The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-06-29
THE PETROLEUM EXCITEMENT.
TROUBLE IN THE UNITED SERVICE Pc
TRoLEUM AND MINING COMPANY.

Market Pollce Court, demanding the ar
rest of William D. Mann and Daniel
Stratton, prominent members OF the
United Service Petroleum and Mining
Company, on charges duly set forth in
the subjoined documents. Subsequent
ly to the reading of these affidavits,
Justice Dodge issued warrants for the
arrest of the implicated parties, one of
whom was at once taken into custody.
The other will be handed over to the
police, the officers being already positive
as to his whereabouts.
The documents alluded to above are
textually as follows:
AFFIDAvITs.
George D. Kellogg, Of No. S67 West
Twenty-third street, being duly sworn
deposes and says That on or about the
fifth day of February, A. d. 1865, he
was induced to visit William D. Mann
at his office, No. 24O Broadway, and up
on such visit found there present Daniel
Stratton, Jr., and that said Mann and
Stratton did then and there represent to
deponent that they had purchased valu-
able oil lands in Ohio and Pennsylvania
for the purpose of forming an oil COM
pany, which had actually cost them
S45 200, and were to be put into COM
pany which lhey were about organizing
in the city of New York that all OF
said purchase money had been subscrib-
ed for, and, that in addition thereto, the
sum of $4,000 for working capital to
develop said lands; that said Mann had
subscribed SO 900 andsaid Station $9, 900
toward said amount, that if deponent
would subscribe 81 900 he, the said Mann,
would let deponent have $1,000 of his
(said Mann's) subscription, provided
said Stratton would part with similar
ammlt of his (said Stratton's) subscrip-
ton, to which said Stratton assented.
1t was further stated at that time, by
said Mann, that said Stratton was about
leaving for the West, to complete the
purchase and obtain the titles to the
lands.
Deponent further saith that said Mann
and Stratton, there and then, exhibited
to him paper, purporting to contain
full description of said lands, so repre-
scented to have been purchased by them
as aforesaid, aud which description was
substantially the same as the several lots
or parcels of land mentioned by the
numbers from "oneo to "ten" inclu-
sive, in the annexed prospectus of the
| United Service Mining and Petroleum
Company, IAN elaborate advertisement
of four foolscap pages) stating, at the
same time, that the said Mann and STRAIT
ton had carefully selected and purchased
said lands, and that the investment was
d valuable one.
Deponent further saith that, relying
| In, IN
lions of said Mann and StrattOn as being
entirely true and believing that they
| had purchased the said lands and had
paid or were to pay thereforin good faith
the sum of $45, 900, he was induced to
straightforward the same the sum Of
| 81 900 and that he paid to defendant,
Mann, $500 on account of said subscrip-
ton.
Deponeut further saith that the sub
scribers Tor a majority of them) to the
fund of 900 aforesaid, met in the City
of Washington, ID. c., about the begin
ming of March, 1855, the defendant
Mann, being present and consenting
thereto, and authorized Generals w. S.
Hancock and VIM. Hoffman of the
United States Army, and Messrs. Hill
yer, Hotchkiss, Marks, Chadwick,
Church, this deponent and the defend
ant, Mann, to form q company under
the laws of the State of New York, UNI
Ter the corporate name of the Omitted
Service Petroleum and Mining Com
pany," and directed the trustees of said
subscribers, tO-wit said Mann, to con-
vey the property aforesaid to said COM
pany as soon as organized. That the
said company organized OH or about the
9th day of March, 1866, and that on or
about the 10th of said month the trus-
tees aforesaid, or majority of them, as
sembled in the City of New York and
organized, and that this deponent was
then and there elected the secretary of
said company.
Deponent further saith, that the pros
| pectus of said company was prepared by
about the 10Th of March last, and was
not seen by deponent until after thesame
was printed and published, and that the
said Mann represented to him, (depon-
ent) that all the matters stated therein
were true, and that he, the said Mann,
and the deponent, Stratton, were the two
persons spoken of in said prospectus as
having selected the lands therein descri-
bed.
Deponent further saith that relying
upon the representations of said Mann
and Stephens, and upon the contents of
said prospectus, he has, since the same
was published, procured among his
friends further subscriptions to the
amount of So, 900, toward the purchase of
said lands, and has paid the same to said
Mann as trustee.
Deponent further saith that said Mann
has exhibited to him the deeds of lots
numbered l, 2 and in said prospectus,
from said Stratton to said Mann as trus-
tee, claiming and pretending to have
purchased the same of said Stratton and
to have paid him thereon 5000, al
though said Stratton was represented to
this deponent as one of the parties who
selected said land, and acted as one of
the purchasers thereof, for the suhscri-
bers to the original purchase money
thereof, for the purpose of forming pet
roleum company, and,pursuant to which
arrangement, the company aforesaid
was formed.
1 Deponent further saith, said Mann,
/ has assured him that lots numbered 5
and in said prospectus costs and that
he had paid therefor IS 900 each and that,
relying upon such representations,
among others, this deponent continued
his connection with said company, and
procured money to be paid in and sub
scribed toward the purchase money
thereof, but that deponent has since
learned that lot.No. was purchased by
contract by said Mann and Stratton for