The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-01-13
BANK FINDS 100000


the matter of the robbery of The
Clio State Bank took place last Fri
day at about midnight when Charles
G.. Matzen president of the bank, and
Charles E. Taylor, cashier, in making
"a search of the basement found
<one thousand dollars in bills Sc
creted in hole in the cellar wall.
This hole had been made when the
building was in process of erection
for the purpose of accommodating a
drain which was never completed.
It runs directly through the wall to
the earth outside and is from three
to four feet down from the surface.
According to the story of the cash
Ter of the bank, Mr.. Alexander, who
at the time was at liberty on bail,
came to the bank on Friday after
noon and asked to be allowed to get
a book which he said he thought he
had left in the rear Office. The cash
Ter accompanied him to the room but
a search failed to reveal the book,
which Mr.. Alexander then said he
might possibly have mislaid at home.
He also desired permission to go to
the basement for the purpose OF get
ting a bottle of medicine or poison,
and on being accompanied to the
basement by the cashier was unable
to locate the bottle.
The search that resulted in finding
the money followed the circumstan-
ces narrated above. The bills were
of large denominations and were in
two packages Of $4,000 each, bound
with the regular bank wrappers, just
as kept for storage in the safe. 1t
was quite moist where it had laid
against the earth at the outside OF
the hole. A piece of chain and an
old iron hasp, or something of the
sort had been put in front of the
money and when this was removed
and an electric search light was turn
ed into the aperture, small corner
of one of the bills was revealed and
the packages were speedily brought
out.
Following the discovery of this
money, the bank officials telephoned
Sheriff Homer Vette who came to
Clio with another officer and again
took Alexander into custody. The
day following this he was brought to
Clio, and being unable to arrange foI
bail, was returned to the custody of
the sheriff.
Alexander maintains, as he has
from the first, that he had no hand
in the robbery of the bank, that he
did not secrete the money in the
basement and had no knowledge that
il was there. He says that in his
opinion it was placed there by the
robbers to mitigate the character OF
their own offense, in case they were
apprehended, by duplicating him in
the robbery. He remained in charge
of the sheriff until Monday afternoon
when practically the same Clio busi-
ness men who were on his bond in
the first place went to Flint and
again qualified for total sum of
three thousand dollars and he was
again released and is now at liberty.
Just here we shall ask the indulg-
ence of our readers to digress from
a recital of the facts and circumstan-
ces of this case and discuss briefly
some of the ethics of the situation.
The crime charged against this young
man is bailable one. He has yet
10 be convicted of it and the law very
reasonably provides that with suffic-
liberty in order to arrange as COM
pletely as possible for any defense
that may be offered. For this reoson
no censure should attach to those who
may feel it their duty or their priv
ilege to sign his bonds. The case
will eventually be tried in court, ac-
cording to the law, the evidence and
the judgment of twelve citizens.
Everyone must abide that decision,
which will be made after complete
investigation such as is scarcely
possible at this time. The Messenger
makes no argument in this matter,
nor desires to do so. We have only
desired to present the facts and cir
cumstances Of the matter Tin word,
the news), deductions from which
must be according to individual judg-
nent.
Mr.. Alexander's formal examina-
ton was to have been held last Sat-
urday and was begun on that date
but was adjourned until this week
Saturday at 1000 o'clock. At the
hearing held last Saturday, Owen
Gleason, of Detroit, and Jack Ryan,
alleged New York gun man, appeared
as witnesses, having previously plead
guilty to participation in the robbery.
They told practically the same stor-
les as before, claiming that Alexan-
der was implicated in the plans forl
robbing the bank. Gleason said that
he himself, Ryan, Pete Farrell and
Bill Running came to Flint from De-
troit on December 22d, and on the
evening of that day, at the house
Of one Harvey Goodwin, the plans
for the robbery of the bank were
settled upon. He swore that besides
himself and the other Detroit men
~. 4.