A. H. & A. T. Bowen - Delphi, IN

Episode Information

Episode UID: 4906893691095
Episode Type: Run Only
Bank Type: trust
Bank ID: 490689369 hash
Start Date: March 29, 1891
Location: Delphi, Indiana (40.588, -86.675)

Metadata

Model: gpt-5-mini (chosen from majority vote of a three-model LLM ensemble)
Short Digest: fae0599218047f8c

Response Measures

None

Description

Withdrawals followed the Bowen heirs' flight and tax litigation; bank remained open and meeting obligations.

Events (1)

1. March 29, 1891 Run

Cause: Bank Specific Adverse Info
Cause Details: Flight of the Bowen heirs and large tax claims against the family/bank prompted deposit withdrawals.
Measures: Placed in charge of an assistant cashier; continued to meet obligations
Newspaper Excerpt: the bank in this city, owned and operated by the family, is in the hands of an assistant cashier and is meeting all obligations, many depositors having withdrawn their money.
Source: newspapers

Newspaper Articles (1)

1. April 1, 1891 The Indiana State Sentinel Indianapolis, IN

Article from The Indiana State Sentinel, April 1, 1891

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Article Text

treasurer under the statute to act in that capacity. The heirs fought his appointment as being inimical to the interests of the estate and took the matter to the supreme court, but the higher court decided against them. The heirs kept up the fight until Wednesday, when the attorneys for the county filed a statement with the auditor asking that personal property to the value of over $2,000,000 be placed upon the tax duplicate against the estate of Abner H. Bowen. This demoralized them. They secretly commenced to pack up their possessions. Trunks, valises, sachels and boxes were brought into requisition, and in them were stored notes, mortgages, bonds and stocks. With these in their possession the heirs departed on the midnight train and the widow is now in Urbana, Ill. Edward Bowen is in Chicago; Al Bowen and Etta Bowen are on their way to Philadelphia. All have given up their residence in Indiana except Nathaniel Bowen, who retains the real estate. It is estimated that the value of the property carried away is in the neighborhood of $2,000,000. When the announcement of the retreat of the heirs was made yesterday no one appeared more surprised than their attorneys, who declare that they had not received a hint of the intended flight of their clients. Two reasons are given for the sensational move of the Bowen heirs. They desired to get their possessions out of the state before the assessor came around next month to list property under the new law, and they also figure on having the tax suits transferred to the U. S. court on the ground that they are nonresidents. The bank in this city, owned and operated by the family, is in the hands of an assistant cashier and is meeting all obligations, many depositors having withdrawn their money. It is anticipated that when the news is generally circulated in the country, a run will be made upon the institution. There has been no run on the Bowen bank today, and confidence in the bank's ability to meet all obligations is unimpaired. DELPHI, March 29. - [Special.]work of attempting to collect back taxes from the wealthy Bowens, who fled the state with their personal possessions Thursday night, goes bravely on. The flight of the precious mi lionaires was precipitated by the filling of a statement with the auditor, asking that $2,000,000 be placed on the tax duplicate against the estate of the late Abner H. Bowen. This has been supplemented by two others— one against the banking firm of A. H. & A. T. Bowen for $1,600,900, the other against Abner T. Bowen for $2,000,000. The sum total the auditor will be asked to place on the duplicate is $5,600,000. A. T. Bowen, who was in the banking business with his father, is immensely wealthy in his own right. As a tax-dodger he eclipses his illustrious parent, as an examination of the duplicate shows that last year he returned the sum total for value of his possessions at $10,000. Just before taking the train for Philadelphia, the shirker of taxation, in an injured tone, stated that he was going to take up his residence in a state where it was not considered a crime to amass a fortune. Additional complications are likely to arise by reason of the fact that Congressman-e ect Busey of Illinois has taken out letters of administration on the estate of the elder Bowen in Illinois, and he has served notice on the debtors in this state that he is authorized to collect all debts due the estate, and urging them to make immediate settlement. The attorneys for the administrator appointed by the court threaten to call Col. Busey to answer in the U. S. court.