The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-02-04
l F|()RNE:R BANK CASHIER |S
 IN JAIL AT
 TUCSON

J. A Battle, of Duncan, formerly hookkeeper and assistant cashier of the First National Bank, of Clifton and later cashier of the Bank of Duncan is in jail in Tucson, pending the giving of bonds in the sum of five thousand dollars on a charge of embezzlement and falsifying bank records.
 The charges preferred against Bat tie in the United States court at Tucson grew out of alleged criminal acts committed while employed in the First National Bank of Clifton during the first part of 1919, when during the absence of w. E. Munroe, Assistant Cashier of the bank, at the, training camp in Tucson, he had charge of the books of the bank
 The amount Battle is alleged to have appropriated to his own use is placed at between $500 and S200o, the greater part of which was since repaid to the bank, according to the bank officials. It is said that when the loss was discovered, and Battle was questioned about the discrepan- cies, he admitted the transaction and at that time repaid the bank $120o of the amount. At another time an anonymous letter was received by the bank enclosing $3O0.0O
 Following the payment of the money to the First National the officials of that institution decided to forego prosecution but the National Bank Examiner, upon learning of the cir cumstance, brought the matter to the attention of the Department Of Justice, and an agent of that depart ment, after an investigation of the transactions, preferred charges in the U. s. court at Tucson It was evidently the expectation of Battle ! that having made good his alleged shortage, that the case would be dropped, and upon learning that ! charges had been preferred against him he went to Tucson immediately.
 For the past several months Battle has been Cashier of the Bank of Dun ! can and the circumstance of his all legged shortage while an employee of ! the First National at Clifton was i known only to himself the bank of- 1 ffcials and the bank examiner.
 On Saturday Jan 21 Battle left 1 Duncan. telling the assistant cashier ! he would be gone a day or two and not
 to open his mail. After an absence
 of two or three days the, directors,
 being unable to explain his absence,
 and not knowing where be went, be- gan an investigation of affairs in the 1 Bank of Duncan The investigation ] showed that everything was O. K. and
 then like a thunderboldt out of a clear
 sky came. the news that Battle was
 under arrest in Tucson on a federal oh Erc,f n telegram from Battle himself to one of the bank directors requesting him
 to write a letter to judge SawtelIe
 in his behalf and conveying the in.
 formation that he had entered a plea
 of guilty. Other bank officials in the
 county also received similar tele. grams.
 It was evidently the supposition of
 Battle that having made good the al } legged shortage, and entered plea of
 guilty, he would be given a suspend . ed sentence, but as time passed and , he was not called up for sentence he secured the services of n attorney l withdrew his plea of guilty and enter , ed plea of not guilty to the charges Bond in the sum of 5000 was fixed 2 His wife, who was in Duncan, gain l ed her first knowledge that her bus . band was in trouble through a direc } tor of the Bank of Duncan. Mrs. Bat [ tie left for Tucson immediately but l returned the first part of the week
 and has since engaged in securing bondsmen for her husband.
 At meeting of the directors of the Bank of Duncan last week the posi- r tion of Battle, as Cashier of the Banl : of Duncan was declared vacant ana
 Assistant Cashier Care placed il charge of the institution.