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PAIR ARE SHORT $36,800; BANK IS CLOSED RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 24. Noah F. Crist, 50, cashier of the defunct bank of Dayton, Va., Inc., since its organization. and prominent churchman. is charged with embezzling $4,000 over the past four years of the bank's funds in a warrant sworn out late Tuesday by President J. M. Hilbert, of the bank. The bank was closed September 29, when Miss Elizabeth Coffman, assistant cashier, confessed to the shortage of approximately $36,800 in the bank's funds. Auditors of the State department of banking and insurance discovered the discrepancies in Cashier Crist's accounts in checking up the affairs of the bank. Indictments Near Commonwealth's Attorney D. Wampler Barnes will seek indictments against Crist and Miss Coffman before the circuit court grand jury at Harrisonburg, Va., Friday. He said that if each falsification were made a separate charge there would be hundreds of charges against the pair. Crist was. treasurer of Shenandoah College at Dayton and of the town of Dayton. He also was treasurer of several Dayton business enterprises. In a confession drawn up by State bank examiners, Crist admits making the scores of false entries in the bank's earning funds over the past four years. He denies receiving any of the money. The auditors have gone back in the accounts for four years and are continuing their work. Bank officials say that the aggregate shortage will not be more than the $36,800 confessed to by Miss Coffman, explaining that any defalcations by Crist would be included in this total. Only Employes In Miss Coffman's confession, she said that. as far as see knew, no one else was implicated. Crist and Miss Coffman were the only employes of the bank, which was capitalized at $25,000. Crist is bonded for $2,000 and Miss Coffman for $5,000. President Hilbert said that if the bank is able to collect all of the notes on which the bank has loaned money, the loss to the holders of the approximately $170,000 in deposits would be slight. Negotiations have been under way for several weeks looking to the taking over of the defunct institution by another bank, in order to relieve the depositors sooner than if a receiver were appointed. State bank examiners said Miss Coffman is the first woman employe in Virginia to be charged with embezzlement.
