Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Whatcom Bank
Col. C. M. Atkins, cashier of the suspended First National Bank, faces multiple charges of embezzlement after being arrested at his home.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Col. C. M. Atkins, a member of the governor's staff and cashier of the suspended First National Bank of Whatcom, was arrested at his residence last night by Deputy United States Marshal McGinnis. The warrant, issued by United States Commissioner Springs of Seattle, alleges that as cashier, Atkins embezzled and misapplied funds and made false entries in the bank's books. Atkins maintains his innocence, claiming the charges are spiteful and stem from a business dispute with a former partner. He stated he could have provided bail in Seattle had he been properly notified and questioned the necessity of the arrest in Whatcom when a commissioner was available locally.
“The general opinion of persons well acquainted with Mr. Atkins was that such summary proceedings were altogether uncalled for and unjust.”
Bank failures and internal corruption were frequent fixtures of Washington's boom-and-bust development cycle. Today, while we rely on the FDIC to insure deposits, the public anger surrounding the misuse of funds remains a familiar civic anxiety.
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