Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-04-05
MORROW PARDONS
PARIS BANK WRECKER
Governor Says He'll Make Public
His Reasons For Freeing
George Alexander

Frankfort, April 5.-Prior to Is
suing a pardon for George Alexander
convicted of wrecking the Alexander
Bank of Paris, Governor Morrow to-
day announced he would make public
his reasons for not freeing Alexander
The failure of the bank in 1914 Great
ed sensation.
Miss Kate Alexander, daughter of
the former banker, has labored indie
fatigably to obtain a pardon for hel
father.
The statement was coupled
with the Governors definite an
nouncement that he would issue
the pardon. Alexander is said to
be in bad health. He entered the
prison a robust person and is now
physical wreck. The Governors S
reasons for issuing the pardon
are embodied in a statemens
which he dictated to a stenog-
rapher during the forenoon.
Alexander has served approximately
five years Of a practically indefinite
sentence. Those who know AIexan-
der say that few of his most intimate
friends would recognize him to-day.
When he entered the penitentiary he
was a man Of distinguished bearing,
and apparently in perfect health. He
-. 4o h.
shadow OF his former self. His health
is reported to have been shattered,
and it is said that Governor Morrow
has consented to pardon him largely
for this reason.
Failure of the Alexander State Bank
at Paris caused one of the biggest
financial sensations in the history of
Kentucky. Hundreds Of depositor5, a
great many Of them persons of limit
ed means, lost all their savings in the
crash.
Alexander is nearly 70 years old.
stitution, known as George Ael.lan-
der & Co., May 10, 1914, Alexander
was considered to be among the most
prominent and respected citizens of
Central Kentucky. He and his family
were social favorites. They belonged
to distinguished family and lived
extensively, and until the failure OF
his bank Alexander was regarded to
be a man of immense wealth.
As the firm was not national bank
but was in business under a state
charter, the arrest and subsequent
prosecution and conviction were
brought about under the jurdisdiction
OF State Courts. He was sentenced
to and since has been confined in the
Kentucky State Prison.
.,,. The failure, the prosecution and the
conviction attracted widespread inter
est, not only because of the promi-
nence Of the Aexanders, but because
If the extensive loss to depoSitors OF
ranks and conditions of life. A vet
eran saddler was reported to have lent
to the banker his life savings of al.
most $4,000, coll; reral for which was
missing when the examiners took
charge Of the bank after the failure
Losses of from SIS 900 to $4,000 were
rep jrted by men md women who haC
considered withdrawing and Eeinvest
ing their funds hut who had been pre-
vailed upon by Alexander to leave
them in the keeping of his company
The pathetic element of the case aside
from the losses suffered by the depos
itors, was said to be the sorrow ant
humiliation visited upon the family
Of the defaulting banker. Relative.
sought to sustain and comfort him
both before and after the trial, refus
ing to believe that there was an!
wrongful intent or desire to defraud
and contending that the bank failure
was due to a faulty system of keeping
accounts.