learned. In fact, the
close relationship existing for years
between Martinsdale and the Hunt
family naturally furnished the clew,
and fuel was added to the flame by
the fact that Miss Hunt is worth con-
siderably over a million dollars and
has always kept several hundred
thousand dollars on deposit. The
chief reason for the effort to main
tain secrecy, it was learned, was that
Miss Hunt did not desire to be an
noyed over such trifle as 100000
or have to undergo newspaper motor
lety, visits by reporters and investi-
gators. Miss Hunt has been living a
quiet, retired life at AZ East Fiftieth
street, Manhattan. She is al most 70
years Of age.
Uncle's Misjudgment Worried Her.
When officials of the bank and
several attorneys acquainted her with
the fact that Martinsdale, who had
been befriended by her family, and
who owed his rise largely to the in
fluence of her uncle, had allowed her
money to filter through his fingers
her chief concern, according to one
of her friends, was that her uncle had
made mistake in judging human ma
ture and that a man he chose to aid
had gone wrong.
Miss Hunt made her home with
her uncle years ago and kept him
company, wherever he went, and at
his death she inherited much of his
wealth. She also inherited, more
than one million dollars from Ed
ward Hunt, a nephew of Wilson G..
Hunt, and her cousin.
When Martinsdale entered the
bank at the age of 16 after gradual
ing from public school in Brooklyn,
he was full Of ambition, active and
energetic. The elder Hunt, who spent
much time at the bank, took an in
terest in him, not only to the extent
of advancing him in the institution,
but of making a personal friend of
him.
After the elder Hunts death his
nephew became globe trotter for
pleasure and put young Martinsdale
in charge of his financial affairs,
which amounted to all the dignity
that more than 81 900, 900 command
ed. Martinsdale arranged an annuity
for Edward Hunt and an insurance
company paid him commission of
$4,000. His position with the bank
at that time was discount clerk.
Had Power of Attorney.
Edward Hunt died in Europe on
one of his globe trotting expeditions
in 1901. Miss Ellen Hunt inherited
his money, and finding herself too
much occupied with hundreds of de-
tails incidental to managing a large
fortune, she intrusted her financial
affairs to Martinsdale. She was a
depositor at the Chemical National
bank and Martinsdale, who had then
risen to the presidency, had power
of attorney under which he drew
L.