Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 56, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1908 — BALDWIN DEAD. [ARTICLE]

BALDWIN DEAD.

Head o! Former Goodland Chain of Banks SUCCUMBS TO HEART FAILURE. " 1 ,r • Bowed By Financial Troubles and la* dlctmente for Embezzlement Aged Banker Falls Dead. X « Logans port, lnd., Dec. 13.^—Daniel P. Baldwin, former Attorney-Gen-eral of Indiana, prominent as a lecturer, travele» and writer, fell dead here this afternoon. Apoplexy was the cause, it is said. A year ago Mr. Baldwin’s private banks at Goodland, Fowler and Ambia, lnd., were closed by order of Auditor of State Billheimer. Since then Mr. Baldwin, who was 71 years of age, struggled to untangle the affairs of these and other institutions in which he was interested, surrendering his fortune to secure creditors. On November last the Newton county Grand Jury indicted him on two counts, charging embezzlement, and he was released on bona. Baldwin was a trustee of Wabash College at Crawsfordsvllle, lnd., and was donor of the Baldwin prize for oratory. In a will written some time ago was declared to have bequeathed many thousands of dollars to the college, but most of his property was swept away when the banks were closed on the allegation that depositors’ money was used to finance investments in Arkansas timber lands. Baldwin was prominent in Republcan politics for many years, having been a partner of United States Senator Dudley D. Pratt, his uncle. He was defeated for the Republican nomination as Judge of the Supreme Court, but graceful acceptance of defeat won him the nomination for Attorney-General, to which office he was electea during the campaign that* elected Porter Governor of Indiana. Baldwin’s sudden death will probably make some change necessary in the prosecution of the cases against himself and Wffllam H. Dague of Fowler, who was connected with him in the banking business and who was jointly indicted with him. Dague, it is stated, really had almost entire business supervision of the banks operated by them, Baldwin merely being the head of the concerns. It wad Dague, too, it is reported who was instrumental in the purchase of the Arkansas timber lands, which resulted in the failure of the banks, they having used the depositors’ funds in developing this land, building a railroad through it to market the timber, etc. Some years ago, Dague, who was a republican politician of Fowler, was elected member of the legislature and served one or two terms .from the district which then included Benton and Newton counties. The statement has been repeatedly made by Baldwin that none of the bank creditors would lose a penny through the closing of these banks, that he would/personally pay all obligations and that he had sufficient property to do so, and some payments have been made on the personal notes of Baldwin ic Dague to the Goodland Bank, from which they had borrowed s€o,000, giving six notes of SIO,OOO each. Dague, as we understand, had little or no property, and now that Baldwin is dead, the only member of tljb firm who possibly could or would make good, it looks as If the bank creditors would have the saek to hold for a large part of the claims, the same as the creditors of the Fred Gilmqn bank, the McCoy bank, the Bob Parker bank and practically every other bank that ever failed.