Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-25
OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR
HELD on CHARGES
Of BANK BRIBERY
Robertson Submits to Arrest
and Puts Up Bond, Along
With Bank Officials, as
Result of Failures

OKMULGEE, Okla. March "a
| (By the Associated Press. )-Gover-
nor J. B. A. Robertson, of Okla
| hona, and several officials of Ok
mulgee banks were under bond to-
day for trial on indictments alleging
illegal transactions involving two To-
cal banking institutions.
Governor Robertson is charged
specifically with accepting part Of
a $4,000 bride to place $150,000 of
state funds in the former Guaranty
State bank to prevent closure, when
that bank was known to have been
insolvent. The state executive came
here last night from Oklahoma City,
accepted service on warrant, fur
nished bond of $4,000 and left in a
few hours to return to the state cap
ital. He said his visit was to meet
the issue without delay. The COVER
nor declined further comment on
the charge, declaring the case was
in the hands of his attorneys, whose
advice he would follow.
b6SlueS IuOS0 dEEeSlCu ~ eSLSIudy,
a warrant is held for Fred Dennis,
former state bank commissioner,
jointly indicted with the governor.
Dennis is charged in the Indictment
with having shared the $4,000 bride
with the governor. Dennis has been
missing from Oklahoma City since
he resigned several months ago. A
search will be instituted for him.
The indictment returned by the dis
trict court grand jury against Gov
ernor Robertson and the former
state banking commissioner charges
that Dennis, with the knowledge OF
the governor, made an examination
of the Guaranty State bank in Sep
TENDER, 1920, which disclosed that
the institution was insOlvent.
Specific Charge Bribery
The governor and the banking
commissioner, having the power and
authority under the law to deter
mine the solvency or insolvency of
the bank, the indictment alleges,
took from John H. Rebold, wealthy
oil operator and vice president Of
the bank, a bride of $4,000 pur
Suant to an agreement that $150,00O
in state funds would be deposited
in the insolvent bank and that
Through the influence" of these Of
ficials the bank would be allowed
to-continue business although in
solvent, in violation of the state
laws.
The $4,000 was delivered by Re
bold to Governor Robertson and
Dennis by means of a cashiers
check, and they received cash in lieu
of the check, it is charged
Dennis took the check rendered
by Rebold, deposited it in an OKLA
homa City bank and split it three
ways, records taken before the grand
jury purported to show. Governor
Robertson was alleged to have re-
ceived a check for $8,333.34, and
Dennis a similar amount, with
which he purchased farm. No rec
ord of the third check was produced.
When d legislative investigation of
the transaction was made last year
with q view to the Impeachment OF
Governor Robertson, Dennis admit
ted receiving $4,000 from Rebold,
but said it was IN consideration of
an oil lease which he sold to the Oil
man. Governor Robertson was paid
one-third of the $4,000 for his in
terest in the lease, Dennis declared.
Charge of Corruption
A report of the house committee,
recommending impeachment, which
failed of adoption by a tie vote be-
fore the full house, declared the land
in question twas not worth one dol
lar per acre, and that the sale of the
lease, if any sale was made, was to
cover up a corrupt transaction"
Rebond at the time said he paid
the $4,000 to Dennis for the oil
lease, but said he had never eX.
amined the property and did not
hold title to it. Governor Robert
sons name did not appear in the
lease as the holder of an equity.
Rebold and John P. Cooke, for
mer president of the Guaranty State
bank, are under joint Indictment for
rendering the alleged bride. Both
are charged with accepting deposits
in an :nsolvent bank, and in addi-
ton, Rebold is charged with accept
ing brides and borrowing money
from the bank while an officer.
The Guaranty State bank was pur-
chased on January 3, 1921, by the
Okmulgee Bank of Commerce, and
the failure of the latter brought
about the grand jury investigation
into banking transactions here.
County Attorney Hepburn, who
conducted the grand jury investiga-
ton, started off on vacation to-
day, and he announced that the date
for trial of defendants in the bank
ing cases would not be fixed until
he returned in a week or ten days.