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Show IOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOBJ 00X000'OOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOO Chicago. From a youth's dream, through a niazo nf dissipation, frenzied fren-zied gambling and tho resultant do-bauchory, do-bauchory, Into which wns sucked tho cashier who In turn drow In tho president, presi-dent, until tho wholo structure tumbled tum-bled with a crash, the fall of tho Milwaukee Mil-waukee A ven mi State bank has been traced. Walter Frantzen, once confidential secretary to Paul O. Stonsland, a stripling of excellent promise, saw In a dream that which aroused tho spirit of chance within him. Through tho boy the unrelenting spirit touched Henry W. Hcrlng, tho cashier, and he fell, dragging with him Paul O. Stcns-land, Stcns-land, tho president, who had also been caught In tho magic meshes'. In a dream that camo to him the night beforo the great American Derby at Washington park In 1900, Frantzen, who had novcr been at a race track In his life, saw tho plunging plung-ing horses galloping to tho finish, and Just as plainly as If ho stood In tho press box of the old stand, he saw a card put up, reading: "1. Sidney Lucas." Tho vision passed and ho awoke In tho morning a marked man,' though unaware of It. . "I had a funny dream last night" Frantzen said to a fellow-clerk. Thon he told him of tho vision. "What was tho nnmo?" askod tho clork. "I can't rcmcmbor exactly, but It tho papors have tbo ontrlcs, and this was ono of them, I can tell," ho ropllod, and an interest arose within him. Found Horse of Hit Dream, Tho clork got a paper and slowly read down through tho entries of tho groat racing event. Whon SIdnoy Lucas' Lu-cas' namo was reached Frantzen coolly cool-ly said: "That's tho ono." Frantzcn's associates woro Inclined to regard It as a joke, but kept asking him why ho did not "tako a chance." He battled with tho desire to bot, for as a clork at $75 a month ho did not mud and run circles around Lieut. Gibbons, the favorite. Tho winner Bhot under tho wlro with a trailing bunch of blurred horses and riders behind. Tho grandstand leaped Into life and noise. Frantzen pulled out Ills ticket, looked It over and walked through tho disgruntled, rapidly thinning crowd In tho betting ring to the almost deserted bookstand. Ho presented his ticket, and tho bookmaker, book-maker, with the samo grin, handod him a roll thnt counted up nearly $000 when ho got home. Sealed Doom of Bank. Frantzen hnd won his first bet, nnd tho doom of tho Mllwaukco Avenuo Stnto bank was scaled. Tho story traveled through tho bank and bocamo known to his friends. Frantzen was looked upon as a sort of wizard, and acquaintances urged hlra to "go to It" while his luck held out. His head was turned, ho followed tho evil advice, and becamo a regular plunger. Somo days ho would pick as many as six raco winners. win-ners. Ho seldom sustained a loss. His acquaintances and friends began to tnko his "steers," and Frantzen, tho ambitious young secrotary of a few weeks before, sat at his desk with "dopo Bheets" and studied tho horses, about which he had not tho slightest knowledge Frantzen found new associates to assist him In Bpcndlng his easily mado money, and Into theso circles ot gay-oty gay-oty ho took Hcrlng. Hcrlng was a phlegmatic, homo-loving German whoso nmuscmcnts had been of a domestic do-mestic character. Dazzled by tho glamour ot Frantzcn's Frant-zcn's wonderful run of luck, ho saw no roason why he, Bhould not follow Frantzcn's lead with tho samo success. suc-cess. Downfall of Others Begins. Frantzen was a natural loador and tho pace bo set the cashier was not around, Frantzen was favorod with no vision. Tho nearest thing to a "dream" ho could muster up was tho namo Aladdin, as a wlnnor. Aladdin sounded llko n mlraclo and the "pool" backed It for all It wan worth. Aladdin Alad-din barely reached tho wlro before tho noxt raco was called. Swift Pace Down Hill. It was then that tho Incllno was reached, nnd tho membors of tho pool shot to their doom. Dobauchery, fast women, ovll associates, and high tlmca figured In their mad efforts to hldo from ,tholr accusing consciences. Whon Stonsland was drawn Into tho pool ho mot women of a sphoro Just nbovo Horlng's, and It was at that tlmo that Frantzen was charged with ombczzlomont of from $10,000 to $69,-000, $69,-000, and sent nwny. His cunning In picking '.nnors had loft 'him. Stensland a Wanderer. Tho predominating trait of Paul Stonsland's charnctor recalls tho fact that he was ot tho blood of tho old vikings who sot sail In their frail ships, carolcss of whoro the wind boro them provided it was somowhero new. Stensland was abovo all things a wandoror. Whon ho arrived in Chicago Chi-cago aftor yoars spent drifting from place to placo in tho orlont and with old ago approaching ho still could not) resist his nomadic Instincts. About five years ago ho wont on a prolonged trip through South and Central America Amer-ica and moro particularly Honduras, In which country ho professed a special spe-cial lntorcst. On his return ho displayed dis-played a marked rctlconco to glvo an account ot his travels. In vlow of this fact tho opinion Is freely expressed ex-pressed among bis quondam acquaintances acquaint-ances that tho missing man will bo found, If at all, In Central America. Contrary to popular opinion, Stensland Stens-land 1b doclarod to havo been far from prodigal with his monoy. Ho was extremely frugal la his