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# J. C. FRAKER'S STATEMENT.
The Other Late Officers of the First National
Bank and the Present Condition of
that Institution.
A large portion of our space on the second
page, this week, is given up to the statement
made by J. C. Fraker, to the United States
District Court now in session at Leavenworth
in pursuance of or in explanation of his plea
of "guilty" to the indictments against him
for unlawful irregularities and embezzle-
ments. The statement is not only published
in justice to him and the other officers asso-
cisted with him, upon whom it will be seen
he does not reflect but rather exonerates, but
from the conviction that a large number of
our local readers, many of whom knew Fra-
ker personally, will be interested in its peru-
kal. It is given in full, not abating or adding
a single word, just as it came from his own
lips, be having sent us personally the copy.
The statement speaks for itself and upon its
face bears the impress of unvarnished truth,
even did not a'l the surroundings and cireum-
stances, as the words of those most intimate
with the affairs of the bank, confirm. One
has to but in imagication put himself in the
same place to understand how in his anxiety
to tice over the disastrous collapse of '73
which left such a large amount of what proved
to be worthless paper on the bank's hands-
nearly $50,000-in his anxietty to save als
name, credit and family from ruin, and
to return the in oney of friends and pat-
rons, that he himself went, and induced oth-
ers to go, beyond the limits prescribed by
law. But he did it and no explanation, ex-
cuse or palliation could save him from the
direful penalty of a violated law. An up-
right, conscientious official and private life
covering many years of time, count as noth-
ing, nor even the fact that in the last six
months many like offenders in the United
States have gone free. It will be seen that
the reason given for the bank's embarassment
are identically those which were put forward
by the EAGLE a few months since as proba-
ble. Fraker explains in his statement how he
came to run away-how in the face of ruin
and scattered fortune, the jeers of the crowd,
the threats of individuals, and, werst of all,
the suspicion and distrust of old friends, his
maphood, which had sustained him in all the
trials of years, forsook him, and he became a
coward and fled from the face of all that had
known him.
E. G. Wright makes no statement for pub-
lication, but his case also enlists our fullest
sympathies, and we here express them in all
freedom in defiance of the curse of hypocrites
and the horror of mere purists. True, he
was an officer in one sense, but he owned
none of the capital stock and was responsible
only so far as his clerical duties were concern-
ed. All be bad to lose was his situation, still
that situation was his all, and he no doubt felt
more interest in keeping the institution up
than many mere stockholders. To help those
with whom he was intimately and daily asso-
ciated, out of trouble, and to keep alive the
place to which be had been for several years
looking for the bread eaten by himself, by his
faithful wife and innocent children-he, too,
violated the letter of the law, and in the ad-
mission of that fact poor Ed. Wright was sen-
tenced to bear the ignominy of J. C. Fraker.
In his associations with his fellow-men he has
always, so far as we know, been upright, hon-
orable and above suspicion, commanding and
retaining the respect and confidence of all.
The places of trust or honor in either
degree or number had not been held by him
as by Fraker, but in all he had been true even
to the sacrificing the roof that covers the head
of his children to make good the city's money
which he, as treasurer, held and which
went with the rest, and for one we stand
ready with pen, voice, or whatever influence
we may have to implore and beg for execu-
tive clemency and pardon. Even the jury,
dispassionate strangers who feit bound under
their oaths to return the verdict that like an
unexpected night of gloom, shut out his sun
of freedom and took him away from ali he
loved, these twelve men not only signed a pe-
tition for his release but waited upon him in
his agony and with heavy hearts told him
how unequal in his case was the effect of the
law. The very voice of the Judge must have
faltered in passing so hard a sentence upon
one who had sinned more in thoughtless com-
passion than design.
J. W. Eldridge, as an officer, was indicted
for being privy to and an aider and abettor of
the wrong done by his associates. Upon trial
a minority of the jury refused to agree to a
verdict of guility, being incapable of consign-
ing to a felon's cell, a fellow-man who, tom
the evidence, had no thought of wronging
any one. Upon that jury was Hon. James
F. Legate who though the possessor of a great
warm heart is still one of the soundest and
best read lawyers in the West. Mr. Eldridge,
in a life running back over sixty years, had
borne an unblemished character. He came
to Wichita some three years since with ten
thousand dollars cash with which he purchas-
ed stock in the unfortunate First National
becoming its cashier. When the bank went
down he was left without a cent. Nay,
worse. It carried with it three thousand dol-
lars of his cousin's money, his wife's and his
mother-in-law's and brother-in-law's money.
To make good, so far as lay in his power, the
losses of depositors be mortgaged his home
and all he had besides and freely turned it
over, as had Fraker. On the down-hill side
of life all his savings of years were not only
swept away, his family left without anything,
but himself threatened with shame and dis-
honor.
There is one other efficer who, though not
involved in any way that casts a shadow upon
his name, to whom we wish to allude. At-
tempts, the most strenuous, were not only
made but money was raised for the purpose
of procuring Vice President J. R. Mead's in-
dictment. After the country had been raked
and scraped he came out unscathed and un-
tainted entire. The grand jury found noth-
ing upon which even a suspicion could be
hanged. In this connection we here quote an
extract from an editorial in the Topeka daily
Commonwealth whose editor knew both Mr.
Mead and Fraker, intimately: "We have
known Mr. Fraker a great many years, have
been intimately associated with him many
times and always found him upright, frank
and honest In connection with this subject
we can't refrain from saying a word about
another of the National Bank. We refer to
J. R. Mend, whom we have known for many
years, and under varying circumstances, and
never knew aught against him. There has
been an effort-some think a vindictive one,
but we will not say so-to connect him with
the dishonest transactions in connection with
he bank. The case has been before two Uni-
sed States grand juries and been investigated
to the bottom, and he comes out entirely un-
scathed. Mr. Mead has been a heavy loser by
the bank. He put money into it as an invest-
ment in good falth, and went about his other
business, supposing that his investment was
a safe one. Ile has lost, we think, about $30,-
000, besides being subjected to suspicions and
going through a terrible ordeal. He is, as
we said above, completely exonerated, and
many will hear this with great satisfaction.
He was known to nearly every old citizen in
the State. To have found that two such men
as we beliored Mr. Fraker and Mr. Mead to
have been, were bad, would have been more
than human nature could bear, Perhaps we
write too freely, but our associations with
both men have so intimate that we feel deepen
ly." The truth is, Mr. Mead for years has
had a large business and varied Interests to
look after and knew very little of the bank or
its affairs, other than what Mr. Fraker from
time to time told him. How be has suffered
in the collapse is known to none so well as to
himself.
