Waterbury Evening Democrat

IN SEARCH OF HIS SISTER
Young
Ward's Chase After an
Eloping Couple.
EN ROUTE FOR THE PACIFIC COAST.
A Tale from Chicago in Regard to Prom-
inent People of West Haven,
Conn.,
Which, However, is Discredited at that
Place-The Girl's Scheme to Raise Ten
Thousand Dollars.
Chicago, Feb. 6.-J. H. Ward, son of
Israel Ward, a banker of West Haven,
Conn., left here last night for St. Paul.
He has been here since Saturday night in
search of his sister, who eloped with
James Lewis, cashier of the West Haven
Bank. They were married in Albany
and started westward. After tracing the
couple through Canada young Ward as-
certained they had come to Chicago. At
the Wellington hotel he found the names
"Mr. and Mrs. J. Lewis, Syracuse. N. Y."
registered, but was informed by the clerk
that the couple had left yesterday morn-
ing for St. Paul. To a reporter Ward
told this story:
"Early in December my father sailed
for Europe and before leaving home
signed a blank check, which he gave to
my sister, telling her to fill it out Christ-
mas time for the amount she would need
for presents and to get the money at the
bank. Instead of using the check during
the holidays she kept it until Jan. 10,
when, as I believe, according to an under-
standing with Lewis, the cashier of the
bank, she presented the check filled out
for $10,000, which he as cashier was
bound to honor, as the signature on the
check was genuine.
"Two days after she received the
money my sister left to visit her aunt,
Mrs. John Myers, in Albany, and a week
later Lewis followed her, without giving
any notice at the bank of his intention to
leave.
"An investigation followed, and the
item of $10,000 paid to my sister by
Lewis was discovered. The bank officials
were powerless in the matter, as the
transaction was regular on its face, and
the check was genuine.
"Further investigation of the books
developed that Lewis had in his posses-
sion certain knowledge regarding ac-
counts and securities about which the of-
ficials were entirely at sea without his
assistance, and a search was made for the
missing cashier.
"My object in meeting my sister is to
try to persuade her to return home. I
also expect to get from him the knowl-
edge the officials seek. I think the couple
are on their way to the Pacific Coast."
New Haven, Feb. 6.-Israel Ward, the
banker referred to in the Chicago de-
spatch on the Lewis-Ward elopement,
has been dead about ten years. He was
at one time cashier of the Second National
Bank of this city.
He left a son and a daughter, now
about 20 and 16 years of age respectively.
The young lady has been in New York all
winter.
Gossip at West Haven has it that dur-
ing last summer a young man named
Lewis paid marked attention to Miss
Ward, but whether he is the person al-
luded to in the despatch cannot be
learned.
Wallace W. Ward, the girl's uncle,
positively refuses to discuss the elope-
ment matter. There is no bank in the
town of West Haven and consequently no
"James Lewis, Cashier," thereof.