meals and havo monoy to throw at tho birds, or at horsos, olthor. Besides, tho nows-papers nows-papers declarod that Lucas did not havo a chanco on oartb. Frantzen, up to that tlmo, had novor gambled, and had seldom playod cards. Ho had romalnod homo at night to study and read. Ho was ambitious to become a successful bus-Inoss bus-Inoss man llko Paul O. Stonsland, his employer, whom all In that district looked up to and respected. Frantzen had novor been tosted In Just this way beforo, and ho was unprepared un-prepared for resistance. Not knowing tho prlco ot his folly, ho drow $26 from tho bank and docldod to put In hla Saturday halt-holiday at tho track. He did not Intend to bet; be told his friends ho Just wanted to soe tho horse win. Succumbed to Temptation. When he reached tho track and mingled with tho enthusiastic throngs that crowded the betting ring, his droam came back to him with startling start-ling reality. Ho saw the track and grandstand as he had seen them In his dream. Tho hotting ring seemed to draw him with an Irroslstlblo forco. He crowded through and with a trembling band proffered $20. "Put that on SIdnoy Lucas In tho Derly," be said huskily. The bookmaker grlnnod as bo handod back a pasteboard paste-board card with a little rod numbering number-ing at tho top, and a scrawl of figures at the center. Ho placed It In his Inside In-side pocket, and thon road tho "dopo" on th6 Derby. It said that Thompson Bros., tho ownors of Lucas, woro dubious. du-bious. Frantzon sighed with rollof to know his monoy was already lost But whon tbo horses wont to tho post he waa bowlldored to soo that tho horse with "1G" attachod waa Lucas. Tho numbor "IE" had boon on the horse ot his dreams. Spollbound he watched the preliminaries and tho 'atari Ho watched Lucas stir up the slow. Herlng, howovor, aftor a fow Ineffectual attempts to swing Into it, finally struck tho gait. Ho mado himself him-self at homo In crowds ho had shunned all through his own youth. Gradually Paul O. Stonsland was drawn Into tho crowd. Ho bogan to lose tbo moral Integrity that had been his. About this tlmo somo ot his old frlonds, prominent Norwegians who had horotoforo regarded him as a splendid reproscntatlvo of tholr raco, hoard of his chanced associations and withdrew tholr confldonco from him. This marked tbo beginning of his personal per-sonal downfall. Ho bogan to steal from tbo bank In ordor to meet tho domanda on him, taking out llttlo by little, animated by a hopo similar to Frantzcn's that hla speculations would roap a rich harvest boforo tho stolen money was mlBsod, Thon Frantzen'a luck turnod. Thinking Think-ing that It would surely swing back to his original good fortune on hots, It Is charged that ho began taking small sums from tho bank. Ho told himself ho was moroly borrowing until ho should be ablo to win back tho equivalent equiva-lent to-morrow or the day after. Horlng says Frantzon atolo $10,000. A memorandum found In Stonsland's vault places tho amount at $69,000, Frantzon was novor prosecuted by tho bank authorities and loft tho stnto when his crlmo was discovered. Now ho Is bolng brought back to answer for It, as well as to toll all he knows of tho operations of tho bank officials. Herlng Wins at First. Cashier Henry Herlng became a "sport" undor tho Iniluonco of Frantzon. Frant-zon. Ho followed tho "tlps" of Frantzon Frant-zon and won a lot ot money, Thoo-dore Thoo-dore Stensland, whoso fatlior at that tlmo was not Involved In tho stealing that finally cost him his all and spread mUory among thousands, usod to rotor ro-tor to Herlng aa a "choap sport" and a "cheap skate." When tho 1902 Derby day camo would frequently dlno In a cheap restaurant res-taurant near tho bank whore a table d'Hoto was served for tbo modest sum of ono quarter. This frugality was varied with occasional curious extravagances. extrav-agances. At Infrequent Intorvals ho would Invito a party of his frlonds to his house, whero ho would entertain thorn In a manner boflttlng his supposed sup-posed wealth. Famed for Capacity for Liquor, Stonsland Is said to havo takon great prldo In his reputation as a con-nolssour con-nolssour ot wlnos, and on tho occasion of a trip to Cnllfornla a couplo ot yoars ago ho purchased a large quantity quan-tity of wlno, which wns Btorod In tho collars of tho cooporatlvo atoro, whoro tho bulk of It Is still said to bo lying. Tho ox-proBldont's capacity for liquor was a fovorlto topic among his friends, ovon nquavit, tho strong spirit which ia a favorlto bovorago among hla countrymen, being apparently powerless to upBot his equilibrium. His old gardonor has romarkod with admiration how Stonsland would drink a party of companions undor the tnble and appear tho noxt morning at six o'clock fresh and kcon for business. busi-ness. A saloon In tho neighborhood of Stonsland's home wns a favorite resort re-sort In which, ho spent much of his tlmo. Tho barkeopor recalls an ox-prosslon ox-prosslon which once foil f'-om tho Hps of the man which throws a strong sidelight on his charactor. Ono evening whllo Stenslaud was In tho saloon with a frlond ho waa boasting boast-ing of a roal ostato transaction that ho had' Just closed which he doclarod would not him $200,000. His frlond remarked re-marked that ho wondored ho was not satlsllcd, at his tlmo of llfo, with what ho had already acquired and that he did not rotiro. Stonsland looked at him for n few minutes and then romarkod ro-markod slowly: "it's tho game, my boy; It's th garao." |