The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-13
$4,000 BANK THIEF
LIVED DOUBLE LIFE
Boy Had Room in a Hotel
Where He Kept His Broad
way Clothes.
PARENTS UNsUsPECTING
Borchwick Often Borrowed
Quarters From Mother Before
Going Out of Nights.

Robert Borchwick, seventeen-year-old
bank clerk, who confessed Thursday
night that he had stolen Liberty bonds
to the value of $4,000 from the Bronx
branch Of the Columbia Trust Company
at 14Sth street and Third avenue, was
arraigned yesterday in the Morrisania
court and held in $4,000 bail.
Borchwick has returned $4,000 worth
of the bonds and has given the bank au-
thorlties information which they hope
will lead to the recovery of $1,000 worth
more. The rest of the bonds. or their
money equivalent, have gone to increase
the bank accounts of taxicab drivers,
Broadway tailors, restaurant keepers
and amusement proprietors at Coney
Island.
Not the least interesting c,rcum-
stances of the theft are the manner of
the taking of the bonds and the recov-
cry of part of them. Borchwick, who
has been out OF school only a year, was
employed as = clerk In the oan depart
ment of the trust company's branch in
The Bronx. Part OF his duty consisted
Of tabulating and tying into packages
bonds and other securities deposited by
clients as collateral for loans and the
placing of them in the bank vault. He
had been doing this since July s.
! But within that time no one at the
bank had any idea that he was stealing,
and the bonds were never missed until
Thursday, when he walked into the bank
with his mother. placed $4,000 worth
of bonds on the managers desk and an
nounced that he had converted the other
1000 worth into cash and spent most
of It.
Bank Manager Amazed.
ut was like a bolt from the blue"
said the manager when he told of the
theft yesterday. up 20 tho moment he
walked In here we had no idea that he
had been stealing. However, our check
ing methods certainly would have
brought the shortage to light within two
months. 1t is my own notion that
Borchwick realized, that discovery was
close upon, him when he decided to con-
fess. However. I wish to give him full
credit for returning the bonds he has
brought back"
Borchwick when arraigned yesterday
was charged only with the stealing of
the $1,000 of bonds. which he admits
he converted into cash, and his attorney,
Samuel Goidstein, made point of the
restitution in asking Magistrate Mancuso
to fix a light bail. The Magistrate. how
ever. fixed the amount at $4,000. say
ing that there had been a sort of epi-
demic of Liberty bond thefts lately and
that some one must be made an ex-
ample Of
Nevertheless" said Mr.. Goldstein,
there is something to be said on the
ether side. 1t seems)to me some atten-
ton ought to be drawn to bankers and
brokers who either entrust valuable and
liquid securities to clerks who are no
more than boys. or, which is the same
thing. permit them access to them" Mr..
Goldstein mentioned also the fact that
Borchwick had opened an account at one
bank where no investigation was made
OF him. -
Borchwick has been able to live like
youthful millionaire ever since he be-
gan stealing bonds. but his gay life in
his hours of dalliance was unsupported
at his home, 500 st. AIMS avenue. where
he lives with his parents and a brother.
The father is a plasterer and the brother
clerk in n downtown Office.
Would borrow From Mother.
At home the boy wore the same plain
clothes in which he appeared at the bank
daily and used often to borrow quarters
from his mother to keep alive in her
mind the impression that he was barely
able to get along on what he kept Out
of his salary, $21, after giving most OF
his weekly earnings to her.
But outside his home he was a spec
tacular spender. Taxicabs. meals al
| high priced restaurants and excursions
TO Coney Island were his special hob.
bies and he was very generous to his
boy and girl friends, who. while partak-
ing of his bounty. were given to under
stand that he was playing Wall Street
| and making all kinds of money. His
| sporting clothes and a package of stoler
| bonds he kept at a good hotel. the man
agement of which supplied detective!
yesterday with descriptions of two oths'
/ youths who used to go there with him.
1t was said at the bank yesterday that
it was Borchwick's brother who first dis
covered that he had been stealing. The
| brother went to a clothes closet or
Thursday night TO get a box of matches
thrust his hand into one OF Roberts
coats in the dark and found 5000 in 1t
\ He told his father. who demanded an ex
PLANTATION from Robert and the boy con
| faasAd