March 18 Friday – A week after Frank M. Scott was arrested for embezzling from Webster & Co., the New York Times carried a full account:

CONFESSIONS OF A THIEF

L..      — — — —

SCOTT ADMITS THAT HE STOLE $25,000

FROM HIS EMPLOYERS

Frank M. Scott, who is in the Essex County Jail, at Newark, N.J., charged with the embezzlement of a large amount of money from the publishing firm of Charles L. Webster & Co. Of this city, has confessed his guilt. Edward C. Harris, his lawyer, told him that is he was guilty he had better make a clean breast of his wrongdoing, as, if he were tried and convicted, despite his assertion of innocence it would be apt to go hard with him. Scott thought the matter over, and on Tuesday sent for his friend, ex-Alderman H.V.D. Schenck, and Mr. Harris, to whom he made a full confession.

At Scott’s request Mr. Harris came to New York and told Charles L. Webster the story. Scott said he made the confession in order to enable the firm to discover the actual amount of its loss. He promised that he would turn over to Webster & Co. All the property possessed by himself and his wife as soon as possible. On Wednesday the expert accountant who has been employed to go over the books, accompanied by Mr. Webster and Mr. Hall, saw Scott in the jail and remained with him for several hours.

Scott agreed to go over the books with the accountant and point out the false entries which he made. Mr. Webster said yesterday that Scott had confessed that his stealings would amount to about $25,000. He was employed by the firm in July 1885, having previously been with Haney & Co., of Newark, and in the first month he stole $100. The next month he stole $600, the third month $500, and in November he took $500 more. He concealed these thefts by false entries and incorrect footings. He said that he took the money to pay some old debts which he had contracted while in Newark, because his creditors were “nagging the life out of him,” and that he intended to make the money good ultimately. He kept on stealing, however, and covering up the thefts by false entries until an assistant bookkeeper was employed by the firm. Then he stopped doctoring the books and began taking money from C.O.D. orders and from cash in the safe. These thefts he concealed by making out false balance sheets. One footing of $15,574 in the cash book which was discovered to be wrong by the accountant, he said was made to cover his stealings up to that time. Another of $5,400 could not be traced because the cash book is missing, but Scott admitted that this entry was made to cover additional stealings. [¶] …When asked what he had done with the money Scott said that he had lost some of it in speculations.

After Scott had told his story, Mr. Webster says, he offered to make restitution as far as he could, and figured up the resources of himself and his wife at $9,000, the greater part of which belonged to his wife. At a forced sale this property would not bring much more than $3,000.

“I wouldn’t touch a single thing that belongs to his wife,” Mr. Webster said to the reporter, speaking with strong feeling. “I am not that kind of man. She is an innocent victim, and I pity her from the bottom of my heart. He then picked up a glass paper weight in which were set the photographs of two bright-looking, handsome children and said: “Those are Scott’s children. He had a happy home and I don’t see how he could blast it so. I haven’t the slightest pity for him. He robbed us in a cold-blooded way and if he had remained with us two years longer he would have swallowed up every cent of the capital invested in our business. My duty to the business community will compel me to punish the man, but for the sake of his wife and children I will go before the Judge and plead for mercy.” Mr. Webster said that he did not expect to get a cent of the lost money back.

If Sam saw this article, it’s not hard to surmise how he took Webster’s stance.

Richard W. Gilder for Century Magazine wrote that Sam was “welcome to the sheets — for reading — & I have sent them.” Could Sam send his letter to a young man about eating a whale? [MTP].

Annie A. Fields wrote offering “hospitality as I can offer during the time you are in Boston” [MTP].

G.D.S. at Webster & Co. Sent a note: “We knew of the matter referred to in the accompanying letter [not in file] at the time and it is all right.” Sam wrote on the envelope,“The only line received from CLW & Co on [illegible word] this whole affair” [MTP].

Check #  Payee  Amount  [Notes]

3625  Mssrs. Hunting & Hammond  238.70

3626  Mssrs. A. Marwick Jr & Co  41.25  Druggist

3627  F.G. Whitmore  24.70  Finances