Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1897 — HAVE FAITH IN WEATHERS. [ARTICLE]

HAVE FAITH IN WEATHERS.

Depositors Believe He Will Make Good Their Losses. John 11. Weathers, president of the failed banks at Leavenworth, Marengo and English, Ind., who has been in hiding in Louisville, Ky., and New Albany, Ind., waiting for the excitement caused by the bank failures to die out, returned to Corydon and made'a statement anent the failures to the committee of depositors who held a meeting at Corydon to devise means for a settlement. The statement of Mr, Weathers is to this effect: While at Corydon recently attending Im his law practice Mr. Weathers received a telephone message from Leavenworth to come there at once, as there was something wrong with the bank. He immediately left Corydon and went to Leavenworth, where he and Nolan Barnett, tho cashier of the Leavenworth bank, examined the institution's books and found that the funds of the same were at a low ebb. It was decided by them to close the three banks at once. President Weathers was ndvised by friends to leave the town until the sensation abated, which he did. lie, however, thought he might yet bridge over matters, and took some collateral with him, but after deliberation he decided it would be better to return the same and have an assignee appointed. He thereupon made a' general assignment, with R. C, Arnold of Leaven worth as assignee. Mr. Weathers said further that all he wanted was a rea scalable support' for his wife and child while the settlement was in progress, and that he would spend one year without compensation to facilitate matters, to the end that dollar for dollar be paid. Mrs. Willett, wife of the missing cashier, is almost prostrated with grief, but is not dying, aa has been reported. The people of the various communities in which the banks are situated are much relieved and express confidence in Weathers’ ability to settle up matters in a satisfactory manner. The consensus of opinion is that Weathers was the victim of Cashier Willett, and is himself innocent of any wrong doing. Nothing has been heard from Willett. Telegraphic advices from English, Ind., are to the effect that Willett’s kinfolk are willing to unite with his grandmother to donate sufficient funds to cover his short) i age, provided he proves himself not gui!> ty of any intentional wrong doing and will return. His grandmother will donate $50,000 and other relatives have pledged themselves for $75,000 additional. Cashier Rothrock of the Huntingburg bank, it is said, has pledged himself to stand by both Weathers and Willett.

Three Arrests at Lansing. Three arrests were made in the defunct People’s Savings Bank case at Lansing, Mich.,jand more are promised by the prosecuting attorney. The persons first apprehended are: Charles 11. Osband, late cashier of the bank, and Christian Breisch and Charles Bros®, directors. Osband is charged with making five false entries in the books of the bank with intent to deceive bank officers, the officials of the State banking department and to defraud the bank and its depositors. The law requires that each director shall own ten shares of the stock of the bank in his own name and unpledged in any way. Directors Broaa and Breisch are charged with having subscribed to this oath at a time when all the stock in their names on the books of the bank was pledgee to other banks as collateral. Bankers Accused of Perjury. I. A. Winstanley and C. J. Frederick, president and cashier, respectively, of ths defunct New Albany Hnd-) Banking] Company, were arrested and taken t<3 Jeffersonville to answer indictments than have been returned against them, chargJ Ing perjury. It is charged in the indict-] ments that Winetanley and FredericJ swore falsely several months ago whej they prepared affidavits asking for a conJ tmuance of the cases charging them wfctlfl the wrecking of the New Albany bank. I The offender never fergiven. |