The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1923-12-13

notified, but Pugh and Clark opposed
this move. Finally the district at
tOrney said:
This is an inside job. You men
go home now and return between
and Z o'clock tomorrow morning. l
want each of you to bring a bundle
wrapped in a newspaper to my office.
Do not put identifying marks upon
them. l expect to find 81 SEQ in one
Of those packages. OF course, 1 don't
know whose bundle it will be-"
Pugh and Clark returned at the des-
ignated time. Clark was empty-hand-
ed, but Pugh had bundle wrapped in
newspaper. 1t contained overalls.
Basford did not appear.
All clews pointed to Basford as the
guilty man. Witnesses were found
who said they had seen him enter the
bank the night the money disappeared.
When confronted with this evidence,
he said:
"Oh, that's right. I went back but
l had forgotten about it. Plumbers
were working in the building that day
and l wanted to make sure everything
was locked up right"
President Returns $500.
Then on the morning of April 10
1922, after he had repeatedly denied
taking the money, Basford summoned
the other bank officers and the district
attorney to his house. He placed a
fin how q ,,a1lyouA NN-rarnnI in
newspaper on the table. There's the
money. What do you think of me
for Il id old fool?' was his remark.
But the box and the bundle contained
only $1,000. BasfOrd later returned
$40 in gold and paid the balance
when he sold his bank stock, at the
district attorneys request.
Pugh'S sensational story was cor
roborated by Clementson and Clark.
The records of the bank showed a
series of defalcations extending back
to 1916, according to Charles L.
Brown, deputy state bank commits
sioner, a defense witness. Nowhere in
the records could evidence be found
that Basford had taken money, he
said.
Then Basford took the stand. His
story follows:
He went to the bank about Q
o'clock the night Of March 20, 1922,
to see that the building had been
properly locked up. Pugh had
asked him to leave the vault open
after banking hours. 1t was still
open and he saw an opportunity to
teach his associates a lesson. Bas-
ford declared that he had been
alarmed by reports that Pugh and
Clark were setting "a fast pace" in
social and sporting circles. He had
frequently protested vigorously when
they asked him to leave the vault
open ut night.
Tried to Involve Rasford.
He took the money, laid the old
combination cards on chair to make
his associates believe bank robbers
had found them, and went home.
Basford denied that he knew he was
under suspicion until Clementson ac-
cused him about week after the
money was taken. He said he did not
tell the district attorney the truth be-
cause he was a stakeholder and an
intimate friend Of the other officers
and the effect of his hoax would be
nulIifed
The defense contended that Pugh
and Clark dragged Basford into the
spotlight when the bank failed to
shield themselves. The fact that the
cashier and vice president worked in
the bank many nights was pointed to
as evidence that they We're classifying
the records and when they finally sue
ceeded in ousting BasfOrd they &C
complished the banks ruin.
So the jury decided Basford hadn't
intended to steal the money.