22295. Boston National Bank (Seattle, WA)

View Charter #4124 on SPMC

Bank Information

Episode Type
Run Only
Bank Type
national
Bank ID
4124
Charter Number
4124
Start Date
December 2, 1890
Location
Seattle, Washington (47.606, -122.332)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
a041482d

Response Measures

Accommodated withdrawals

Description

Multiple contemporaneous newspaper dispatches (Dec 2–3, 1890) report that a run began on the Boston National Bank of Seattle after discovery that cashier W. R. Thornell was short in his accounts. The run was quickly stopped when the shortage had been made good. No suspension, receivership, or reopening is reported.

Events (3)
1. September 19, 1889 Chartered
Source
historical_nic
2. December 2, 1890 Run
Cause
Bank Specific Adverse Info
Cause Details
Discovery that cashier W. R. Thornell was short in his accounts (possible embezzlement/shortage).
Measures
Announcement that the shortage had been made good, which stopped the run.
Newspaper Excerpt
A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good.
Source
newspapers
3. August 8, 1903 Voluntary Liquidation
Source
historical_nic

Newspaper Articles (9)
1. December 3, 1890 Sacramento Daily Record-Union Sacramento, CA
Article from Sacramento Daily Record-Union, December 3, 1890

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Article Text

CAUSED A SENSATION. A Defaalter's Discovery Threatens a Eattle Bank. SEATTLE (Wash.), December 2d.-Financial circles were somewhat agitated to-day by the statement that W. R. Thornell, Cashier of the Boston National Bank in this city, was short in his accounts. A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell was formerly manager of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. He came here in 1888 from Denver, where he was convicted of embezzlement, but was immediately pardoned. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of his shortage is not known. Heis Treasurer of the Northwestern Baseball League and several other companies.

2. December 3, 1890 The Anaconda Standard Anaconda, MT
Article from The Anaconda Standard, December 3, 1890

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Article Text

IT CAUSED A RUN. The Cashier of a Seattle Bank Said to Be Short in His Accounts SEATTLE, Nov. -Financial circles are somewhat agitated to-day by a statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National bank of this city was short in his accounts. A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell came here in 1882 from Denver. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of the shortage is not known.

3. December 3, 1890 Los Angeles Herald Los Angeles, CA
Article from Los Angeles Herald, December 3, 1890

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Article Text

A BAD RECORD. A Seattle Bank Cashier Short in His Accounts. SEATTLE. Wash., Dec. 2.-Financial circles were somewhat agitated today by the statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National bank, of this city, was short in his accounts. A run was commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell was formerly manager ot the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern railroad; came here in 1882 from Denver, where he was convicted of embezzlement, but was immediately pardoned. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of his shortage is not known. He is treasurer of the Northwestern Baseball league, and several other companies.

4. December 3, 1890 The Morning Call San Francisco, CA
Article from The Morning Call, December 3, 1890

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Article Text

FUNDS MISSING. The Cashier of a Seattle National Bank Short in His Accounts. SEATTLE, Dec. 2.-Financial circles were somewhat agitated to-day by the statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National Bank of this city, was short in his accounts. A run was commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell was formerly manager of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. He came here in 1882 from Denver, where he was convicted of embezzlement, but was immediately pardoned. He is now sick with typhoid fever and the amount of his shortage is not known. He is Treasurer of the Northwestern Base-ball League and several other companies, the accounts of which are said to be confused.

5. December 4, 1890 The Portland Daily Press Portland, ME
Article from The Portland Daily Press, December 4, 1890

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Article Text

ANOTHER MAN CONE WRONC. / Pardoned for One Crime and New Guilty of Another. SEATTLE, Wash,, December 3.-Financial circles were somewhat agitated yesterday by the statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National Bank in this city was short in his accounts. A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of the shortage is not known. He will not be arrested Thornel. came here in '80, under the name of Raymond Hope, and was employed two years by the railroad company, when a detective from Colorado arrested him on the charge of embezzlement. He was taken to Denver, convicted and sent to the penitentiary, but was immediately pardoned. He came'back here and held various railroad positions until he rose to be manager of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad, which position he resigned to become cashier of the bank. He married the daughter of a wealthy citizen several years ago, and since her death has been living a fast life. He was treasurer of the base ball league and secretary and treasurer of other companies, the accounts of all of which are badly muddled.

6. December 4, 1890 Wheeling Register Wheeling, WV
Article from Wheeling Register, December 4, 1890

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Article Text

A Cashier Short. SEATTLE, WASHN., December 3.Financial circles were somewhat agitated yesterday by the statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier ef the Boston National bank of this city, was short in his accounts. A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell came here in 1882 from Denver. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of the shortage is not known. He will not be arrested.

7. December 4, 1890 St. Paul Daily Globe Saint Paul, MN
Article from St. Paul Daily Globe, December 4, 1890

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Article Text

SHORTAGE MADE GOOD. The Cashier of a Seattle Bank Under a Cloud. SEATTLE, Wash., Dec. 3.-Financial circles were somewhat agitated yesterday by the statement that W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National bank, in this city, was short in his accounts. A run commenced on the bank, but was stopped in a short time by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell came here in 1882 from Denver. He is now sick with typhoid fever, and the amount of the shortage is not known. He will not be arrested.

8. December 4, 1890 Delaware Gazette and State Journal Wilmington, DE
Article from Delaware Gazette and State Journal, December 4, 1890

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Article Text

A Bank Cashier Short. Associated Press Dispatch by Special Wires. SEATTLE, WASH., Dec. 3.-W. R. Thornell, cashier of the Boston National Bank in this city, is short in his accounts. A run was averted by the announcement that the shortage had been made good. Thornell is now sick with typhoid fever and the amount of the shortage is not known. He will not be arrested.

9. December 5, 1890 Morning Appeal Carson City, NV
Article from Morning Appeal, December 5, 1890

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Article Text

COAST NEWS. Bruce Cockrell a stock-raiser, and well known by racing men throughout the State, fell from his horse at Salimas Tuesday and died shortly afterward. Alexander P. Russell, who pleaded guilty to thd charge of criminal assault upon Miss Alice Peace at San Jose, has been sent to San Quentin for thirty-five years. The presbytery has erased the name of the Rev. D. L. Munro, the Stockton minister, who made & sensati nal confession a few Sunday ago, from the roll of the ministry and dissolved his relations with the Stockton church. Governor Waterman has pardoned H. Gallagher, sentenced from Placer county in February, 1880, to State Prison for life for the crime of murder, and also Dennis O'Neil, sentenced from San Francisco in November, 1883, for twenty years for the crime of murder. W. R Lehman, engineer of a Union Pacific surveying party at Seattle, was drowned by the upsetting of a sail-boat in the sound Monday. Mrs. Merrill, at Portland, is having made a p st-motem examination of the body of her mother Mrs. Victoria Langrez, whom she is charged with having poisoned. It is generally believed Mrs Langrez died from alcoholism. The Salt Lake Tribune has been sued for $15,000 damages on account of an alleged libel on Father Gatien, who went to Salt Lake and sold town-lot certificates in Spokane Falls. He was said by some Catholics to be a fraud, and the Tribune mentioned this. W.R. Thornell. who went to Seattle from Denver in 1882, where he had been convicted of em bezzlements and was pardoned, is short in his account as cashier of the Boston National Bank of Seattle. When the fact became known a run was made on the bank, which only ceased when the shortage was made good. Thornell was treasurer of a base-ball league and several other instituti ns, who accounts are said to be much confused,