Year: 1875

Two Lives, and Stealing Two Millions


Railroad.


Correspondence of the New York sun


SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 12.-At Sutter
and Jones streets stands one of the most
superb residences in all San Francisco.
1t is nearly new, and built of wood, like
most houses here, but is imposing in
architecture and magnificent in finish.
1t strikes one as being the residence of
a gentleman of unlimited means and re-
tinement. Every thing about it is neat.
The furniture is rich and elegant, but
quiet in design and color; the library is
filled with well-selected books, and the
pictures are works of art The only eff
fort at display that seems to have been
made is observable in a carriage block
which stands on the curb in front of
the grand doorway. This block is of
white marble, and bears in glaring gilt
a tastefully arranged monogram, form
ed of the letters 81. NJ" which stand
for John Miller, late Secretary of the
Contract and Finance Company, whose
remarkable defalcatioEs, running
through a series of years, have been the
talk of the Pacific coast for a month
past.


| In many respects Miller is one of the
most remarkable criminals on record,
and certainly one of the most audacious
scamps ever fostered by the Pacific
coast. Scraps of his history have from
time to time been published, but moth
ing like a connected narrative of his
villainy has yet appeared. He had lived
here from eight to ten years, highly re-
spected and cOurted by the best society.
He was gentlemanly in his manners and
in business a perfect giant. He was a
pillar in one of our leading churches
and few weeks before the crash came
which hurled him from his pedestal,
was chosen Superintendent of its Sun
day-school. He had worked his way
from a clerk of the Contract and Fin
ance Company to the Office of Secretary,
at a salary of $4,000 year, gold, and
was regarded in a business point of view
as the peer of Stanford, Hopkins,
Crocker and others who form the Cen
tral Pacific combination.


Besides his $4,000 income he was
known to be rich and to have married a
lady in Sacramento who had likewise a
large fortune. Hence his luxurious
home and the evidence of wealth around
him excited no other comment on the
part of his neighbOrs than that Aliller'S
lines were cast in pleasant places.


A SUDDEN CRASH.


One day there came a little voice into
Leland StanfOrd's private office which
spake a word or two into his ear. Be
fore the evening of the next day Mr.
Stanford knew that John Miller'S name
was not John Miller but A. r. Wood
ruff, that he had a wife living in Lynch
burg, Va, and that his wealth had, every
dollar of it, been stolen from the Con-
tract and Finance Company.


Such revelation created tlutter in
the Central Pacific office, but the secret
was well guarded. Stanford and
CrOcker at once went to work to investi-
gate the actual extent of the defalca-
ton. They hoped to do this without
arousing Miller's suspicion, but failed.
One day he came to Mr.. Stanford and
said quietly that he was not feeling well
and he believed he'd run up to the Nc
Cloud River and catch some trout.


Repairing to his mansion he packed
small valise and asked his wife to make
ready to accompany him as far as Sacra-
mentO The next morning both went to
Sacramento.


Meanwhile an examination of Miller's
accounts was begun, and the first thing
the expert struck was a false entry of
$4,000. Then Stanford knew that the
fishing trip was blind. The telegraph
was set to work to capture the fugitive.
Every train on every road under Cen
tral Pacific control was boarded, but
for long time Miller could not be
found Accident, however, brought
him in contact with a baggage-master
at Marysville who knew him and pointed
him out to the conductor. His arrest
quickly followed. He took matters very
coolly, saying he guessed there must be
some mistake. He was taken to San
Francisco and confronted with Stanford
and Crocker. After brief interview,
he asked to see his wife. An officer
was detailed to escort him to his house.
Arriving there, Miller asked permis
sion to retire for moment. When he
returned he Whispered word to his
heart broken wife, and she quietly went
out of the room. In moment she re-
turned, and to Miller's great dismay eX-
hibited and gave to the officer a package
containing $4,000 in greenbacks, over
$4,000 in United States bonds, and a
lot of valuable papers belonging to the
company, which he had taken from his
person and told his wife to secure. After
this evidence that Mrs. Miller refused to
be party to his crime, Miller sunk in
his chair and meekly asked to be taken
back to the railroad Office.


HEAVY DEFALCATIONs.


The clew once struck the expert at
work on Miller's books rapidly un-
earthed a deep mine of rascality. The
original SO, 900 defalcatiOn grew in an
hour to 100000. The next day it
swelled to S250,00O, and the affair be-
came the sensation of the hour. Final
" Miller confessed all, and set about
making restitution. He turned over
hundreds of thousands of dollars, but
still the daily reports of the expert
called for more. Finally the new house
went, and block after block of city real
estate, improved and unimproved, was
made over to the railway company.
When the expert had finally finished his
work it was found that the extent of
Miller's peculatiOns exceeded $780,
900 in the space of five years. The
amount of property offered in restitu-
ton exceeded one million and half,
but as most of it was real estate in
rapidly improving localities the COM
pany accepted it in full reimbursement
of their loss. They also, so far as was
in their power, granted immunity to the
defaulter, this being done to prevent
the possibility of exposing the affairs of
the Contract and Finance Company in
court-an event likely to prove disas-
trous to more than one reputation on
this coast.


THE ROMANCE OF MILLER's CAREER.


Thus far the history of this defaulter
differs but little from that Of other gen
try of the same ilk. But in other
crimes-bigamy and that of living for
years under bogus identity-Miller's
case surpasses that of any other in cool