| Show A J BIRD BANK EMPLOYEE SENTENCED TO penitentiary FOR HUGE embezzlement alfred J bird ass assistant distant cashier of the state bank of sevier for the post five or six years was sentenced wednesday afternoon by judge N J bates ot of the sixth judicial district court to serve not loaa less than one ona year nor more than ten years in the penitentiary at hard labor this judgment was pronounced when the defendant who was arrested e d shortly after noon wednesday by sheriff V M fairbanks and taken before justice S G dark clark and waived preliminary hearing on a charge of the complaint was tiled filed by county attorney T A hunt and was signed by D P r jensen cashier of the state bank of sevier bird pleaded guilty to the charge prepared by district attorney 11 B E beal waived all al rights and stated that he did not wish to have counsel to re pr present sent him the execution of 0 judgment was wais suspended suB by judge bates however until sunday january 31 upon the plea of 0 tho the defendant that ho he needed two or on three days to straighten up some personal matters before going to serve his term in the penitent lay lie ile was released under bonds ot of 1000 signed by geo 11 II ogden dr T i n R gledhill and vern pace the state dank bank ot of sevier which has been serving this community for or the past twenty five years was compelled to close its doors on oil monday january 18 and affairs were placed in the hands ot of the state ata to banking dopart department part ment with J wionea WJ oites onea as exa examiner mirl in charge an investigation ot of the records revealed a shortage of 0 funds and indications pointed toward A J bird who had bad boon been connected with this bank for more than dian twenty years in a highly trusted capacity on tuesday january 19 mr bird s signed I 1 agn od a written confession witnessed hy by G george rge 11 II ag ogdon don and 11 II asa dowey 0 y which reads verbatim as follows richfield utah san jan 49 1932 1 I heiba hereby ablin e tn and assume nry all I 1 responsibility tor for the shortage now on the records ot of the lae state bank ot of sevier on the individual accounts and the savings accounts my manipulations cover a period ot of eight years ALFRED J BIRD J IV jones examiner stated on tuesday of 0 this week that the shortage E a 9 e discovered amounted to the huge total of and made the astounding toun ding statement abatement that this bank would positively not have been forced to close it if it had not boon been tor for birds i embezzlement ile he said also that bird j intimated that he hal hai other 1 money from the tha bank which had been absorbed in reduced dividends from t me to time mr air jones stated there was nothing particularly clever or unusual in tile the manner in which bird had per firmed his which was done by juggling the figures on the ledger of the amount taken 14 was waa from checking deposits and was from savings accounts bird waa sible able to hide bide his peculations speculations from tho the state banking examiners by the tact fact that he ha had such complete contrell con troll of 0 cash and books that he was able to take out ont complete ledger sheets and hide them until after the examiners had gone mr jones complimented the manner in which the bank had bad been banged and stated that D P jensen cashier had been careful and conservative serva tive in making his loans which compare favorably with those of any other country bank ile he said the securities were good so BO tar far ns as he was able to determine and expressed the belief that the bank would be able to liquidate and pay lack back almost entirely the amounts owing to depositors bird la has L a deeded over all bis propertied la in real estate and other holdings to the bank in an effort to make what restitution la Is possible by mr jones jonea said this will be only a small traction fraction of what he has taken ile he was waa under a surety bond of onty only on ty the bank examiner has advised against a further audit ot of the books to try to find tho the full anio amount lint of money embezzled to i the tact fact that this audit would prove very expensive to the depositors on account of 0 tho the tact fact that bird does not have property to pay bock back tho the shortage as it is mr air jones explained that the abs purpose P so in withholding publicity sa as long 0 as was wag done and the delay in placing bird under arrest was to got gel as much continued on bade back pagel continued from page one iiii ia I 1 help as possible from him ln lil evest revea T ing the shortages and to getham get him to deed his bis property to the bank which ho he might not have done if legal action had been taken sooner the specific date and amount on oa which the complaint was tiled filed was the talking It 1000 on january 7 1932 end and bird also admitted taking another on january 12 1932 the tact fact that there was such a definite reason for the closing of the state rank ot of sevier has done much to relieve the tension in this community and the other four our banks of the county as well as the one in wayne county are believed to be in solid condition and are all functioning in normal manner lichfield reaper ot of january 29 |
