Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-21
". Z. GRAY, THE FoRGER, AGAIN.
USING THE NAMES OF CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
AND SENATOR JONES AS CAPITAL

esING THE NAMES OF CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
AND SENATOR JONES AS CAPITAL
". f, Gray, formerly a Treasury clerk in this
:ity-son of former chaplain of the Senate-is
a@ain heard from in New York The Tribune
OF yesterday says;
The standing OF the limited Globe Electric
Light Company" Of No. 297 Fifth avenue. was
still further inquired into yesterday by Tribune
reporter 1t was found that the Mr. Gray re-
ferred to in the Tribune of Sunday as the organ
Yer OF the corporation, is the fOrger. w. f.
Gray, who caused sensation in Wall street in
1853 by raising and passing forged bonds to the
amount oi SSoO0o, and who is at present out
ON ball. having succeeded i'm securing q new
Hiai on the ground of newly discovered evil
dence after he had been sentenced to the State
Prison for ten years The scheme in which
Gray is now engaged was apparently planned
before he had reached this country. after being
eXtraiiited from England Police Captain kealy
Who brought him over said yesterday that
Grays one subject Of conversation while cross
m the ocean was electric lights. After being
released ON bail he immediately set to work to
carry out his plans. Being a man Of education
Teiined tastes and good manners he was well
aware that appearances were everything toward
success ~ his first step to secure suitable
apartments This he did at No 2g3 Fifth ave-
hue, Where he rented tie entire second floor
lifted the rooms up nicely. and had his name
engraved upon plate over private bell pull
Then he proceeded To set his net to catc, MS
victims, presenting To them the following plan:
Affirming that he owned one or two patents in
electric lights. he proposed toform company to
buy Upall other patents. TO consolidate conflict
ing interests. and in this way to control the
electric lights for the world 1t made little
difference how much capital was needed he
sad. because it was all to be- represented by
stock. which would be Issued to the United
States Electric Light Company. the Maxim. tine
md fhnr rsita-
that might be bought up"
TAXING MEMS NAMES IN VAIN.
This was his scheme. But how to get proIni-
nent AMI wealthy men Interested was the next
thought. Looking around, Gray fixed upon
COneius Vanderbilt. the eldest of William
H. Vanderbilt Without approaching Mr.. Van
derbilt upon the subject Gray used his name.
He next convinced Isaac X Roberts the son OF
the late Marshall o. Roberts. that Mr Wander
b.h had consented to be the president of the
company. So thoroughly convinced was Mr.
Roberts that this was a fact that he told Tri-
t,19 reporter recently that Mr.. Vanderbilt the
eldest son of William III. Vanderbilt was the
president of the company. and had been for
three months. Mr.. Vanderbilt had denied to the
reporter that such was the ease only fifteen min
utes before. Through GIay's glbness Of tongue
Mr. Roberts became interested and began to
work to- induce other men tn come into the
scheme II was decided that Senator JONES' of
Nevada, would be an influential director. So
Mr.. Roberts. remembering that he had been a
schoolmate of Senator Jones fathrr-n-law Col
rector Sullivan, OF the port of San Francisc)
wrote glowing accounts of the plan to Mr. Sui
Ivan. telling him that it was q chance seldom
offered. and that the stockholders all could get
rich without rsking dollar. Mr.. Sullivan,
knowing of course who Mr. Roberts was. began
to influence his sOn-in-aw. But the Senator
was Obdurate- He refused to 60 into the scheme.
saying that he was enterey mining man and
had enough to do.
While this going on i'm California. Gray
was not idle mere. Through the wife of a prom
inent merchant in New York, who had already
done everything possible for him during his
trial. Gray was introduced to Assistant United
states District Attorney Alfred r Conkling.
Mr. COnklin@ was easily won over. The scheme
was practical, he thought and as he was to be
the attorney he thought he could see that every
thing was conducted properly. About the time
that Mr. Conklin@ began to work to promote
The scheme Senator Jones came east. The fail
uTe to secure the Senator's name on the Pacific
coast did not discourage Gray. He urged Mr..
ConklnT to call upon the Senator. Mr. Conk-
ling did So, and afferward made second visit
at which time he introduced Gray. The forger
brought all his powers of conversation to bear.
to show how easily the scheme could be made
successful He talked as if he had immense
wealth aud had power to do what he undertook
no matter what difficulties might be encounter
ed He offered to place his box at the opera at
the disposal of Senator Jones wife and family
when they came to the city.
Senator Jones, in speaking of the matter on
Sunday. said: Gray was such an intelligent
man, and so gentemanlike in manner and dress.
that he had been introduced to me by Mr.
Conkline. | listened to him quite willingly
After he had explained his scheme. it seemed to
me that it was practicable. and that money
could be made il control of the various patents
could be secured. Mr.. GRAY asserted that he
had Influence to do this. Then remembered
what my father-in-aw had said tn ne in San
Francisco. and also that the son of Marshall o.
Roberts was interested in it. / was assured
that Mr.. Vanderbilt was the president; so upon
consideration l said that | would become
director, and | signed the papers,
This was what Gray wanted. He now had
the names of Senator Jones and Isaac X. Rob-
erts. and he had appropriated the name of Cor
easy Charles A Pratt, salesman in the en-
pioy of Austin. Nichols & CO.. was made secre-
fairy. DIR. William F.. Rice of Bath Maine was
named as another trustee while Edmund l..
Morse was added to make mp full board. To
render the scheme still more respectable, the
papers were drawn up by the senior clerk Of the
law firm of Sewel 4 Pierce. After this the
members OF the firm were spoken OF by Gray as
the attorneys for the company. 1t was also
necessary TO have some place 70 register the
transfers OF stock. So the services of Mr.. Rob-
erts were again calledin. He was introduced to
the president of the Farmers Loan and Trust
Company by the executor Of his fathers estate.
The president consented to allow his COMPANY
made the scheme as printed upon circular
seem still more trustworthy. Then the follow
ing notice appeared in The Daily Register of
November :, 1881:
THE UNITED GLOBE ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY.
The undersigned, being majority of the
trustees Of the United Globe Electric Light
Company. hereby give notice that a meeting of
the stockholders of said company will be held at
the office OF Seweil 4 Pierce. No 2O6 Broadway.
in the city OF New York. on the 18th day Of
November. 1881, at IL o'clock noon, for the pur-
pose of increasing the capital stock Of said COM
pany from $4,000 to S6.0O0.0O0, so that there
after the said capital stock shall consist of
U,OO0 shares of the par value of 800 each.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT.
JoHN T. JONES,
1. n ROBERTS,
CHARLES A. PRATT
Dated October 20 1881
IL Is needless to say that the meeting was not
held but the capital was Increased however to
%, OOO. 600. and so printed in the circulars.
IDENTIFYING THE FOgGER-
The Identification of GRAY as the foroer WAC