Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-08-03
FAILED FOB $223OOO.


LAKGE SUGAR REENER DlSAPPEAssS.
Embarrassment Of Charles Hilgsrt, Caused
BY Cape Nay Speculation In
Sorghum Sugar.
The failure of John Hilgert's Som, pro-
prietors of the Girard sugar refinery, at
the foot Of Shackamaxon street, Delaware
river, Philadelphia, places in an unenvia-
BILE position Charles NJ. Hilgert, who sue
ceeded his father and carried on the busi-
ness. A warrant is out for his arrest, and
he is now q fugitive. The firm always
bore high reputation, aud was rated
"gilt-edged, A l." in the commercial
world, and the collapse created general
surprise. Until Monday the financial
standing of the firm was unquestioned.
On that day Lawyer Jerome Carly en-
tered up four judgment notes, aggregat-
ing s26, 900. three of them for 10000
| 81, 600 and Sc, 600 in tho name of William
II. Remsen, and the other for $1,000 in
favor of Catharine d. Remsen. Mr.. Rem
son, now deceased. was relative of Chas.
M. Hilgert, and tho notes were for cash
loans to tho firm. Tho notes were over
due, and Mr.. Carly, as executor Of the
Remson estate, repeatedly requested pay
ment, as he was desiriOus of reinvesting
the money in government securities. On
Tuesday he LEVIED on the property of the
firm to satisfy the Judgments. This pre-
cipitatcd the failure, and Chas NJ. Hilgert
disappeared. Other creditors became
aware of the state of affairs, and several
attachments were Immediately issued.
Tho total Indebtedness exceeds quarter
of million of dollars.
1t is said that the total liabilities of the
firm will far exceed the above sum, al
though the amount is not yot accurately
known. The assets of the firm arc esti-
mated at less than $4,000. Most of the
indebtedness represents money secured
upon forged paper, in the shape of &C
cepted drafts, bearing the names of lead
ing business men in this city and Balti-
more.
On Wednesday the sheriff's deputy, who
has charge of the firms effects, found five
or six bottles of ink of various shades on
the desk in Chas. NJ. Hilgert's Office. Sew.
eral slips of paper, containing the names
of prominent men, written in various
styles, were found in the waste basket
under the desk. Hilgert was in the Phil
adelphia national bank on Monday and
| since then his whereabouts have been a
mystery. A rumOr prevailed on the street
yesterday that he had committed suicide.
This, however, could not bs traced to any
reliable source, and it is believed that he
! is still in the flesh. Business men say he
has left the city with large sum of money
in his possession, which he raised by
means Of the forged paper. Mortgages for
| S90, 900 held by the estate Of Edwin and
Isaac Landell, oil merchants, have been
foreclOsed. These were given in cOnsid-
Grafton for the Kensington screw dock at
Delaware avenue, above ShackamaxOn
street. The transfers were made in Oc
tober last, and Hilgert paid $40, 600 down.
| The counsel for the Lindells asserts that
his clients will not lose anything by the
| failure. claiming that the property will
evert to them, aud that the $40, 900 receiv
ed only makes fair percentage.
During the past three days the briggs
Eviva, Rachel Coney and Glance arrived
in port from the West Indies, with cargoes
of molasses consigned to John Hilgert's S
Sons. The brig Glance has been lying in
tho stream and the other two vessels have
been at tho KensingtOn Screw dock. The
masters of the vessels yesterday attached
the cargoes to secure the freight due.
The firm has been in business about
fifteen years, having cOmmeucrd on a
small scale at No. 1909 North Fifth street.
Hilgert's sons refinery formerly stood in
the rear of the parochial school OF St Peter 4
church, at Fifth street and Girard avenue.
The RedemptOrist Fathers procured an
injunction against tho firm, restraining
them from operating the machinery,
which they claimed, caused the school
building to vibrate to such an extent as to
impearl its safety, and early last spring
the refinery was removed to ShackamaxOn
street wharf.
The cause of the failure is directly at.
tributed to Hilgert's unsuccessful sOrg-
hum plantation in Cape May county, N.
j. About two years ago tho New Jersey
Legislature passed law providing for the
encouragement Of raising sorghum. The
state agreed to pay a bouuvy of 81 for
every ton of sorghum raised. It is said
that the passage Of this act was secured
by Hilgert and his friends, who immcdi
ately began investing largely in land in
the vicinity of Rio Grande, Cape May
county. Before establishing their factory
they experimental Oh 4 particularly rich
plot of ground near Cape May court house.
The result was eminently satisfactory and
then Hilgert determined upon going into
the business on an extensive scale. A
stock company, with Il capital of $780,
| VVU, WdS IOIlAotA, Will OoOiS0 W
Potts rs president James P. Scott, treas
urer, aud Ashton Corson, Rudolph Ellis
and Charles NJ. Hilbert as directors. The
latter was practically tho leading man in
the whole business. He first purchased
1000 acress of land, which in turn was
bought of him by the company. About
1900 acres were cultivated. A sugar
house costing 100000 was built and a
number of other buildings involved u
further outlay of SIS, 900. When the con-
Germ got well under way dry rot set in.
The company calculated harvesting SO, 900
tons of sorghum, but the figures were wide
of the mark. The dry rot caused SO
much injury to the crop that the
company was never able to recover
from its disastrous effects. This, Of
course. hampcrcd Hilgert considerably.
Before locating at Rio Grande Mr.. Hilgcrt
made an offer to tho residents of Vineland
that if they would set out 100 acres for
the purpose of raising sorghum he would
locate his factory near that town, and
give employment to many men. The
matter was agitated by the leading spirits
| of that town, but they never succeeded in
getting the promise of more than eighty
acres, and SO the affair fell through. Only
| a week ago the Vineland papers were bo-
| moaning their fate in allowing such an
opportunity to pass without taking advan.
tage of what they considered tho generous
offer of Hllgert. OF late Hilgert operated
very largely in molasses, which shrank in
value so much that it is thought by many
to have been the primary cause of forcing
him to the wall.
rn 1~.k -