The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-24
A FORGOTTEN DIVIDEND,
which the Holder OF Western UutOn
Stock did not Receive for Four Ycnrs,

VIII ich the Holder OF Western Union
htock did not Receive FOR Four Years.
New YonE, October e3.-It does not often
happen TINT n business man lets little
Item Of 81 500 slip through his fingers and
forgets ali about It, yet that is what occur.
red to Mr.. N. G. Miller, and the way he
found this treasure trove iu Gotham Is the
sabjec! OF this briei story. Mr. Miller Is
partner in n wealthy firm in Bridgeport
Conn, 'but spends most Of his time In this
city attending TO various business affairs
Some weeks since the firm received letter
from II lawyer in this city which reads rs
follows: 49,
GESrLENES-Will you be so good us to
inform mo where l can sec Mr.. Miller, the
one who comes here so frequently In this
city, or II It Is agreeable TO him 10 call upon
mo ! should be pleased to sec him? Gun
Il give him some information rs to some
money being due your firm which, think,
YOU are ignorant OF.
Mr.. Miller called at the office on Broad.
way Of the young lawyer whose name was
signed to tho above letter and was told that
The sum in question was considerable.
The lawyer, however, did not tell him
where it was due or how the credit had nc.
crued. Mr.. Miller promising 10 call again,
went straight home and began tho over.
hauling Of his books and accounts. The
books Of the firm yielded no hint OF The
nature OF this mysterious debt until he had
lnrned back rs far rs 1878. It then trans.
pired tlnt in January Of that year the firm
held 1000 shares oi the capital
stock Of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, and that the dividends OF Jan,,.
aryl5, amounting TO 81 ,50Oupon their 900
shares-had never been drawn. Mr.. Mil
Ter claims that his firm was never notified
by the company, and that they had no
ldea that such money was due til en- until
the present discovery WIS made. lie ap.
piled to the treasurer OF the company and
WAS promptly banded a check for the
amount. lie Indignantly protested against
the neglect OF the company in failing to
send him notice that the dividend was due
him. and demanded interest on ille amount
for the four years and more that have
passed. Mr.. Rochester, the treasurer,
politely declined to entertain any such de-
mand and asserted ihat notice OF the ,liyi-
deId bad been duly mailed TO every stock
holder whose name was upon the books
OF Inc company at tho time the dividend
Wns declared. The check, he said, was
drawn TO the order OF MIR. Miller's firm at
that time, and laidin the box ready TO be
handed out when called for any time dur
lns the four years. H.
Inc lawyer who informed Mr. Miller OF
the lact that money was due his firm told
Ia reporter that hc learned Of
me iaet by me Increst accident "1 can
see DOLLAR, he said, when there's one
IN slsht, ana thought the information l
thus picked up. would be worth something
10 Inc parties Interested. | cat down and
wrote the letter You refer to. did not,
however, AK Alr. Miller ior one cent. At
the same time | did not hesitate to say
that thought the information was worth
sometiiingto him. lie thought that got
the information from Mr.. Roche ster, treas
nrer OF the Company, but Z assured
him that did not know who the
treasurer was and would not know
him II saw him. Mr.. Miller las intimated
TINT he intends 10 give mo $500, and that
whatever be pays me he will force the
company to stand the loss, rs il w,.s through
tho company's negligence that he was
kept from the use OF the money. under.
stand TINT be has demanded to be shown
the list OF unpaid dividends and llas been
refused ull Information, on the ground TINT
he is not Il stockholder. He gays that he
Will become stockbolaer in order that he
may renew the demand, MS he claims that
there is very large number Of unpaid
dividends upon the books OF the company:
President Noryin Green, Of the Western
Union Company, laughed when the re-