The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1923-12-13
Robbed BANK TO
FRIGHTEN AIDS
Former Head of Wisconsin De-
posit0ry Freed by Jury.
Weird YARN WON ACOUITTAL

h'tlitS II. IdS!OfQ, aged former
president Of the defunct PEOPLES
state Bank of Lancaster, Wis. CON
1esSed on the witness stand in his
trial for embezZlement that he took
LOCO from the han! vault. kept it
ten days, denied taking it when the
district attorney accused him of it
and returned the money when con
fronted by two other bank officers
and the prosecutor But a jury of
ten farmers and two merchants acquit-
ted him, because he said, he merely
took the money to Brighten the vice
president and cashier of the bank,
who, he said, were travelling a pace
that was leading them and the bank
to ruin.
Basford, who is sixty-eight years old
and comes from Il wealthy pioneer
southwestern Wisconsin family, re-
signed from the bank board in April,
1922. Ii was announced that i'll health
had forced his retirement. Andrew
HenZ, retired farmer, was elected
president. Last May Zenz became in
VOWED in Il controversy in the con-
@regation of a LEGAL church. The bank
presidents faction finally succeeded in
oGSting Rev. Father G. Kaiser. and
the priests supporters Immediately
withdrew their money from the bank.
The small run had not seriously i'm,
paired the institution, but it was
rumored that discrepancies would be
ftlrn1 hA
Note Leads to Closing Bank.
On the night of June last, two
state bank examiners arrived in Ian
caster. President Zenz was away on
a business trip; Leslie A. Clark, the
vice president, was attending Il box
ing bout at Madison and J. Harold
Pugh, the cashier. was unaware of the
crisis until he saw a seal on the vault
The following morning the exam
liners hung Il closed sign on the door,
five minutes after they discovered a
note in the bank which read: I'VE
can't stand the gaff. Arrest Basford"
1t bore Pughs signature.
Basford was arrested the next day,
but Pugh and Clark could not be
found Four days later they were
found in Chicago and they agreed to
waive eXtraditiOn if the district at
torney would permit them to return
to Lancaster before warrants were
served on them. The request was
granted.
The bankers were arraigned on
charges Of embezzlement; they plead
ed not guilty and were released on
$4,000 bail. Pugh's bondsman after
ward withdrew his money and the
cashier, after spending three weeks
in the county jail, entered a plea of
guilty and was given a sentence of
II years in the State penitentiary.
Clark was indicted on nominal
charge of embezzlement Of $4,000 and
he il now awaiting trial.
$250,000 Believed Missing.
Daak examiners have been trying to
unravel the tangled skein of the bank S
affairs since last June, but the exact
amount that has been lost has not
been determined. Conservative esti-
mates place it in excess of $250,000.
The failure of the bank - months
after Basford's retirement, with its at
tendant distress which affected hun
dreds of Grant county families, had
overshadowed the former presidents
case. SO when he went on trial on
charge of embezZling $4,000, the
proceedings were held to he unimpor-
tant, except to throw light upon the
| banks affairs for two years preced-
| ing the crash.
The trial lasted two days and only
| nine witnesses were examined, but the
| testimony of two of them formed one
! of the weirdest stories ever heard in
Wisconsin bank case.
Story of Former Cashier.
Pugh, the eX-cashier, now Il convict,
was the first witness. In direct ex-
animation by the state and crOss-eX-
animation by the defense he told this
| story:
ON the afternoon of March 30, 1922,
| Fugh asked Basford not to set the
| time lock on the vault that afternoon
as he intended to return that night
| to work and he wanted to get at the
books. Pugh went to sleep after din
ner and he did not get to the bank
until about 9 80. There had been a
| light fall of snow in the early evening
and he saw footprints on the thresh-
| Old. He entered and found the vault
| open and several cards, on which were
marked an obsolete combination of the
vault, which was known only to the
| three officers. on a chair.
/ Pugh entered the vault where he
found silver dollars strewn on the
floor There had been S12,43669 in
| the bank at the close of the days
| business. But % packages, each con-
tanning $500 in bank notes and a sack
containing $500 in gold and silver,
had disappeared since 8 p. m. Pugh
telephoned to Vice President Clark.
When Clark reached the bank he
| called President RasfOrd, and, when
the latter failed t, appear, they went
to his house. After a brief confer
| ence they called upon District Attorney
| CiementsOn, stakeholder.
Prosecutors Unique Proposal.
p,10b Sup0pCtpH that the attorney