The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-06
A DARK SECRET.
Dupes of the Sugar Swind-
lers Helpless.
woRDED CONTRACTS.
The secret af Friends Death-sIr<.
Friend Deflant-Perhsps She
Can Reveal Valuable
Processes

Axx ARsoR, Mich, Jan. 5.-Persons
interested in the Electric Sugar Re
fning Co. frauds at New York have
been in consultation with attorneys
for several days past. The president
of the company has been here and
met Mrs. Friend, the Howards and
Holsteads, all of whom live at Milan
in this state Mrs. Friend S attorneys
say there was no intention OF fraud
but that the company expected more
than promised. she saws the company
was to furnish money to equip re
finery for refining sugar by Friends
secret process The company al
Ieges that the refining was 10 be done
from sugar-cnne. This she cannot
do. The contract her husband made
WAS TO reane sugar at ~ cents a ton
or sell out his stock and the secret for
$50 900, after everything was running
The company had been running five
years and put in over $50, 600, bat no
sugar had been yet refined for the
market. Mrs Friend SAYS the COM
pany are trying 70 get from her a
number of secrets by which she makes
q superior article Of sugar from grapes
instead Of getting the secret their Con-
tract calls for. This last secret she
refuses TO diyuise for any amount
No arrests have been made, and none
are even threatened by the company's
agent. who returned to New York,
Wednesday Mrs Friend is the only
one OF the uarty interested in the
transaction, the Others being merely
employees.
ASx AaEoR, Mich. Jan. 5.-Presi-
dent CotteriI. of the Electric sugar re-
finery, was found at the lslington this
morning. He saws the report that be
is here to procure the arrest of Mrs.
Friend i news to him. He can not
talk 10 the press now, but promises de-
yelopments in a few days, lie de-
nouneed the claim made by Mrs.
Friend that the contract does not
specify raw cane sugar. but only
cane sugar, as an uDmitigated false
mood. The process is far too expen-
siye to place it on the market. There
Is no question, he SAYS, but that the
product is finer than that produced by
any known process and would sell
better than ordinary refined sugar if
it could be made from raw sugar.
The deception consists in the manip-
uiation of refined sugar instead of re-
timing sugar by the new process.
On behalf of Mrs. Friend the claim
is made that Prof. Friend invented
two distinct processes, one Tor making
superior article of sugar from refined
sugar. the other for making it from
grapes, and that the latter Is worth
millions. President Cotteril pro-
nouEces this humbug, but says If
there Is anything in the grape process
the company is entitled to il.
DETROIT. Jan. "a Journal Ann
Arbor special SAYS: There is nocrim-
inal aspect in the case 20 far as il has
developed here President Cottreu
has been making strenuous efforts TO
settle with the Friends, who will not
give mp unless they get big Doodle.
They still insist that their process is
exactly what the contract calls for.
The Journal reporter has seen
the contract, and it makes
no mention OF manufacturing
sugar from raw material. The men
who pose as dupes confess that this
whole thing has been precipitated by
English stockholders. Cottrell and
others. who got the Englishmen to
subscribe, now want TO get control.
Mrs. Friend and Howard own q ma
iority OF the stock and the alleged
secrets. The only way the "dupes"
can determine whether or not they
have been dupcd is to get control.
Mr.. Friend Is too sharp to be fright
ened into giving up any secrets.
MILAN, Mich, Jan. 5.-Friends ele-
CANT home hall 4 mile east Of here was
deserted this morning. At the house
of ". +. Howard. Mrs. Howard was
found Just setting out To Join her hus-
band and daughter (Mrs. Friend) At
Ann Arbor She Is a sharp-eyed,
brainy old lady, with determination
not to give away what she knows fur.
ther than to say II the. New Workers have
broken open the electric sugar refinery
they have lost all their rights, and it
would be web If the process had been
lost when Friend died last March ;
also that she was sure Howard and
Mrs Friend are able to take care OF
themselves.
Since the opening of the sugar busi-
ness the Howards and Friends have cut
a big swell here. building an elegant
house and living "a gentlemanly
/ farmers with princely income from
source not generally understood,
| though without a taint of suspicion.
/ They lived high. drove elegant equip
I ages, and travelled much between here
and New York. The village IS greatly
excited, but not q whit surprised.
NEW YORK. Jan. 5.-The leading
topic among brokers and business men
down town Is the great expose OF the
/ late Prof. Friend : Electric Sugar Re
fining Co. Secretary Robinson OF the
/ defanct concern was nearly paralyzed
hv a well-known Wall street man ask
/ ing him for 10 shares. Offering him SIC
each for them. Robinson told the
man the shares were worthless. The
man in isted and sale was effected
The purchase was Tor the purpose ol
squeezing" Howard when caught
Howard Is thesaan who swore before
a notary public that he had seen the
process of refining sugar by electricity
II is now said Friend is not dead al
all. there not being any body found
% fa- that has been identified o. hi
corpse His death Is said 10 have oc
CURED Two days before the blizzarC
last March.
I LIVERPOOL. Jan. 5.-Shares OF TIN
Electric Sugar Refining Company hay'
fallen 10 80 sh!ilinEs. Warrants hav'
been issued Tor the apprehension o
Mr.. Friend and her step-iather, "
Z. Howard. u director Of the company
and who had charge of the affairs a
the factory in Brooklyn.
HE FAILED To DELVGE CHICAGO.
CHtcAGo. Jan. SIN connection
with theexpose Of the electric sugar re
fnin- fraud in New York. 10
cal paper says: Prof. Friend was her
about Eve years ago and endeavore,
TO induce local sugar men to establish
/ factory. lie, however, insisted ol
keeping the secret process TO himself
and none OF the merchants woul'
agree. so the scheme fell through
lie went East then.