Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1905 — WHY BOWMAN IS DEAD [ARTICLE]

WHY BOWMAN IS DEAD

Hagerstown Has a Very Startling Explanation of the Banker's . Suicide. BANK IN A RECEIVER’S HANDS Farmersand Children Were Numerous as Depositors—End of Horse Racing. Richmond, Ind., July 7. J. A. Spekenbier has been appointed receiver of the Commercial bank, of Hagerstown, Ind., on application of President Mason. The liabilities exceed SIOO,000, while the assets are given as much less than that amount. The cashier, John Bowman, committed suicide last Monday, and this action led to the present receivership. Following the suicide an investigation was made, the affairs of the bank having been almost exclusively in Bowman’s hands. According to a statement given out before the application for the receiver only $1,900 In cash was found, although the assets are believed to be nearly $75,000. Time-Look Refused to Work. Last Saturday the time lock of the bank refused to work, and it was given out that Cashier Bowman had been compelled to borrow money for the day’s business because be could not open the safe. He got S7OO in all, S2OO coming from Ed Porter and $l5O from Will Porter. The time lock refused to work once before, and the public dismissed the incident as of no great importance. When Cashier Bowman shot himself, Monday, a few persons became suspicious, but President Mason said that as far as he knew the affairs of the bank were in good condition. Farmers and Small Boys the Losers. There is much excitement at Hagerstown. Business is practically at a standstill, as a real money famine exists. Practically everybody in town had deposits in the bank. Small boys by the scores emptied their little safes and deposited their earnings. Some farmers, old men who had sold their farms to come to town to live, placed their lifetime savings in the bank, and are where they started years ago. Widows and orphans, pensioners and rich men. all patronized the bank and trusted John Bowman. Everybody Trusted John Bowman. There is little criticism of President Mason. He is believed to be innocent of wrong-doing. He trusted John Bowman as everybody else did. It is now thought that Bowman was a “plunger” from the time neighboring towns began to establish banks which took business away from the Commercial of Hagerstown. CLOSE CALL FOR A BROWNING Ducking a Man Who Cannot Swim Prove* a Very Perilous Game for Some Reverend Brother. Clarkshill, Ind., July 7. While bathing in the Cayner gravel pit pond Rev. H. H. Kuhn, pastor of the Christian church; Rev. W. B. Warriner, of the M. E. church; Dr. Henry M. Mugg, and Jesse E. Kesler, of this place, narrowly escaped drowning. The pit is used as a swimming pool. Several persons have been drowned there. Kesler wag the only person who could not swim, and his friends undertook to teach him. Securing a fence rail they started with him across the pond, and, upon reaching the center, they ducked him. but he failed to reappear on the surface. Rev. Warriner dived several times, hopeful of rescuing Kesler, until he also disappeared beneath the surface. Dr. Mugg thereupon swam to the bank and secured another rail, with which he finally succeeded In bringing Kesler to the shore, while Kuhn rescued Warriner. Both men were urwonscious, but soon recovered their senses, Sparrow* la a Whistle Tube. Alexandria, Ind., July 7. —The attempt, for the first time in four years, to blow the screecher whistle at the electric light station, as a welcome to the Fourth, produced a distressing combination of sounds. A family of English sparrows had pre-empted the big eight-inch whistle for a home and had partly filled the tube with nests. When a two-inch stream of hot steam at eighty pounds pressure was turned on there was hasty exodus of halfscalded birds. L. J. Hackney Promoted* Indlanapolic, July 7. —L. J. Hackney, formerly chief justice of the Indiana supreme court, who has been acting general counsel of the Big Four railroad since the resignation from that office of John T. Dye, has been appointed general attorney of the company. The office of general attorney—the new title given to the legal head of the company—has been moved to Cincinnati. No More Horse Racing. Indianapolis, July 7. Secretary Holt, of the Indianapolis Racing association, has announced that the bar ness meeting which was to have been, held here the week of Aug. 8, has been abandoned because of the attitude of the authorities relative to bookmaking. •tabs His Son-I a-Law. Terre Haute, Ind., July 7. James Bacon stabbed his son-in-law, Alevine Koeh, at his home near this city, and the report Is that Koch is fatally hurt. Koch took his father-in-law home, and after reaching there they quarreled.