The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-03
CONFESSED A CONSPIRACY.
Remarkable Admission Made by Wit
ness in the United States Court.
The Plan by which Number of Merchants
Are Said to Have Successfully At
tempted to Defraud Creditors.

The attachment suit of E. ". Redpath &
Brother, Boston wholesale firm, against
Michael Fletcher, a retail dry goods merchant at
Lebanon was brought to an abrupt termination
in the United States Court yesterday afternoon,
very soon after the beginning of the trial.
Forty-two wholesale firms in New York,
Boston. Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati,
Indianapolis and other cities who had sold goods
to Fletcher, and held claims against him amount
ing in the aggregate to about $50, 900, were rep
resented in the case. The first witness examined
was Moses Fletcher a son of the defendant, and
the rigorous questioning to which he was sub
jected by Morris and Newberger, the attorneys
representing the plaintiffs, resulted in testimony
of rather sensational nature being
elected. He was forced to admit that there had
been conspiracy between five Western mer-
chants to purchase all the goods they could get
on credit and dispose of them in such way
that their creditors could recover nothing. The
evidence disclosed that a contraband
store had been established at Ottawa,
Ills, and that it was part
of the scheme of the conspirators to secretly
ship goods there. The five merchants who were
implicated in this conspiracy, it was charged
were the three Fletchers-Michae Nathan and
Moses-at Lebanon, Herman L. Mossler of
this city, and Simon Wolfe, of Chicago. Young
Fletcher admitted that in last Novem-
Der Mossler brought eight large sample
trunks filled with wood to Leba-
non. and there packed them with goods
that had been bought credit returning with
the trunks to Indianapolis, and from here they,
were shipped to Ottowa 1t shown that
Mossler had sawed off the ends of the boards in
this city, to get them into the trunks, and these
were brought into court by the attorneys for the
plaintiffs. with the intention of pro-
ducing them evidence in the
case When young Mossler was allowed
to leave the witness stand the attorneys for the
defendants at once withdrew the from be-
fore the jury, and consented to the judge making
a finding in favor of the plaintiffs. The state
ment was made in court by the attorneys for the
plaintiffs that the conspirators had cipher mes
sage system. and they offered to prove this
by introducing as evidence a number of tele
grams which had passed between them,
but the case was brought to an end before any
testimony in relation to the matter was taken.
A cipher message sent to New York. it is stated
inquired, rs your father well?' to which was
made some such answer as Father is very i'll;
come at once" while another message would
probably read, meet father in Chicago"
The attachment covers the following claims,
which were filed in the case Redpath Bros,
Boston, ST. 1873 GO; Mark, Sampler & Son, New
| 1896 35; Dayton Suspender Company. Dayton.
| $l96; Greensburg Wooden Manufacturing Com
pany, Greensburg, $193 81; D. p Irwin & Co.,
Indianapolis, SAB Is; Aims & Doepke, Clncin-
| natl 81. 0O9. IS; Schwartz & Reinhard, dndianap-
oils, 1914. sS; S. Stein & Co., New York, So 5oO
| Fuller, Childs & Co.. Toledo. $1,3147 10; Hyman
| & Marks, Wabash. 1926. Y; NJ. Il.
Silver, Amnsfeld & Co., Cleveland, 1866 80;
| Peter Nelson & Co., Chicago, $l35 40; Fl. S.
| Louchlin & Co.. Philadelphia, $545.25; CHASER,
Strause e. Co, Cincinnati 1886 so: Joseph F.
Baker. Indianapolis, SIG; L. Cellar, jr, & Co.,
New York $20665; Bellman Brothers. Cincin-
natl. $5S425: Charles P. kellogg u Co., Chicago,
| $244; 5. Caskell New York. ST. 1885, Cohen & En-
dell, New York $577 Co. James l.. Libby & Co..
| New York, $245 so; A. Friedlander & Co. New
$290.65; S. Elsner 6 Co., Chicago, $24O;
10th 6 Haas, Cincinnati. $1l545; Brown
| Brothers e Co., Summerville, N j.,
| 81, 028 rs; j. Klee & Co., New York, 1851. %;
Bates, Reed & Cooley New York, 1921. IS; John
V. Farwell & Co.. Chicago $685.. SO; Wendall
Berman & Co.. Cincinnati, $l24. So X. r. Miles,
Indianapolis, $175; Isaac Hart & Co., Cincinnati
| $772; G. and S. Werner & Co., New York, 1913;
Wineman Sons & Co., Chicago. $4l8 IS; j. FL. &
G. w. Walker, Worcester, Mass, ST, $50 So; Han
auer. Kahn & Co., Philadelphia, $500 so; North
ern Ohio Blanket Mills, Cleveland. $l28. 80;
Cooper. Wells & Co., ST. Joseph, Mich, 1853. 35;
Michael Hassler Philadelphia. $343 60; VIM. F.
Thorne & Co., Cincinnati, $3.50 Ga.
The property attached is valued at $25, 900, and
includes the stock of goods at Lebanon, ap-
fixtures, valued at $780, Fetcher's residence at
Lebanon, appraised at So. 600. and deposits in a
Lebanon bank amounting to ST. AGO. in addition
to which Fletcher & Mossler are garnisheed for
the goods in their possession. Messrs. Morris &
Newberger think they will realize the full
value of the claims Of the creditors. Six trunks,
containing goods consigned to Ottawa, H., were
captured at Chicago, and were attached for the