Omaha daily bee., 1921-03-13
Give Order
For Arrest
of CIaridge
Missing Blair Banker to Be
Charged With Violating
State Laws OH Four
Counts.
Davis Conducts Probe

Davis Conducts Probe
Blair, Keb,, March l2.-(Special.)
Violation OF the state banking
laws in four specific instances will
be the charge filed against +. II
Claridge, missing president of tht
banking house OF A. Castetter here
with a warrant for his arrest, accord,
ing to Clarence A. Davis, attorney
general.
Mr. Davis, who is here with the
state bank examiner. investigating
the condition of the bank, says tbs
warrant will be issued Immediately
on the completion OF the inyestiga
ton.
His investigation revealed there
was $4,000 in cash on deposit at
the bank This money was dis
tributed among three other banks
Tor safe keeping: Much worthless
paper was also discovered, Mr..
Davis said.
Friends Caused Failure.
Friendship, augmented by cxces-
slve financial accommodations to his
fellow men by +. H. Claridge, miss
ing bank president, is the real cause
OF the wrecking OF the banking house
OF A. Castetter here.
Seventy-hye per cent of the funds
lost, which rough estimates now
place at nearly S500000. was due to
friendship. and the other Is per cent
10 real estate investments. according
TO old-time residents here.
Clarence A. Davis, attorney gen.
eral of Nebraska, and +. E. Hart,
secretary OF the department of trade
and commerce, with Gus Hyers, state
sheriff. are here today and declare
they will have completed their inves-
tigation of the affairs Of the bank by
night. a.
Opinion in the community is divid-
cd with reference to confidence in
i, RI. Claridge, the missing president
and son-in-law OF the founder of the
Panking House Of Castetter.
q Thsre arc probably 25 men bere
today who have done business with
Claridge and who, il they knew
where Claridge now is, would send
him enough money to make good his
losses ard back him III new start,
according to the spokesmen tor the
pioneer residents who maintain their
confidence in the missing banker,
In Absolute Control.
C!aridge held absolute control over
the affairs of the bank, according to
Edward Carrigan and DR.. Maurice
Nielsen, pioneer residents here, al
though he held but IS shares of the
banks stock. while the direct heirs
Of A. Castetter. the founder, held the
Mrs. Claridge held 2os l-5 shares;
Mrs. F. NJ. Castetter held sou
shares: Mrs. B. F. Haller, a daugh-
fer, now dead, held 20S l-3 shares,
and Mrs. Joe Nash. another daugh-
ter held 208 l-3 shares. =,
Thus while heirs OF the founder or
the bank held os5 shares OF the
stock, and Claridge held IS shares
he held sway over the destinT OF the
bank and mounted to a pos ton OF
one-man-power in Blair.
NdfI1C AS SlCih'
Claridge came to Blair from Bos-
ton as a youthful bank clerk years
ago. He soon won the confidence OF
his fellow citizens and builded tor
himself a reputation unimpeachable.
"He never speculated in OIL never
gambled. never played the stock
market" said DR.. Nielsen.
The wrecking of the bank centers
on his friendship for farmers whom
he aided through their financial
straits"
4 Claridge was the leader in Blair
society and civic affairs, but never
entered politics. Although the
pioneers here say he could have been
elected to any office.
"Ciaridge will come back" is the
BY word on the lips of all his friends
here. Nobody knows where he is
and nobody knows when he'll be
back, but everyone declares he viii
come back. ...E.
Still Holds Confidence.
Utter confidence is held in the las,
day against the American Meat Cut.
ters' aud Butchers Workmen OF
lines of the note he lett his wife
when he dropped from sight: III
come back" ..
"Claridge has undoubtedly gone
to some country where there is no
extradition treaty. in existence with
tl,e United States" says Carrigan,
who. apparently, is not so sure Of
ClariGge's good intentions.
Down iii the exclusive section OF
this little city are two houses side
by side. In ond lives Mrs. Claridge,
wife of the missing president. Next
door lives Mrs. Castetter.
Neither womanShas been seen on
the street since the failure of the
bank. They are keeping to the Sc
clusion of their homes.
What is left Of the Castetter estate
will never make good the losses the
bank has incurred.
Up, until two years ago. the bank
was sound. But the recent crash
did not come suddenly.
The banks affairs have been de-
clining for two years. ever since
Claridge began helping farmers
through financial stringencies.
The remote cause of the failure of
the bank, according to the pioneers
who have watched the affairs of the
bank for many years, was the crash
in the grain market which left farm
are rf1a bfe to meet their notea