The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-10
A GAUDY BUBBLE.
The Process Of Refining Sugar by
Electricity Humbug.
Eastern Capitalists Worked Ont of &
Quarter of q Million.
The Inventor Begins to Unload and
Suddenly Dies.
His Wife, as Good as Himself, Holds
the Dnpes at Bay.

New YORK, Jan. 5.-The Electric
sugar refining company has been
duped to the extent of over a million
dollars and that its whole secret pro-
cess turns out to be ahumbug of the
most bare faced kind, says the New
York Sun A secret process, the in
yentiOn of Henry G. Friend, who APP
peared in the trade about four years
ago with samples of wonderfully pure
sugar, which he said had been re-
fined by his electric process" He
induced a number of English and
American capitalists to organize com
pany and buy the ''secret
process from him. Factories were
erected, but no one was allowed inside
of them save Friend, his wife aid a
few ignorant workmen.
In the meantime the stock of the
company had been bouncing up until it
was worth nearly $500 per share Of 500
par value. Friend then begin to I'M
load but suddenly he died. Officers of
the company suspected nothing wrong
until few days ago, when it was found
that Mrs. Friend and all who had been
connected with the factory had diSsap-
peared, Mrs. Friend leaving word that
she had gone to the west. President
CoJtrill. Treasurer Robertson and a
number of stock holders proceeded to
the factory and invaded the secret
rooms.
There were number of machines
used in breaking cube sugar into small
er particles, and in FORMULATING the
coarser grades, and nothing else. In
vestigation set on foot showed how the
great scheme had been worked. Not a
pound of raw sugar had been refined in
the factory. Quantities of refined SUI
gar, chiefly cubes, had been purchased
by the operators and prepared in some
secret spot with a chemical liquid
| which eliminated the ordinary impur-
tiles found in all sugar. THIS doc
tored" sugar was then carted to the
factory in bags purporting to contain
] raw sugar. The chemical used had
| crystaIiZed the cubes to large extent
and when they were broken they had a
| finer appearance and quality than SUI
gar was ever known to possess.
| A Liverpool dispatch says shares of
the Electric Sugar Refining company
have fallen to thirty shillings. War.
rants have been issued for the arrest OF
Mrs. Friend and her step-father, Mr.
| Howard, who was director of the
| company and had charge of the affairs
l
MRS. FRIENDS STATEMENT.
ANN ARBoR, Mich, Jan. 5.-Tht
persons in the Electric sugar refining
frauds at New York have been in con
sultation with Sawyer s. knowlton. at
torneys here for several days past. Tht
l president of the company has,been here
and met Mrs. Friend. the Towards
and Holsteads, all of whom live a
Milan, this state.
Mrs. Friends attorney said tina
there was no intentional fraud but tina
the company expected more than wa
promised. She says that the compan,
was to furnish money to equip rein
airy for refining the sugar by Friend
secret process. The company alleged
the refinery was to be done from tn
sugar cane. This she cannot do. TIL
contract her husband made was to re
Fine the sugar at 50 cents ton or t
sell out his stock and secret for $500, 90
after everything was running. TIL
company has been running five year
and put in over three hundred thouS
and dollars. but no sugar has yet bee
refined for the market.
Mrs. Friend says that the compan
are now trying to force from her the sc
cret by which she makes a superior al
ticle of sugar from grapes instead c
getting the secret their contract call
for. This last secret she refused to d
vulge for any amount. No arrest
have been made and none even threat
ened by the compaDy's agent, who II
turned to New York Wednesday. MIR:
Friend is the only one of the party il
terested in the transaction, the other
being merely employees