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Officials of Holland Bank Are Named In 23 Indictments.
True Bills Voted Against President E. L. Sanford, Board Chairman, Two Vice-Presidents and Cashier.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., May 14βThe special grand jury which investigated the Holland Bank failure today, returned 23 indictments against five officers of the bank, as follows:
E. L. Sanford, president, four indictments charging forgery, three charging acceptance of deposits with knowledge that the bank was in failing condition and one charging embezzlement.
E. N. Ferguson, chairman of the board, three indictments charging acceptance of deposits, one charging embezzlement.
Guy S. Mitchell, vice-president, same.
Claude F. Wright, cashier, same.
E. G. Rathbone, vice president, three indictments charging acceptance of deposits.
Sanford's bond was fixed at $40,000, or $5,000 on each indictment, and the bonds of the others at the same rate, except that Rathbone's is only $2,000 on each indictment.
Sanford, Mitchell and Rathbone appeared and furnished bond within two hours after the fact of the indictments was made known, and it was said that the others would follow within a short time.
With the indictments the grand jury submitted a report, in which it declared that a State Bank Examiner discovered the bank's weakened condition last July and recommended the closing of the bank, but the State Finance Department, after a conference at Jefferson City, permitted the bank to continue.
"The examiner last July found $135,000 in notes that were questionable," the report said. "The explanation given by the officers of the bank regarding these notes did not satisfy the examiner, so the officers were invited to accompany the examiner to Jefferson City to submit their explanation to the department, which conference resulted in permission to remain in operation.
"Subsequent revelation indicates that the examiner was right, and the bank should have been closed in July, 1923. In the July examination there were forged and suspicious notes in the files amounting to $210,000; and accommodation notes of $82,000, besides the $135,000 questionable notes making a total of 427,000.
Frank C. Millspaugh, present State Finance Commissioner, was at the head of the department last July.
The report also censured the inadequacy of the criminal statutes relating to banking, and said that "the banker criminally inclined has too much protection."
The special grand jury heard 82 witnesses in the bank case.