Volume 12 , Issue 46

In the Nick of Time (1895-1896)

It was in the fall of 1895 when the City of Alva voted $15,000 waterworks bonds. One Jesse F. Scanlan had a hardware store in the city and made a contract with the City Council, agreeing to put in a system of waterworks for the bonds.

It was there that the entire issue was turned over to Scanlan, and he left the city. Immediately on his departure Richards and Conover of Kansas City, Missouri, wholesale hardware merchants, acting through Mr. Womack attached and closed his store for $4,000 of indebtedness to it.

It was thereupon that the city dads became exceedingly busy to find Jesse F. Scanlan and the bonds. Jesse Dunn, acting as City Clerk, and when telegram after telegram and inquiry after inquiry failed to locate Scanlan and nothing could be heard from him the city vested in Dunn authority as its agent, and the sheriff appointed Dunn deputy. Dunn was armed with a warrant and fared forth in the world to find Scanlan and the bonds.

Scanlan was expected to go to Kansas City or to ST. Louis, so Dunn went in November, 1895, as thousands jammed the old Union Depot early. Dunn arrived in Kansas City and crowded his way among the morning crowd, to the telegraph office, intending to ascertain from Alva if they had any news of Scanlan.

As Dunn pushed his way up to the telegraph office window, he came up against the very man he was looking for -- Jesse Scanlan -- who was sending a telegram. Dunn stepped back and when Scanlan turned around he saw Dunn and recognized him, and said, "Well, I suppose you are after me."

Dunn told Scanlan he was and said he was and asked asked Scanlan, "Jesse, have you the bonds with you?"

Scanlan said, "No, they are in a bank in St. Louis."

Dunn and Scanlan talked for a few moments, then Scanlan said, "I wish you would wait here a little bit. I want to go across to the Blossom House, and I will come back." Dunn was agreeable to this and Scanlan left.

Scanlan did not do what most would have done and disappeared, though. In a few moments he returned and asked Dunn to go with him to the Blosom House, which Dunn did.

It was there that Dunn met Elmer E. Beach, who was the traveling salesman for the Richards and Conover Hardware Company, and who had sold Scanlan the goods for which he was indebted. Beach evidently knew that Dunn had been informed that the bonds were in St. Louis, and that Dunn had come for them.

Beach said to Dunn, "Dunn, there is no use in going to St. Louis on this morning's train, because you will not get in there until night, and you will not be able to do any business until tomorrow morning. You had better stay in Kansas City all day today, and then take a sleeper out of here tonight for St. Louis, and you will arrive there in the morning in due time for business. In the meantime, Scanlan and I have some business at the house and will be glad to see you at the Midland Hotel for lunch."

It seemed fair to Dunn and he was agreeable. This is where the story starts to take its proper course. Dunn kept the luncheon engagement and nobody showed to meet him. Dunn proceeded to the wholesale house and Scanlan and Beach were not there.

It was then that Dunn tramped the streets of Kansas City and hunted for the two of them. Never seeing them during all this time. Dunn's suspicions had been confirmed, though, that he had been made the victim of too much confidence, and He got on the telegraph wires and sent about a dozen messages, one to every prominent bank in St. Louis, as follows: "The Alva waterworks bonds held by you have been embezzled. Under no circumstances deliver them to anyone as the city will hold you responsible for them."

That night a very much disgusted, chagrined and bewildered mortal occupied a sleeping car berth on one fo the trans-Missouri trains from Kansas City to St. Louis.

It was 7:30 in the morning when Jesse Dunn arrived in St. Louis. Without waiting for more than a cup of coffee and a doughnut, and not delaying for a shave or brush-up, Dunn started from one bank to another about the business streets of the city just as fast as he could go.

Of course, Dunn found no one in but the janitors, but to each one of them he said that in that bank there was $15,000 of Alva waterworks bonds and that people were going to come to try to get them, and that he wanted him to see the first officers of the bank who arrived and to tell him that the agent of the city was there, and not to deliver them under any circumstances.

In the course of these rounds, at at nine o'clock, Dunn came to the Commercial Bank on Pine STreet. A clerk had arrived by this time, and when Dunn had sung his piece, the clerk said, "The cashier is not in, but Mr. Nichols, the president, has arrived, if you would like to speak to him" Dunn told the clerk he would. Dunn entered the presence of the president, presented his credentials, and told him who he was and what he wanted. The Mr. Nichols said, "Yes, I got your telegram. The bonds are here all right, but what is the matter?"

It was then a page came in and said, "Mr. Nichols, there is a man in your office in a big hurry, and he wants to see you."

Mr. Nichols excused himself and shortly came back and said, "There is another fellow here for those bonds, and he has got the receipt with him that we issued when we received them, and also an order from Scanlan, tha man who left them here, and demands that turn them over."

Dunn immediately went with Nichols, and there in his private office was the Kansas City acquaintance, Elmer Beach, fully credited with authority to receive the bonds and absolve the bank from all liability.

Dunn explained the situation to Mr. schools, and he declined to deliver the bonds to ether of Dunn or Beach.

It was after that Dunn brought a replevin suit in a Justice of the Peace court, alleging that their value was $250. George T. Parry and Jesse Dunn went to St. Louis in the spring of 1896, tried the case,a nd removed the bonds.

The moral of the story is ... The time it took Elmer Beach to get his breakfast, shave, shine and manicure was less than the difference in the time of his arrival and Dunn's at the Commercial Bank which held the bonds. Jesse Dunn arrived "In the Nick of Time."   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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