The Springdale news., 1889-06-28
E. l.. HARPER AGAlS.
Running ali Iron Mill i9 iS Wife'S
 Name from His PriSo!l Cell.

CINeINNATI. June 23.-Fo'
 past four weeks tae mervfa 5, ban..ers, brokers, manufacturers, attorneys and editors of Cincinnati have been earnestly solicited to sign petitions asking for the pardon of E. L. Harper the viee-president of tho deluaet Fidelity National Bank. who is now serving 10 years in the Ohio Penltentiary for wreckng the bank by squaaderlng $5,00V of it's funds in vain attempt to corner the wheat market two years ago this month. Tho requests presea ted by the convict millionaire Kings wife are in the form ofa circular n which she urged that her husband was useless where he is, while if at liberty he would have means with which he would at once resume operations at the idle rollingmills at Newport and Riverside, thus giving employment to hundreds ui- employed men, and soon retrieve his lest millions and repay every dollar which he had lost.
 The reputation of Harper as t nor ey-maker Is too well known in Cincinnati, and to the whole busl ness world, in iact-espeelally in the iron industly--to cause q single doubt with reference 10 his soon making np the lost millions, but there are many who are not so cer. tain as him reiuadng them to the l,60D victims of his unsuccessful wheat venture.
 The pardon movement, however for while met with great eaeour agement, and many petitions. well filled with names of Cincinnati < best citizens, were returned to Mrs Harper.
 The iron men and others of ms business rivals and victims, who had learned by experience the SC eret of Harperas success. refused to sign tho petition, and not only re- fused, but finding SC many blindly persuaded into signing 1t. set about opposing it.
 A little matter was also brought 10 the attention ot the receiver of Fidelity National Bank which has been something of a secret among iron men ot CmcInati fopsa year or more, and which maS also prove an ol stacle which ITarpc5''s friends will fnl great difficui sur mounting In short, E. iarper, in his suit of stripes, a l. IT co yict in the Ohio Penitentiary, es been carrying on business ofss GOO per year right Tn CIncinn and directing it's operations t wire.
 When the Riverside rolling mill, part ot Harper's estate, was sold at auction by his assignee Tn the spring of 1888 the property was bought ly R. N. N Neison for so, ,90G for Mrs E. L. Harper. presumably with part oi tho S300, GOO which it was gener- ally supposed had been saved from the wreck by Harper and his wite. 4 stoel: company was at once form. ed and incorporated as the Cincin- nati Iron and Steel Go, with W, ?. Harris, Mrs Iiarper's brother, pres. ident; John s. Pfau, who had been secretary ot lIarper's Iron mill in Newport, known as Swifts iron and steel works, seertafy; Henry Otter and H. Mathews, the other ten di rectors. Under the law it IS neces- sary for all corp erations to have 3 board of four dIre ctors, who shalt be stockholders. Hence one share of stock was probably given to each the above named by Mrs. Harper, as neither of them was evar known to have any property, except Pfau, and his worldly possessions were not estimated by anyone at over q few thousands.
 When the concern first started it purchased it's steel biliets of the ir- on merchants of the city, but refus- ed 10 give the names of stoekhold- CTS or directors. It's repr onta- tiVes paid cash, however, tui 8 cry 'hing, and Il has been run 55 | cash basis from the start. Tha apital std<l was fixed at sleo 0ge. and s5no00 aas reported ie the mer- s..antilc ageneies as having ,een paia
 l.afef fa lss sale agga
 aaed saaia4ees g s.50,90o