AN HYPOTIZED CASHIER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 11 February 1891, Page 5

AN HYPOTIZED CASHIER.

A New Wrinkle in Bank Wrecking,

According to a special from Baltimore hypnotism is put forward as an excuse for the queer manipulations by the cashier of the books of the Franklin Bank of Baltimore. The dispatch says ex-Counselor H. Webster Crowl has succeeded in making a reputation as a sorb of local ' Napoleon of finance' by a series of ingenious bransacbions which cannob tail to obtain for him the respecb of the American colony in Canada. Mr Crowl had been extensively engaged in suburban land speculation and failed several months ago, owing several hundred thousand dollars. On Monday afternoon at a meeeing of stockholders of the Franklin Bank ib was learned from Presidenb Baker thab Crowl had overdrawn his accounb on thab bank upward of $100,000. The announcement created great astonishment. Further than this the bank holds Mr Crowl's paper so as to make his total indebtedness to the bank §119,000. President Baker, in making his report, said bhab the bank had met wibh reverses on accounb of the incapaciby and unbrusb worbbiness of ibs cashier, Emery Gardner, in allowing H. Websber Crowl bo overdraw his accounb bo bhe exbenb of $119,000 wibhoub the knowledge of the board of direcbors. Gardner, it was claimed, had falsified bhe rdturns to the presideub and direcbors, and bhe book which would have shown large overdrafbs by Crowl was always in use in one way or anobher when inquiry was made forib. Gardner.it was siated, always kept his deposib line less than ib actually was by the amount of Crowl's overdraft. President Baker was asked at the meeting by one of the stockholders if he had any reason to believe bhab Cashier Gardner had made anything oub of his bransacbions wibh Crowl. • I don'b think bo,' was Mr Baker's reply. ' I have known Mr Gardiner since his boyhood. I can'b accounb for his action, excepb on bhe theory that Crowl had hipnotized him.' Crowl's dealings with the Franklin Bank, his remarkable hold on Cashier Gardner, and bhe manner in which Presidenb Baker and the Franklin Bank were taken in are the talk of the town.