Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1905 — VIGO BANK MAY PAY [ARTICLE]

VIGO BANK MAY PAY

Looted Concern Still Seems to Have Enough to Satisfy Its Liabilities. HOW ONE OLD MAN WAS BOBBED Also How * Woman Was Robbed In the Hageratnwn Wreck—Fatal Storm-Items. f Terre Haute, Ind., July 20. The report to the government by W. D. Trayer, receiver of the Vigo County National bank, estimates the value of the assets as follows: Goodi, $858,048; doubtful, $203,104; worthless, $68,533. He estimates the bank’s liabilities as follows: Individual deposits, $581,798; public deposits, $264,668; certificates of deposits, $49,103; due to national banks, $33,008; due to other banks and bankers, $7,942 making a total of $936,520. If these assets work out as estimated by the receiver the probabilities are that the liabilities of this bank to creditors will be paid in full without recourse to an assessment of the stockholders.

Arrest of the Kx-Cashier. Presuming that the government made a choice of crimes on which to arrest Conzman, the defaulting cashier, the question with those who know most about the Vigo bank and banking responsibilities generally, is whether the charge preferred against him Is the most serious on which a case could be made. Much has been said of forgeries committed by in signing checks by which he depleted the accounts of depositors and It was supposed he would be accused of forgery, but there Is good authority for saying that no forgery has been found as yet. What Ha Really Did. What he did in the Touhey case was to put a memorandum In the drawer. No name was signed to it. It id true the memorandum was written on a blank check, but it simply said the SI,OOO was drawn “on account of a loan.” It is even doubtful if this will convict Conzman because the contention can be made that the money was taken as a loan. In short, there is a renewal of the comment that “’Gus” Conzman was not as black as painted.

Got *O,OOO of Touhey's Money. Patrick Touhey, who Is 80 years old. was a day laborer until a year or so ago, and lived so frugally that his savings accumulated into thousands. It is said lie lost a thousand or more dollars in the Beach bank failure in 1893. He had deposited in the Vigo bank $9,000. It was not on special deposit. and drew—no —ffiterest. He rarely cheeked out money. From his earnings lie retained enough to pay the living expenses for himself, and no one else depended on his earnings. Since the failure of the bank he learned that $6,000 had been taken from his account by Conzman, for all the memoranda were in Conzman’s handwriting. HER SON’S DEFENSE FUND GONE Ona of the Pathetic Incident* of tho Looting of the Commercial Bank, at Hagerstown. Richmond, Ind., July 20. Five hundred dollars, which Mrs. Knapp had raised through hard effort, for the defense of her son, John Knapp, who is awaiting trial here for murder, was lost in the wreck of thfe Commercial bank at Hagerstown. Knapp stands accused of murdering Geisler, marshal of Hagerstown. He Is now in jail here, and his mother has directed her energies toward procuring enough money to employ attorneys. Mrs. Knapp finally collected SSOO among relatives and placed the money In the Commercial bank with John Bowman, the cashier, who killed himself after looting the bank. The money is gone and Mrs. Knapp is perhaps the most wretched and despairing of the 800 depositors who lost their savings in the institution.

Oae of These India** Fl.h Stories. Evansville, Ind., July 20. Io a large hollow log raised by the snagboat on the Wabash river near New Harmony, Ind., the crew captured a catfish that weighed nearly seventy pounds. The fish was in the log head first and was not discovered until the log had been sawed off. A rope was placed around the fish and It took two men to pull It out. In the log tMth Che fish there were sufficient eggs to fill a five-gallon can.

Fatal Storm la Nothora ladl***. Indianapolis, July 20.—A severe electric storm swept over northern Indiana. At Wabash Calvin McCutcheon, and at Anderson John Ashbaugh, were killed by lightning. The latter's son Clarence, and Clara Douglass, aged 11, are In a critical condition as the result of an electric shock. Ceafuaina of Train Order*. Mount Vernon, Ind., July 20. Coroner Darnell, of this place, has finished his Investigation of the wreck on the Louisville and Nashville railroad here last Saturday, In which four persons were killed and eight Injured. He finds that the wreck was caused by a confusion of train orders. Tee Muoh es a Pointer tor Him. Muncie, Ind., July 20. William is suing for divorce, alleges that his wife “pouts” continuously, and that Spencer, a well-known electrician, who this has worn upon his peace of mind. The court has not yet ruled that “pouting” Is grounds for divorce.