Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-07
kilograms to The Star.
NO SUGAR WAS REFINED
But Somebody Got a Quarter Of a Million.
FEARS OF RACE RIOTS AT ARCOLA.
DESPERATE FIGHT BETWEEN INDIANS.
THE ALLEGED SUGAR FRAUDS.
President Cotterill Tells His Side of the
Remarkable Story.

CHICAGO, Jan. IA correspondent for a local
paper who has been investigating the electric
sugar refining case at Milan and Ann Arbor,
Mich, says that the handsomely fitted houses
recently occupied by Mrs. Friend and the How
ards at the former place are now deserted. The
arrival of President Cotterill at Ann Arbor Fri
day, created considerable of a stir at Milan.
and the afternoon train bore Mrs. Friend and
MIR. Howard to Ann Arbor. The lady showed
herself sparlngly on the street. but Mr.. Howard
was in and out everywhere. He was in des-
perate hurry. He endeevored to borrow 5000
from two different gentlemen. Offering to give
mortgages on the Milan property as security;
but as he wanted the money Immediately. they
were either not able or not willing to accom-
modate him.
WHAT PRESIDENT CoTTERILL SAYS.
Sunday afternoon the correspondent sue
ceeded in interviewing Mr. Cotterill. This gen.
tleman after showing a sample of the sugar
alleged to have been refined by Friends pro-
cess said: About a month ago things were
ready, as far as We could see. to make the
demonstration which, if satisfactory, was 10
warrant us in paying Mrs. Friend $4,000 for
her secret. MIR. Howard, Mrs. Friends step
father. was in charge of the works. The ex-
cuse for not starting up at once was that the
crank shaft was too weak. 1t took about week
to remedy this defect. Then the machinery
was started, and in two hours and fifteen min
utes sixty-two barrels of Friends product we're
turned out. The mill was then stoned be-
cause 1t was claimed some of the bearings were
hot. Friday and Saturday another run was
made and sixty-eight barrels of refined sugar
were the result The best sugar men in the
country were at the mill and
EVERYBODY WAS SATISFIED
The Friend party gave an excuse for not
going right ON that it was impossible with the
help they had to handle the vast quantity of
raw sugar necessary to keep the mill running
steadily. You see it would not do to employ
men with sense enough to understand what
was going on, nor men entirely ignorant of
what was required of them. SO we had no real
ground for complaint because the mill was idle
temporarily. The demonstration was appa-
rently ell that we had demanded of it. and we
were prepared to carry out the terms of the
contract. The contract stipulated that SO. 600
was to be deposited in New York and made
payable to Mrs. Friend when she had divulged
the secret of the process. She was to have
$1,000 in cash before telling anything.
MRS. FRIEND GROWS ExAcTING.
Il came on here and met Mrs. Friend week
ago in the Office of her attorneys. Messrs.
Sawyer and Knowlton. Mrs. Friend insisted
that the $4,000 should be deposited in Michi-
gan. The contract said that the money must
be deposited in New York, but / finally con-
sented to have it placed in Michigan Then she
demanded the g, 900 in cash. refused to paw
this on the ground that if did, the deposit
being in Michigan, the whole thing would be
in their hands. / said however. that would
place the 5000 in the hands of her attorneys
with the understanding that before the money
was paid to Mrs. Friend, they should see
twenty barrels Of sugar turned out and give me
written statement TO the effect that the same
was produced from raw sugar by the process.
the secret of which we were negotiating for
This was Saturday. Mrs. Friend demurred. and
We adjourned till monday. Monday she was
still unwilling to accept my proposition. where
upon made the cash offer $4,000, subject TO
the same conditions.
GETTING AT THE TRUTH.
"Mrs. Friend then declared fatty that she
would agree to no such conditions Upon this
/ said to her: Mrs Friend, people have had
great deal Of confidence in you. but now must
beg that you answer one question. 1t has al
ways been understood that by your process
the refined product is made direct from raw
sugar. Is that factr
~ don't consider that a proper question:
said Mrs. Friend
1t is eminently proper I answered, and
must be answered before we can proceed
Mrs. Friend hesitated a while and said she
would have to speak to her attorney privately
withdrew, and after quite a while the attor-
uey came out, and imagine my feelings when
he said: Will process for manipulating refined
sugar be of any value to your
NO said, swapping my fingers, 1T won't
".wen, then he said the best thing You
can do is to get back to New York as soon as
you cam
Mrs. Friend wanted me to wait another
week and discuss matters further, but 1 had
heard enough to decide me. took the attor-
ney's advice. / went back to New York as
quickly as l could. l took Robertson with me
and entered the mill. L demanded the keys of
the secret rooms of the man in charge and
ka mt w last Wa6n
BREAKING INTO THE STRONG ROOM
Mr.. Cotterill then related the story of the
discoveries in the factory substantially as it
has been told before. There was one secret
room. he said, more secret than the others
This was known the ''strong ROOM" and il
was a regular vault, fire and burglar proof
But they managed to get in and found nothing
but some OF the raw sugar they had shipped
there.
What was the object Of fitting up such a
room?' asked the correspondent.
'Why, If there was a room into which no one
could get. then no one could say positively
that there was no secret process"
How do you account for the fact. Mr.. Cot
terill. that with all there was depending on the
utility of this process, these rooms were vacant
for more than four years.
Because there was universal confidence in
the process and because IL was stipulated in
the contract that these rooms were not to be
entered"
How much money was paid over TO
Friendg'
Il can't tell you that"
'.As much as S250. 0.0O0?"
Certainly not Only about that much was
subscribed altogether"
For what purpose was money paid to
Friend2"
TO buy machinery with and to otherwise
perfect his plant"
Mr.. Cotterill would not say when he expected
to return to New York. As indicated above he
is looking for somebody.
Lawyer Knowlton said to the correspondent
that the Friends and others had gotten s250 900
out of the company. He claims that the con-
tractor did not specify that the process would
convert raw into refined sugar. He would not
say where Mrs. Friend and Howard had gone.
An English Mansion Burned.
LADY ELcHo's cHILpREN HAVE NARROW ESCAPE
LONDON, Jan. THE mansion of Hon. Percy
Seawen wyndham was destroyed by fire last
night. The children of Lady Elcho, Mr.. Wynd-
hams daughter, who were In the house, were
rescued in their nightgowns. Lord Stalbridge
directed the firemen in their efforts to ex-
tinguish the 6ames The pictures and plate |
were saved. The loss 10 E100000.
Fatal Fight Between Landlord and |
Tenant.
HuBBARD Crr, Tex, Jan LIN cutting |