Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-07-08

were printed on. Woodhouse brought suit
to recover them, alleging that the bonds and
plates belonged to him and the company
only acted as custodians. While the suit Was
pending, he died, leaving the bonds and con-
tract and all pertaining to them to his widow,
Soon the scheme was forgotten.
The history of Emile Bries is familiar. He
is incarcerated in the Tombs today convicted
of uttering forged Missouri bonds. He Was
at one time one of General Ben. Buffers Sec
retaries. He heard of the Englishmen get
ting their bonds redeemed and at once hunted
up Mrs. Woodhouse. She was found at
Lynn, Mass. She had assigned the bonds to
Matthias c. Eaton. Bries offered Eaton S25,-
600 for his interest in the bonds and that
offer was accepted. Aided BY Archibald c.
Eustis, whose office is now at No. 20 Temple
court. Bries formed a plan to sell the bonds
to syndicate of wealthy bankers and brokers
who were TO use their influence TO have them
redeemed. Bries' name blossomed out Ms
man of wealth and he told his friends he had
just received S20, 900 and in two months would
be worth 81 200, 900. He at once bought a
house in Stanford. Ferdinand Ward was his
neighbor and Mrs. Ward now lives next door
to the house owned by Bres. Bries then went
openly into the United States district court
in New York and sued Chief Justice Sedg
wick for the possession of the Woodhouss
Mexican honds. He fled his petition on
April 10, 1888. The case was fought with
great fierceness on all sides, and fl ally re.
suited in Bries gaining possession of the
bonds. BY decree OF the court Judge Sedg-
wick was ordered to deliver to Messrs. Row.
land N. Hazard and Stephen +. Moriarty ali
the Woodhouse Mexican bonds, plates, dies,
etc. X. N. Hazard, who WAS to receive the
bonds under order of the court, is q well
known druggist and president of the Ameri.
can Loan and Trust company. The Stephen
+. Moriarty who was associated with him in
receiving the bond is young man from Bos'
ton who lives at the Fifth Avenue hotel.
Moriartv and Jesse Grant had an office to.
gether in New York. They were ALWAYS sup.
posed to be business partners.
Behind Stephen +. Moriarty and Rowland
N. Hazard were others. At present the
whereabouts of the bonds is a most carefully
guarded secret. Briers, now in the tombs
alleges that he has been offered $50, 900 with.
in week for the possession of them. Ii il
alleged on the theory Of the Grant & Ward
connection with the business, as the bonds
were delivered on the 18th of April, 1884, and
Grant Ward failed on May 9th, that the de.
livery was too late to save the firm. Those
World says. say that Grant & Wards failure
was in no way connected with them The
impression has grown strong, however, and
fixed that Gen. Grant had prevailed on the
Mexican government through Minister Rom.
ero and President DiaZ to redeem the bonds
The details of the alleged plan were that
when the Woodhouse bonds were surrend
cred, mexicans would issue to the syndicat,
new and legal bonds, representing one hall
the face value of those given up. These
bonds would be either distributed among the
members OF the syndicate or would he sold for
cash. General Grants intimacy with Senor
Romeo was well known. 1t was also well
known that Briers lived very near Ferdinand
Ward in Stanford. Out of all this grew the
belief, current in some circles, that General
Grant had an active connection with the
scheme. There is reason for believing that
this is only partly true if true at ALL II in
any respect true there was therefore founda-
ton for the report that the firm of Grant 4
Ward WAS interested in these bonds and de-
pended upon them as last resort
The World intimates that mystery is
thrown about the whole business, and the an.
ger of almost every man supposed to be con
nected with the scheme, when asked concern
ing 1t, makes an investigation into the truth
OF the matter very difficult. The contract
expired last year and the case is now slowly
winding through the courts. What the Mex
ican government will finally do in the matter
is as much problem now as it has ever been.