The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-12
HOUGHTON'S NEGOTIATIONS.
A Dealer in School Furniture Offers Warrants
at Eighty Cents.

Dealer in School Furniture Offers Warrants
at Eighty Cents.
Chicago News.
A man who has not heretofore been promi-
neptly mentioned in connection with the sale of
school furniture to Indiana townships is Prof
Houghton, author of several school text-b books
and historical MAPS and the inventor of some
patent globes and other devices for the instruc-
ton of the young idea. Professor Houghton dis
claims any business connection with Mr. A. E.
Davis, the warrant negotiator, and says that he
has simply arranged with Davis to furnish him
with school supplies for his (Daviss) trade with
Pollard. He told a Daily News reporter last
Tuesday that he had never handled township
warrants to any great extent, not above a few
hundred dollars worth, and that was some time
ago. and yet the reporter learned yesterday upon
good authority that abont the 1st of April
Houghton offered D. H. Tolman, the banker and
money loaner, something like $l5 900 worth of
Indiana warrants, many of which originally
made out to the order of r. B. Pollard, the mid
dleman who SO clevery worked the racket be-
tween trustee and broker. Houghton offered to
sell these warrants to Tolman for 80 cents on
the dollar, and when TOlman intimated that he
might be induced to loan some money on them,
but would not purchase them outright, he asked
for loan of $40 0O0 Houghton told Tolnan
that he could get more warrants, and asserted
that they We're bona fide.
Tolman took some specimens to A. H. An
drews, who, Houghton said, was dealing more or
less in that kind of paper. Comparison with
paper which Andrews had on hand revealed the
startling fact that most of Houghtons warrants
were drawn on the same townships as those of
Andrews, and the banker, wondering why
warrants for such large amounts should be du-
! plicated in small townships, declined to accept
Mr. Houghton's security and advance the loan
Professor Houghton is well known in Indiana
and occupied at one time chair in one of the
universities.
A gentleman who does not wish his name
| mentioned unless necessary who is an old and
experienced salesman Of school supplies says
that when the first reports of the Indiana steals
were made he called into the Office Of Davis,
and, after alluding to the excessive issue of war
| rants etc, laughngy remarked to Davis: Il
thought | was pretty good business man and
knew how to make money but I'll give you
credit for being sharper than | am" to which
Davis replied: II am sharp enough to get the
cream, and don't care who gets the milk" The
quotation is not literal but substantial. This
same gentleman told the reporter that he did not
think it should cost over 5000 per year to keep
the best rural townships in Indiana in ample
school supplies He said Indiana was the easiest
State i'll the Union to sell school material in
and that no other State we'll supplied in
all modern school materials.
Davis was seen at this house last night and
was shown a Washington dispatch which stated
that large amount of Indiana township war
rants had been disposed of there. He was asked
if he had ever sold any of the warrants in Wash
ington, and answered in the negative. A private
dispatch was shown him, which stated that he
had been several times in Washington lately,
and had sold many of the warrants there He
acknowledged having been in Washington three
times recently, once for pleasure and twice on
business. He said he had endeavored to sell
paper there, but had not succeeded He denied
having gone expressly to sell the warrants.
When asked if, when he was handling such
extraordinary quantities of paper from small
townships, it had not become apparent to him
that they must have been fraudulently issued he
replied: 'There is no reason why it should
have been more apparent to me than to the
many brokers and bankers who were also hand
ling it. am innocent of any intentional wrong
doing" he said. land don't why the Daily
News is jumping me so hard" Mr.. Davis
said that Professor Houghton first introduced
Pollard to him.
A visit was made last night to Professor
Houghton's residence for the purpose of enabling
him to reply to Mr.. Tolman's statement, but the
family did not appear to be at home.
1t was learned at Pinkertons detective agency
that Pollard was undoubtedly in Canada with
several of his guilty colaborers That friendly
harbor for criminals will doubtless have it's pop
ulaton still further augmented before many
days go by