In any case, it seems likely that Oliver and Margaret were married in 1855 and moved west to Ohio, settling in Seneca County in the township of Tiffin, the county seat. For several years he worked as a clerk, where I don't know. His two children were both born before 1860. By 1870 he was the Cashier at the Tiffin National Exchange Bank. He was also prospering handily, his estate valued at $4,600, a tidy sum in those days. He held that position until April of 1878.
On Monday, April 23, 1878 the officers of the bank arrived for work to discover $45,782.47 of the bank's money was missing. So was Oliver. He had left Tiffin, with the money, and caused the sensation of the year for Seneca County.
The previous evening Oliver took the T., T & E railroad from Tiffin, boarding the train at 7:10 P.M. He rode to Toledo in the smoking car, spending much time in conversation with a Mr. Charles Merril, of Toledo, who later related this part of the story. At Toledo the two gentlemen took a street car and rode down Summit Street to Adams, where Mr. Merril got off. It is supposed that Oliver then took the street car to the Union Depot and took the 10:38 train to Detroit.
In Detroit, Oliver purchased a through ticket to New York and also a bridge ticket for crossing Niagra Falls. This was a ruse. Oliver only used one ticket of the through pass and stopped in London, Ontario. It was here that detective John Norris, after several days search, managed to track Oliver down, in a small town outside London called Belmont. When he drove up to the place where Oliver was staying, he found him sitting on the porch, smoking a cigar.
As soon as Oliver saw Norris, he cooly walked out to the buggy and said "How are you John?" Oliver reached out his hand and helped Norris out, ordered the landlord to take charge of the team, and invited the detective in. Oliver was very calm, enquiring about his friends and acquaintances back home and appearing as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. When detective Norris expalined that his purpose for being there was to arrest Oliver and take him to London, Oliver said "All right, but we had better wait until morning, when the drive will be more pleasant."
They waited until morning and then drove into London where Oliver was arrested "on suspicion" which only allowed him to be held for eight days or until charged. Oliver's attorneys promptly answered for him and he was set free.
On Sunday, May 13, Norris discovered Judge Seney in conference with Oliver's attorney. He had left Tiffin on Friday, having been sent for by Oliver. In all his conversations, Norris said Oliver never admitted to taking the money. There was no way of getting Oliver extradited from Canada and his arrest was most probably for the purpose of holding him and coming to some sort of compromise.
Eventually, a compromise was reached. Sometime before November, the newspapers are not clear on dates, Oliver's wife Margaret joined him, this time in Windsor, Canada. She was accompanied by E. T. Stickney, one of the directors of the bank and Oliver's bondsman as Treasurer of the School fund. Mr. Stickney managed to persuade Oliver to give him about $10,000, sufficient to indemnify him as security for the School Fund. Stickney perceived also, that Oliver was getting weary of his forced retirment and wished to return to the States. In turn he was visited by J. D. Loomis, President of the bank, and Directors R. W. Shawhan and Dr. A. B. Hovey.
During negociations it was learned from Oliver that detective Norris had managed to extort about $15,000 of the money during his visit in May! The bank officers were none too happy about this and brought pressure to bear on the wily detective, resulting in his giving back about $10,000.
Oliver finally came to an agreement with the bank that they would no longer hold him liable for the money if he returned $4,200 in cash and bonds, a check for $300 back pay and all his real estate in Fort Wayne, Defiance, Albion, Paulding and Tiffin, worth about $15,000. Of course, they could not guarantee that he would not be prosecuted for his criminal actions.
And how did Oliver do out of all this? What with about $10,000 in attorney's fees, he was left with a little over $6,000 and had lost all his land holdings, so he came out not only considerably in the hole, but with a reputation indelibly tarnished.
On Saturday, November 24 he was in Detroit and from there went to Flint, leaving his wife behind in Windsor for a time. After that, we lose Oliver again for a few years. He was nowhere to be found in Ohio during the 1880 census. In 1881 he was living in Toledo and had a job a secretary of the C.Z. Kroh Carriage Top and Saddle factory, a job he held until his death. It is possible that he returned to Maryland for a year or two.
His last year or two were very unncomfortable for him. He was dying of cancer of the bowels and was in considerable pain. The last three months of his life he spent at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Lillian and Alpheus Baichly. He died January 18, 1899 and was buried in the Greennlawn Cemetary, in Tiffin, Ohio.
The above story was written and contributed by Steve Higley