Daily Kennebec journal., 1923-08-28
Was Barber 9 Years Ago-Or.
ganized Insurance Compan-
les And Gained Control Sew
eral Banks-Trail OF Fail
ures Wherever He Worked
- Charged With Taking
$2oO,O00 From National
Banks-Held In Jail At
Laredo, Texas =.

San Antonio, Tex. Aug. 27.-Joseph
Biata, alias Joseph B. Marcino, want
ca IN Chicago and in Warren, Mass,
from the First National Bank of War
rem last February, was arrested in
laredo, Tex, today, by Department of
Justice agents.
Biata disappeared about February l
and Department of Justice agents be-
heVe that he hid in Mexico since that
time. He Is charged with being the
arch conspirator' in the theft of
nearly s250,OOO in cash and bonds.
The prisoner was taken as he cross
ed the international bridge. He was
aralSned before the United States
commissioner on charges OF theft and
MS pond was fixed at 100000.
he mad grown beard and adopted
other alleged measures Of disguise but
ne admitted his identity as ,Toseph
blata of Warren, and Joseph 3. Mar
emo OF Chicago. according to officers.
he is being held in the Webb County
Jan pending removal orders. Officers
from Chicago are expected to come
for him.
Laredo, Tex. Aug. 27.-Joseph Bal
Ia, alias Joseph Macino, wanted in
charges of abscondinG with bonds
valued at S250,000 from national
banks. was arrested at the interna-
tional bridge here today. He is held
IN county Jail in default Of 100000
bond.
Chicago. Aug. 27.-Joseph B. Mar
emo. arrested today at Laredo. Texas.
in connection with the disappearance
of s213,0OO worth of bonds from the
First National Bank of Warren. Mass.
had a meteoric rise here from barber
to banker and financial heights.
Nine years ago he was n barber.
Then he got n job with an insurance
company and a short time afterwards
organized the Public Life Insurance
Company which went out of business.
Later he organized the Roma Invest
ment Company and Commonwealth
Insurance Company, then with others
secured control of numerous small
banks in Iowa and Illinois. He was
indicted in connection with the fail
ure of some OF these institutions but
jumped his bail.
He married a daughter Of Abraham
Goldman. wealthy Chicagoan. and
then with the aid Of capital said to
have been furnished by his fatherin-
law. transferred his operations to the
east where he secured an interest in
the Farmers and Merchants Bank of
Philadelphia. which failed. and then
in the Niagara Life Insurance Com
pany of Buffalo which went into re-
ceivership.
Going to Warren. Mass, he succeed
ed, with Goldmans aid, in gaining
control Of the First National Bank of
Warren and Frank l.. Taylor, clerk
and former railroad brakeman was
installed as head of the institution
Marcino disappeared last February
along with bonds held by the bank
valued at $4,000. At about the
same time Taylor vanished from
Warren.
TAYLOR was arrested in Chicago,
where he declared he came to notify
Goldman that his son-in-law had lett
with the banks resources. Goldman
and Taylor said they knew nothlns
of Marcino's flight with the bonds but
Taylor is now serving a year prison
sentence for his part in the affair.
Springfield, Mass. AUG. Z'-Josepi'
r. Marcino, wanted in Warren for the
robbery of S213,O00 in securities from
the First National Bank last Fehru-
ary. was arrested early last week IN
Mexico City. according to lnforma- :
ton received here from Assistant
United states Attorney John V. Sill
Ivan, Held on some local charge
there. he was released and later re-
81, nrofaTrnd hV the
foreign relations committee. He was
then ordered surrendered at the bor-
der. where he was taken under guard
and turned over to American authorl-
ties at Laredo, Texas, by the Mexican
officials.
Nearly two weeks ago Springheid
police received telegram. sent In
Spanish from a Mexican private de-
tective agency announcing that Mar
cino had been located. The agency
asked for specific information on the
charges aaginst him and what re-
ward was offered for his arrest Ihe
police turned the wire over to the
department of Justice agents here.
Buffalo, n. Y, Aug. 27.-The arrest
at Laredo, Tex. today of Joseph b.
Marcino, wanted in Chicago and
Warren, Mass, on charges of alb
sconding with bonds valued at $3.50
900 from national banks, opens the
final chapter in the story of the
wrecking of the Niagara Life insur.
ancee Company Of Buffalo. Control or
the company was transferred to the
State insurance department last Feb
ruary after it's financial structure
had crashed as sequel to Marclno
disappearance.
Marcino was not a director of the
Niagara Life Insurance Company but
was alleged to have manipulated II
through dummy directors. one OF
them the president of the Warren
Bank, which closed week after the
condition of the Niagara Life came
to light and two weeks after Mar
cino was last seen in this country.