| Show ARREST OF ERASTUS staten islands enking in trouble said to be a defaulter to the tune of R G dun tt co of new york charges fordery who until a few months past has been ahls friends astounded but believe in ills new york feb al the news eliat erastus alman had been arrested on a serious charge fell like a thunderbolt on the ears of a multitude of who bieard the story tonight and no one was more surprised than wiman himself since severing his connection with K G duns agency has occupied a pleasantly furnished office in alie field building no 1 broad iray he was engaged at his desk this afternoon when detective sergeants phil reilly and yon gerichten walked in they had a bench warrant for bis arrest already prepared when the grand jury an hour earlier had found two indictments against the ex king of beaten island for forgery detective reilly approached desk and said you are under arrest wiman scarcely even glanced up turned very pale and motioned to the detectives not to alarm the clerks this was about 3 wiman was asked to accompany the detectives to alie district attorneys affire he put on his coat without a word and went with them no sooner were they beyond alie ears of the clerks than wiman anxiously inquired the specifications him and alie nature of the punishment attached to each dont let this be made public he eaid and what is alie penalty toy forgery he was put in a ce tin one of the regular section of the prison and later positively refused i to aeo newspaper men general tracy sis counsel called qt alie tomba about and was in consultation with hie client nearly nn leour batur in the evening general tracy when been at his residence said 1 I much to say about wiman arrest I 1 do not even know definitely the complaint against him and have decided not to begin my investigations until tomorrow I 1 want to see these charges that they say are so numerous when asked about alie possibility of securing 1 tracy replied he will have to stay in the tombs until friday tomorrow is a holiday and I 1 dont think we can get bail until the next day we willal have it friday will be released that IR all one of the charges against wiman is tho forgery 0 the endorsement of E W bullinger cr to a check for drawn to order by K G dun fe co the other chanco charco is for forging abo endorsement ol 01 ogden brower to a check also drawn by R G dun co for the checks were forged january and february ath 1893 wiman was arrested by detectives from the district attorneys office the warrants were executed at office from thence lie was taken before judge martino in the chamber of general sessions he was accompanied by his son in law norman B walker biroan said general B F tracy was his counsel and had been in consultation wi him nearly all the afternoon he was not prepared to give bail at once and in default was taken to alie tombs alie first intimation of the charges against wiman was in the form of a letter received at the district attorneys I 1 office on the instant this letter is said to have come from duns attorney supposed to bo ex district attorney de lancy nicholl the witnesses who went before the grand jury today were R D douglass E W bulliner ogdan brower and the cashier of K G dun company the counts in the indictments relate to forgery and uttering forged checks drawn on the second national bank alien wiman biad no account the offence is liable not dioro than ten years for each of the indictments the action of district attorney pel lows in bringing the matter before the crand ury was prompted by a letter addressed to colonel fellows and supposed to have been written by ex district attorney de lancy nicholl the letter slates that wiman was connected with R G dun company during the period covering the acts complained of and for many years prior had business relations relatione ione with dun out was not a partner in the usual the letter said and various acts of embelle ment through misrepresentation con breaches of agreement the misuse pt powers confided to him and gross usurpation ol 01 powers with which he was not trusted ho succeeded from 1888 up to february 1893 in stealing from dun alie enormous sum of alie letter then details the cases selected for prosecution in february 1893 R G dun company boned upwards of to E W bullinger for material purchased on the ath of february 1893 wiman being in urgent straits for money directed dune cashier to make out a check to order and instead of transmitting it to him in settlement ot his account deliberately forged Bullin gere name on tho back of the check annu deposited it to hia own credit I 1 need hardly eay the acts of wiman were wholly without tho knowledge of dun or hie associates and since then they paid to bullinger alie sum wiman by means of forgery appropriated to hid own use the second case cited occurred january 1893 dun company owed the campbell printing press and manufacturing fac turing company for printing presses wiman procured from duns cashier a check to the order of ogden brower treasurer of campbell company on alie pretext that he desired to pay tho account thereupon The reubon lie went to campbell company and telling them dun company were short of funds aaker if they would like notee for the account instead of cach on browere acquiescence wiman made two notes in own name covering the amount and delivered them to brower he then forged the name of ogden brower on pe back of abo check and appropriated it to big own use these acts were concealed from dun and his associates but on discovering them they paid campbell company the amount of their account as they did Balliu eer on learning that his crimes were detected wiman offered to transfer to dun certain real estate on staten island of doubtful value but dun learning that wiman was insolvent refused to accept or receive any preference over his other creditors wiman thereupon made a formal assignment but his as aeta amounted to almost nothing dun did not immediately submit the proofs of crimes to the authorities being moved by sympathy for the family and by the piteous appeals for for mercy which wiman himself made to him moreover dun had then no appreciation of the extent of embezzlement or the length of time lie had abused the trust reposed in him A vast amount of labor was required to ascertain all his irregularities and the whole account was not made ap until was led to believe it possible to realize something substantial for the general creditors out of staten island interests but in view of alie fraud practiced upon th oilier creditors and from ilia sense of obligation to the mercantile world he decided that bis duty was to expose wiman and turn him over to the authorities affixed to the letter were the following names of the witnesses R G douglas E W bullinger brower treasurer of campbell company when abe heard of the arrest mrs wiman although shocked bore up with greater calmness than was expected this is due to the implicit belief in the thorough honesty of her husband and her confidence in bis ability to prove his innocence harris wiman the second son is employed in the newspaper business and frank a younger brother is in the office of Vcr company brokers in wall street As soon as word had been received of alio arrest harris wiman came to new york from staten island and went to the tombs carrying a small satchel with a change of linen for bis faglier fat lier the night keeper of the prison received alie satchel and consented tp take a noto from the young man to wiman in this note young asked his father if lie wished anything done and if lie cared to make any statements in reply wiman wrote that hp was cheerful and well biad committed no crimes but had no doubt that he had blundered and was willing to stand the consequences he added atiat lie had absolutely refused to accept bail although offered him by his friends to get bondsmen for him his note concluded with tho statement that lie had engagement to speak tomorrow night in grammar school no 27 on forty second street and please goil bo would keep the engagement ga the young man was not permitted to see his father and had to bo content with this correspondence the subject of the lecture at the grammar school is the great alorth land it is one of a series he has been giving in the various grammar schools ol 01 alie city investigation in financial circles led to the discovery of be a clue to the present prosecution one of the questions sought to be solved tonight wag why a whole year should have been allowed to elapse it was in february 1893 that wiman severed his connection with R G dun ft co before the crime which Is alleged against him was prosecuted this inquiry created a great deal of interest one explanation advanced for his arrest is as follows about a month ago a mysterious circular was printed by some person unknown and industriously circulated among prominent merchant in this city in fact every one likely to make use of mercantile agencies received one of these circulars in brie the circular revealed many hitherto very dimly understood facts ln regard to mercantile agencies and their methods of doing business it was a revelation of a not most pleasing character to the agencies and created a good deal of talk and bitter feeling wiman was promptly held responsible for the authorship it was argued that a very few men were so thoroughly acquainted with the details of the mercantile agency business bu sineas and that none knew tho facts made public in the circular so well as wiman As a matter of fact friends say that not only did lie pot write abo circular but eliat he was unaware of alie fact that it was published although totally innocent of the authorship alie credit of it has ever since been laid upon his shoulders and it is supposed R G dun company had ever since felt embittered toward him on this account |
