On July 28, 1870, Mather Byles Almon, President of the Bank of Nova Scotia, announced that the cashier, James Forman “has been guilty of making many fraudulent entries in the books of the bank, by which he has abstracted a large amount of its funds.” In this unusual biography, Pat Lotz profiles James Forman–a man who “left no letters.” Accused of embezzling over $300,000 from the Bank of Nova Scotia, Forman resigned his post in disgrace before leaving Nova Scotia for England. The crime shocked Victorian Halifax, bumping the Franco-Prussian war from the front page of the local newspapers. In this unique book, Lotz traces the life of a man who left very little personal information, in letters or otherwise, about his life and work.

Pat Lotz is the editor of Affairs With Old Houses, a collection of personal stories about heritage homes in Nova Scotia. She has worked as a writer and editor since 1979; acting as associate editor at Atlantic Insight and the editor of The Southender. Since 1987, she has worked as a freelance writer and consultant.

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