President Charles Brown and Cashier E.L. Canby of The First National Bank of Vancouver were involved in a terrible scandal, which would ultimately cost both men their lives. During the boom years of 1889 and 1890, the bank loaned too much money on insufficient funds. Brown and Canby made false entries in the books over the subsequent years to cover up the bad transactions. Both men were forced to keep the state of the bank a secret for over a decade. It was not until April of 1901 when Bank Examiner Maxwell discovered their secret and confronted both men. After confessing to the examiner, Brown and Canby, racked with guilt, walked to a nearby field on the edge of town and committed suicide with the same pistol.
Charles Brown