The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-20
COUNTY GETS WINDFALL.
Unclaimed Bank Deposits Amounted to
Over 5000.

In the forthcoming report of Graf
ton county, y. H., is story with
long tail. at least 20 years. The main
item of interest to the voters of the
county is that the county got \ wind
fall Of S221.76. the influence of which
will be felt on the next county tax.
The story runs something like this.
One. Jacob Johnson, described in the
Indictment of the grand Jurors as .
woman or transient person, forged
cheek on the old Grafton bank at Hav-
crhill on February l3, 1897. The check
was put through the bank of Burling
ton and directed to the Globe bank of
Boston, bearing the signature repre-
sented to be that of K. c. Cole, cash
Ter of the old Grafton bank. The check
was for $4,000. Johnson put the check
through ard got the money, but he al
so got caught. The grand jury found
an indictment against Johnson and he
] was sentenced by the court to Il term
/ Of four years in state IS prison at Con-
cord, and was committed May II, 1887
! \ year or so later, or early in 1888,
Johnson deposited such ready money
as he had about his clothes, amount
ing to $2s, in the New Hampshire
0dN lHHS BshliR at AOliCOEO. Ilt UItl UDI.
: however. outlive his sentence, dying
February %, lS41, about three months
before he would have regained his
liberty. So far as any record goes, he
/ was without friend or relative and
I consequently no one claimed the estate,
in fact, it is doubtful if any one was
aware that the dead convict left O
penny.
A year or moro ago the bank set our
to find the owners of the unclaimed
deposits in the bank, and among those
who could not he found was johnson
In some way the Grafton county com.
missioners learned of the case and pc
titioned the probate court for the APP.
pointment of Judge A. Chester Clark
Of Concord as administrator of the
estate of the man who had been dead
nearly three quarters of century.
With true newspaper instinct and 6
nose for research Judge Clark delve6
into the case and uncovered the fact:
, Of the commitment and the circum
? stances Of the man $ death. He founC
: among other things that the sentence
, required the payment of costs of pros
D ecution amounting to $3.50 BY the de
PENDANT. Had this been paid by John
son AT the time ne was sentenced !
would have eaten up about three
fourth of his total capital, but h
failed TO do that. 1t was learned tina
the $2S deposited in 1885 had doublo'
! and quadrupled and then repeated tn
operation several times, so that wher
the investigation was begun the baa
had on its books to Johnson s credi
the sum OF 81, l0S.66. OF this amour
as stated above the probate court a
lowed the county of Grafton its clair
for costs plus interest charges to brin
the total to S22176.
During the course Of his investigG
ton Judge Clark traced Johnson s III
cestOrs back to Tinmouth, VT. a han
!, let with about eight voters, but he wa
unable 20 locate anybody whom he wa
e satisfied was entitled to the balance c
5 the $l,l0S.6G. after prohating costs ha
t. been charged up, and in consequence
p the state viii probably get the ben
Id lit Of nearly $500 from the balance {
q, the account