The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-01-06
Investors in Two Coun-
tries Trying to Explain the Elec-
trio Sugar Refining Swindle.
HOW THE MONEY WENT.
The Friend and Howard Families
Prove to Have Been Living Like
Kings in Michigan
County Town.

tercste0 III tOt EltcIlc outhE htnulnk
company frauds at New York have been in
consultation with attorneys here for sew.
eral days past. The president of the COM
pany has been here and met Mrs Friend,
the Howards and Halsteds, all of
whom live at Milan, this state,
Mrs Friends attorney says there was no
Intentional fraud, but that the company
expected more than was promised. She
says the company was 10 furnish the
money TO equip a refinery for rednine
sugar by Friends "secret process" The
company alleges the refining was 10 be
done from sugar cane. This she cannot
do. The contract her husband made
was 20 refine the sugar at eighty cents
a ton or sell out his stock and secret for
$3.50. 900, after everything was running,
The company had been running FIVE years
and put in over S300O00. but no sugar has
vet been refined for the market Mrs
Friend says the company Is trying
10 force from her another secret by which
she makes a superior article Of sugar
from grapes, instead Of getting the secret
their contract calls for. This last secret
she refuses TO divulge for any amount. No
arrests have been made and none even
threatened by the cOmpany's agent, who
returned to New York Wednesday. Mrs,
Friends is the only one of the party In
terested in the transaction, the Others being
merely employees.
President Cottrel, Of the Electric Sugar
Refinery company. was found at lslington
this morning. He says the report that he
Is here to procure the arrest of Mrs. Friend
is news TO him. He cannot talk TO the
press now, but promises dev lopments In
few days. lie den0uRces the claim made
has "a "A.
specify raw cane sugar, but only cane
sugar. AS an unmltigated talsehood. The
process was far too expensive 10 place ON
the market. Tnere Is no question, he says,
but the product Is finer than that produced
| by any known process, and would sell bet
ter than any ordinary refined sngar, II II
| could be made from raw sugar. The de-
ception consists In the manipulation OF re-
| fined sugar. instead Of refining sugar by a
new process. On behalf of Mrs, Friend
the claim Is made thai Prof. Friend invent
ed two distinct processes, one for making
a superior article OF sugar from refined
sugar, the other for making IL from grapes,
and that the latter is worthimillions. Pres
ident Cottrel pronounces this humbug,
but says II there is anything In the grape
process the company is entitled 10 IL.
There is no criminal aspect in the case,
so far as II has developed here. President
Cottrel has been making strenuous efforts
TO settle with the Friends, who will not
give up unless they get big Doodle. They
still insist their process Is exactly what
the contract calls for. A Journal reporter
has the contract, and Il makes no mention
OF manufacturing sugar from raw material.
The men who pose n dupes confess this.
The whole thing has been precipitated by
the English stockholders. Cottrel and
others who got the Englishmen 10 subscribe
now want TO get control. Mrs. Friend and
Howard own majority OF the stock and
the alleged secrets. The only way the
"dupes" can determine whether or not
they have been duped Is to get control
Mrs. Friend IL too sharp 10 be frightened
Into giving up any secrets.
THE MOTHERS STORY.
MILAN, Mich, Jan. 5.-Friend's elegant
home, half mile east Of here. was desert
ed this morning. At the house Of w. f.
Howard Mrs. Howard was found just set
ting out to Join her husband and daughter
mrs. friendl at Ann ArbOr. She Is
sh 'eyed, brainy old lady, with a deter
mi... lon not 10 give away what she knows
further than 10 say II the New Yorkers
have broken open the Electric Sugar Rein.
cry. they have ''l0st all their rights, and that
that IL would have been well
IL the process had been lost
when Friend died last March Also
that he IL sure Howard and Mrs. Friend
are able 10 take care OF themselves Since
the opening OF the sugar business the
Howards and Friends have cut swell
here, building elegant houses and living
| as gei.tlemanly farmers with princely In
comes from some source not generally
understood, though not without n taiDt of
suspicion. They bought the best, lived
hign, drove elegant equipages and travelled
much between here and New York. The
vii fQqp IL GREATLY qxpifad INT moi a urhif
surprised.
TO SQUEEZE" HOWARD.
NEW YORK, Jan. 5.-The leading topic
among brokers and business men down
town Is the great expose of the late Prof.
Friends Electric Sugar kenning company.
Secretary Robinson, OF the defunct con
cern, WAS nearly paralyZed by a we'll
known Wall street man asking him for ten
shares and offering him $40 each for tnem
Robinson told the man the shares were
worthless; the man insisted and the sale
was effected. The purchase was for the
purpose, II Is said, OF squeezing How
ard. when caught. Howard Ia the man
who swore before a notary public be had
seen The professor" refine raw sugar by
electricity. II is now hinted Friend IL not
dead at all. There has not been anyone
found so far who has seen his corpse. His
death Is said TO have occurred two days be-
fore the blizzard last March.
CHICAGO, Jan, 8 In connection with
the expose Of the Electric Sugar Refinery
fraud In New York. local paper says:
"Pr0f. Friend was here about five years
ago aud endeavored 10 induce local sugar
men 10 establish a factory. He insisted,
however, on keeping the secret process 10
himself and none OF the merchants would
agree SO the scheme fell through and he
went east"
LIVERPOOL, Jan. 5-Shares Of the Elec.
tric Sugar Refining company have fallen
10 thirty shillings. Warrants have been is
sued for the apprehension of Mrs. Friend
and her stepfather, w. 4. Howard a
director OF the company, and who had
charge OF affairs at the factory In Brook