Iowa Old Press
Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co., Iowa
December 18, 1903
p 5
Miss Isabel Conaway came home Friday night from Morningside
college for the holiday vacation.
Married Fifty Years
Monday Dec. 14th, was the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of
Mr. and Mrs. Cyrenius Bailey who live just in the edge of
Cherokee county, southeast of Sutherland. Most Sutherland people
are acquainted with this cheery-hearted couple and will wish them
continued happiness. Two of their three children are still living
and are near the parents. They are A. C. Bailey and Mrs. George
Flinders. Besides the children of these two there are two other
granddaughters near here, Mrs. L. O. Furgason and Miss Jennie
Hinds.
Tragedy at Linn Grove
Linn Grove, Ia., Dec. 14 - Harry W. Mayne, cashier for ten years
of the Farmers and Merchants bank of this place, shot himself
through the heart in his bed at home early Monday morning. The
report failed to rouse anybody in the house. Mr. Mayne was
sleeping alone. When he did not rise in the morning investigation
of his room discovered that he was dead. His body was yet warm.
Mr. Mayne is 48 years old, and leaves a wife and five children.
His financial affairs are left in bad condition. It is known that
the bank, of which he was manager, has been in bad shape for some
time. The suspicion is now entertained that conditions were worse
than those incident to bad banking, and that Mr. Mayne had been
speculating on the board of trade.
The Farmers and Merchants bank did not open this morning. It is a
private institution, whose president is E. W. Brown, president of
the First National bank of Storm Lake. Mr. Brown, however, has
had little to do with the direct management of the institution
here, which has been entirely in the hands of Mr. Mayne.
The management of the management of the Farmers and Merchants
bank has claimed $100,000 deposits, though it is believed that
this shrunk very much of late, and that $30,000 to $40,000 will
cover the deposits. The bank was overloaded and has been badly
cramped for cash for some time. It is thought some bad loans have
been made on which the bank could not realize.
Mayne was also manager of a small bank at Royal, Clay county, and
was supposed to be its owner, though he was in fact not largely
interested. Another small bank at Sioux Rapids was controlled by
the same interests. The First national bank of Storm Lake is in
turn controlled by the First National of Fort Dodge.
President W. E. Brown was not at Storm Lake today, being in Fort
Dodge on business. He was notified of the turn of affairs, and is
expected here as soon as he can come.
Mayne is said by his friends and associates to have been living
rather too well for his means for along time, and this, together
with uncertainties about the condition of the bank's business,
causes much concern as to how the institution will pay out. A
group of local people have been speculating on the board, and
Mayne is thought to be involved.
The above from a daily paper is the first report sent out
concerning the tragedy. But friends of Mr. Mayne have quite a
different story to tell. H. E. Johnson of Sutherland was at Linn
Grove Thursday and investigated the matter as well as possible,
in the time he had. One of the district judges appointed Mr.
Faville, a former county attorney of that county, as receiver of
the bank. Mr. Johnson did not learn who applied to have the
receiver appointed. Mr. Faville stated to Mr. Johnson that he had
examined the books of the bank quite thoroughly and so far had
been unable to find anything wrong with the accounts, and the
cash on hand balanced with the books. The receiver believed from
the examination he had so far been able to give matters that
there would be no loss whatever to depositors.
From friends of Mr. Mayne the following statements were obtained
by Mr. Johnson: Interested parties had been circulating reports
in the country that the bank of which Mr. Mayne was cashier was
getting very shaky. Naturally the farmers began to withdraw their
deposits. The same sort of talk induced some of the heavy
depositors among the business men to act in the same way and it
is said that the withdrawals last week amounted to about $20,000.
The further report was started that Monday would see a much
heavier run. For the last two or three days he lived Mr. Mayne
had a terrible headache, and on Sunday had a light stroke of
paralysis. The belief that naturally follows is that the
financial trouble so preyed on Mr. Mayne's mind that he was
temporarily deranged. His friends scout the idea that he was a
speculator on the board of trade or in any other way. They
insists that he was a man of the strictest integrity, and in
proof of this point to the fact, learned from the books of the
bank by Mr. Faville, that he brought money from his own bank at
Royal to pay the depositors who were withdrawing their money. Mr.
Mayne paid every demand made last week, though some were for time
deposits that were not yet due.
The dead man had a number of friends and acquaintances in
Sutherland, and all speak highly of his character. The affair is
a sad one, and if the stories of his friends are true it is far
more than regrettable. It has in it an element that rouses
furious indignation in the minds of those who were his friends.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012 & C.H., July 2012]
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Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co., Iowa
December 25, 1903
p 5 col 2
A county bridge 120 feet in length was finished last week over
the Waterman at the ford where the road turns north along the
west side of the creek. This is the place where the sad accident
happened last spring when John Gleason and Delbert Bidwell were
drowned. For the last few years this has been a hard ford to
cross and it has always been dangerous when the water was high.
The new bridge does away with the difficulties of crossing and
makes the place safe. This is an improvement that has long been
needed and will be thoroughly appreciated by those who cross
there.
p 5 col 4
Peterson Patriot: The sad news of the death of Phillip
Kirchner at Cherokee reached here yesterday morning. New of his
death brought sorrow to all homes in this community. Mr. Kirchner
came to this county in an early day and by his frugality
prospered - was esteemed by all who knew him, a generous public
spirited man.
We hear that invitations are out for the wedding next Wednesday,
Dec. 30th, of Louis Jockheck and Miss Belle Tutt. In the time
Miss Tutt has been in the millinery business in Sutherland she
has made many friends. Louis has lived here at least half his
life and his good qualities have won many friends also. Abundance
of good wishes [...] be theirs.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012]