Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-18
NAPOLEON OF FINANCE.
His Imperial Highness is Now
Accused of Having Com
mitted Forgery.
Henry S. Ives Scheme to Get
Away With Seven Mil
lions Frustrated.

| 0uHs ~ 3Ho iaSb 0uition, prints een6t
tional story OF an attempt to rob the O
tate OF the late Christopher Meyer
81, 100000 by means OF forgery, an
charges Henry 8. Ives with the crime. On
OF the Sums headlines is as follows: "Iye
asa Forger." "His Bold Scheme to Ro
IOhristopher Meyers Estate. .'Seven Mi
lion Dollars the Booty" "Ives' Trace
the Dead Mans Initials and Stayne
Touched Them Up.. tThe Master THE
Calmly Told Woodruff the Details He wa
to Swear TO-"
The Sun says: Henry 8. Ives, who ha
been SO often referred to in these column
as master thief. also ranks high anon
forgers. Narrative will show that he, b,
! the forgery OF two initials, G and M, was il
| O. lair way to obtain at least 500, 900 il
cold cash and open till which contained
something more than $4,000 Ivei
added to his previous crimes that Of for
gerry in the latter part OF last December
This fact is published to-day for the first
time, and can be substantiated whenever
it shall become necessary. I@-5'
For several years back Meyer has had
dealings with Stayner, which had resulted
worse for Meyer to the tune of about ST..
100000. Stayner was indebted for about
that sum to Meyer, and, after going into
Insolvency, compromised the debt, leaving
q balance OF many thousands uf dollars
unpaid.
When Stayner and Ives became squeezed
for funds. Stayner bethought himself
OF q novel expedient for recapturing
the confidence OF old Meyer and making
him a nnnfrshnfnr 70 <ha
which he had embarked with the thieving
Napoleon. After drawing on the Mineral
Range fund of which Ives & Co. had made
themselves repositories Immediately after
they had got control OF the road, Stayner
presented himself to Meyer in high moral
attitude. He declared to Meyer he had
come to perform what he considered his
duty as Christian and an honest man;
that he was now, happily, in funds sui.
fcient to discharge the last cent of his obi.
CATION, and that it was for that praisewor-
thy purpose he had called. Meyer from that
time on gave implicit credence in all OF
Staynerhs declarations, and was soon per-
suaded by him to give bis aid to the syndi-
cate formed by Ives, Stayner and Meter.
He agreed to receive for them, when pur.
chased and brought to New York, total
OF six thousand shares OF q. II. & D. com.
mon stock at an average price not to exceed
115 per cent. and to carry it for them, re.
ceiving per cent. for the use of his money,
an arrangement which was practically a
loan by Meyer to that extent upon stock.
since it was agreed that Ives and
Stayner should cast their vote upon that
at all elections OF the road and at stock
holders meetings. This agreement was car
ried out by Meyer to the letter. Stock was
held in his name during theexistence OF the
cwsnI1sru nf II n
wien inevitable exposure and crash came
it was still 80 held. The exposure of
Ives and Stayner's unscrupulousness,
the daily mention of his own name in con-
neetion with them and keen sense Of dis
grace drove Meyer to his grave in few
Within three months after Meyers
death there was putinto operation through
Ives agency scheme to impoverish
Meyers estate and open up to himself and
his confederates q mine of 81 ,000, 600.
In the fall Of 1888 suit was begun in the
Ohio court by Albert Meter against Henry
8. Ives, George 81, Stayner and the execu.
tors Of the estate OF Christopher Meyer for
the balance OF the purchase money OF this
however, had the plaintiff begun the case
than the conclusive character OF the action
was revealed. Ives and Stayner, nomin-
ally defendants, were the principal wit
nesses whom the plaintiff called to prove
the claim against themselves. Neither
was solvent, and the manifest intention
was to make responsible the estate OF
Meyer. To make that estate
answerable 1t was necessary to prove that
Meyer had been partner Of the Ives gang,
and. as such, responsible for all their los
ses. Meyer was dead and could deny moth
ing. Ives and Stayner, therefore, produced
a document which fully met the case.
The Sun then gives in full the agreement
which Ives and Stayner said made him a
full partner with them in the Cincinnati,
Hamilton and Dayton deal. This docu.
ment is signed II. 8. l., c. M. and G.. II. 8.
A powerful magnifying glass shows that
the initials were forged. The Sun then
gives detailed account OF the conception
and execution OF the crime. The Sun re.
porter this morning had an interview with
Ives. He still insists that the initials are
genuine,