Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-14
Robbery According to
Green, Occurred Thursday
Night and Burglars Burned
! Bank

Sensation upon sensation has fol-
lowed the thrilling story told by
Vice President VIM. B. Green, of the
Fairburn bank, of how he was bound
and gagged by robbers at midnight
of last Thursday W lille the burglars
attempted to rob the bank and later
set fire to it because Of their chagrin
in not being able to enter the safe.
After an admission by Mrs. Catherine
Bradstreet, a young attractive wom-
an, residing at one of Atlanta's
best known hotels, that she had
received thousands of dollars (per~
haps $4,000 or $5O,00O) during
the past few months from Green.
T. banker, rms. Bradstreet and her
husband, Clarence Bradstreet, have
been arrested. Green, who is the
may elect of Fairburn, and a man
of heretofore irreproachable charaC-
ter, whose friends were slow to be-
Iieve the story, has made bond in the
amount of $4,000 and has returned
to his home.
The little town Of Fairburn is
fairly stunned with amazement at
the developments in the story. When
the story of the robbery became
known on Friday, the town was ex-
cited to the highest pitch. Green said
that at a late hour Thursday he was
working on the books of the bank
when an automobile drove up and
stopped with the engine still run
ming, while two men ran in, held
him up at the point of revolver,
bound and gagged him and set about
the robbery Of the bank. Finding
that they were unable to force an
entry to the safe, he stated, they
set fire to the bank and left him
bound and gagged therein, but that
he managed to wriggle out and give
the alarm. Before the fire could be
checked, however, it Quilted the bank
and spread to surrounding buildings.
On Saturday Mrs. Bradstreet was
taken into custody following invest1-
cation by city and Pinkerton detec-
tives, and her astounding statement
that she had received from Green
huge sums of money has set not only
t town of Fairburn talking, but
all of the city of Atlanta as we'll.
Developments Of the past twenty
four hours in the Fairburn bank
sensation stood as follows early
Monday afternoon:
Judge George L. Bell signed a
petition appointing James H. Lon
gino, prominent Fairburn cHizen, to
take possession Of all Of Mrs. Cath
crime Queen Bradstreet's jewels,
gowns and other expensive pur-
chases, and all of William B. Green's
property and cash, including Green's
handsome home at Fairburn. Judge
Bell set October 20 as the date for
hearing for a permanent receiver.
The petition was presented by
Reuben r. Arnold and Troutman &
Troutman, Atlanta attorneys repre-
senting the Fairburn Banking com
pany, who swore out a warrant Sun
day afternoon charging Green with
embezzlement and who, it is under
stood, will follow this with war
rant charging arson.
The petition made the direct
charge that Green had "wrongfully
and unlawfully" taken large sumo
of money belonging to the Fairburn
Banking company, that these had
found their way" into Mrs. Brad
streets hands, that she had invest
ed them in costly purchases, and
that she knew part of this money
belonged to the Fairburn bank and
not to Green.
Green, released on $4,000 bond
late Sunday afternoon, went to his
wife and eight-year-o1d daughter in
Fairburn, but returned to Atlanta
Monday morning to confer with his
attorneys, Dixon e Camp, of Fair
burn, and H. A. Allen, of Atlanta.
George Westmoreland and Claude
Smith, Atlanta attorneys.
Bank Closed Temporarily
The Fairburn Banking company
was closed temporarily Monday
morning by order of State Bank Ex-
| aminer w. j. Speer and an audit Of
the banks books was begun by state
authorities. w. T. Roberts, presi-
dent Of the bank, authorized the
statement that no depositor would
CONTINUED on. Page 6, Column 81