The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-10
ABOUT SUGAR.
Professor Friends Alleged Inven-
ton of the Electric Method
of Refining.
1t Turns Out to besthe Most SEN
sat1onal Swindle of the
Day.

ANN ARBoR, Mich, January 5.--The
persons interested in the Electric Sugar
refinery" frauds at New York have been
in consultation with Sawyer d. Knowlton
attorneys here, for sevearl days past. The
president of the company has been here
and met Mrs. Friend, the Towards and
Halsteads, all of whom live at Milan, this
state. Mrs. Friends attorneys say there
was no intentional fraud, but that the
company expected more than was prom
ised
She says the company was to furnish
money to equip a refinery for refining by
Friends secret process. The company
alleged the refining was to he done from
the sugar cane. This she cannot do. The
contract her husband made was to refine
sugar at 80 cents per ton, or to sell out his
stock and secret for 100000 after every
thing was running. The company has
been running five years and put in over
$30O,O00,but no sugar has yet been refined
for market.
Mrs. Friend says the company is trying
to force from her another secret by which
she makes superior article of sugar from
grapes, instead of getting the secret the
contract calls for. This last secret she
refused 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.
Friend is the only one of the party in
terested IN the matter, the others being
merely employees.
PROFESSOR FRIENDS MOTHER IN-LAw.
DETROIT, January 5.-The Evening
journal special from Milan, Mich., says:
Mr.. Friends elegant home, half a mile
east of here, was completely destroyed by
fire this morning. At the house of W..
Howard Mrs. Howard was found just set
ting out to join her husband and daugh-
ter, Mrs. Friend, at Ann Harbor. She is a
sharp-eyed, brainy old lady, with deter
minaGion not to give away what she
knows, further than to say that if the New
Workers have broken open the electric su-
gar refinery they have lost all their
rights, and that it would have been
we'll if the process had been lost when
Friend died last March, although she is
sure Mr.. Howard and Mrs. Friend are able
to take care of themselves. Since the
opening of the sugar business the How
ards and Friends have cut big swathe
here, building elegant houses and living
with princely incomes from some source
noe generally understood, although not
without faint OF suspicion. They bought
the best, lived high, drove elegant equip
ages and Travelled much between here and
New York. The village is greatly excited,
but not surprised.
THE LEADING TOPIC.
New YORK, January 5.-The leading
topic of conversation among brokers and
business men down town is the great ex-
pose of the late Professor Friends Elec-
trio Sugar Refining company. Secretary
Robertson, of the defunct concern, while
sitting in his office to-day was nearly
paralyzed by we'll known Wall street
man asking him for ten shares, offering
80 each for them. Mr.. Robertson told
the man the shares were worthless The
man insisted and the sale effected. The
purchase of these shares to day was for
the purpose, it is said, of squeezing w.
s. Howard when he is caaght. Howard
swore before notary public that he had
seen the professor refine sugar by electri-
city. 1t is now limited that Friend is not
dead at all. There has not been anybody
found so far who has seen his corpse. His
death is said to have occurred two days
before the blizzard last March.
WHAT PRESIDENT ooTTRKLL SAYS.
DETROIT, Mich, January 5.-An Even
ing journal special from Ann Arbor says
Pre3ident Cottrell, of the Electric Sugar
refinery, was found at Arlington this
morning. He says the report that he is
there to procure the arrest of Mrs. Friend,
that the contract with her does not specify
raw cane sugar, but only cane sugar, is an
unmitigated falsehood. The process is
far zoo expensive to place on the
market. There is no question, he
says, but that the product is
finer than that produced by any known
process, and would sell better than ordi-
nary refined sugar if 1t could be made
from raw sugar. The deception consists
in manipulating refined sugars instead OF
refining sugar by the new process. On
behalf of Mrs. Friend the claim is made
that Professor Friend invented two dis
tinct processes, one for making superior
article of sugar from refined sugar and
the other for making it from grapes, and
that the latter is worth millions. Presi-
dent Cottrell pronounces this a humbug,
but says if there is anything in the grape
process the com pany is entitled to it.