The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-09-11
RUSSELL'S WAY.
SOME OF THE HEIR APPARENT'S
BORROWING SCHEMES.
Trading on His Infiuence.-Wan ted the
Banks to Let Him Have Money on News
paper Stock Because Of His Position.

Trading HIS anted the
Banks to Let Him Have Money on News
paper Stock Because Of His Position.
NEW YORK, Sept, 9.-Gen. Louis Fitz-
gerald, president of The Mercantile Trust
Company, in the Equitable building, came
up from his summer home at Scabright
Sunday and found Il number of visitors,
who wanted to sec him on the experience
he has had with Russell Harrison, the son
OF the president of the United States.
Young Mr.. Harrison asked General Fitz-
gerald to lend him money on collateral,
which General Fitzgerald declined to ac-
ccpt After that refusal, young Harrison
suggested to General Fitzgerald that the
legality of the silver certificates business
of the Western National bank, Of which
General Fitzgerald is director, might be
questioned Complaint actually was made
about this business, and the comptroller
of the currency is still engaged III the in
quiry.
General Fitzgerald was not inclined to
talk about the case. He admitted that
Young Harrison had called on him, and lie
said that he had reported the incident to
President Brayton Ives OF the Western
National at the time. 1t was learned that
Young Harrison asked for loans in Feb
ruary last.
1t was in that very month that Edward
S. Lacy, comptroller of the currency, be-
gan 10 inquire, on a complaint received
from n source not stated, whether the
Western National, under the national
banking act, had authority to issue its
silver certificates. The next interesting
point was that when young Harrison
could not get the loans from General Fitz-
gerald he tried other means. HetoOk the
collateral which General Fitzgerald had
refused to lend on to Gen. G. II. L. Coils,
an agent for the Equitable Life Assur-
ance society.
The next heard Of the collateral was
when General Coils handed it to WASH
ington f. Common, Jay Gould's old part
ner, and said Mr.. Conner to Get loan on
il. Mr.. Conner called on General Filz-
gerald and presented the collateral and
asked for the loan. The general looked
at the collateral and said: Excuse me
Mr.. Conner, have already passed on that
collateral for Mr.. Russell Harrison"
coNNoR GETS ANGRY.
Mr.. Conner was vcxcd to think he had
been induced to go on such an GRAND
1t is said that he did not know that Mr..
Harrison had tried to effect loan OIL the
collateral. 1t is supposed that young
Harrison believed that Mr.. Connor's fnan-
cal standing might have some influence.
More news came about young Harrison's
connection with this later and it appear
ed that he made his first movement just
prior to Comptroller Lacey's investiga-
ton of the silver certificate business Of
the Western National For instance, a
bank official says that in february Rus
sell Harrison called on him and said that
he was very anxious to see one of the sill
yer certificates issued by the Western Ma
tional bank He believed that the bank
president might have some of them either
on deposit or as collateral for loans, and
the bank president hunted through his
vaults and finally found bunch of the
certificates, one Of which he handed to
Russell Harrison. The young man then
asked the bank president if he might not
take a stcnographc copy of everything
engraved on the silver certificates.
The bank president did net at the time
know what Harrison was up to, and he
gave his consent The private stenogra-
phcr for the bank took copy of all en-
craved matter on the certificate and that
COPY was turned over to Russell Harrison.
And this was just before Comptroller
Lacey, at somebody's instiGatlon, began
the inquiry into the lawfulness of the sill
YER certificate business Of the Western
National bank.
Mr.. Harrison had tried to borrow from
this bank president money on collateral,
which included shares Ct the Judge and
Frank Leslie companies. The collateral
was refused. While The bank presidents
were willing 10 talk tr-pa!y aud were glad
that the methods of Russell Harrison had
been brought TO daylight, they did not
want their names used unless it should
be actually necessary One president
told story of t he money trouble last
fall.
When the treasury department in an ef-
fort to relieve the money pressure,
thought it advisable to buy 4 per cent
bonds, this was considered some time be-
fore it was done, and some of the bank
presidents were anxious to sell some of
their per cents at that time Russell
Harrison called, not only on the bank
president who tells this story, but upon
several others, and said that he was going
to Washington. II will see father about
this" he said, 'sand | think the matter
will be all right" He meant that he
would stir up the president to influence
larger purchases of the per cents By the
treasury department.
The bank president says he does not
know Just what influence young Harrison
had, but he does know that young Harri-
son, on returning to New York, called on
him and several other bank presidents
and asked for fayors, in the shape of loans,
ON the strength ofhis all alleged influence
with the treasury department. in the mat
ter of purchases of the per cent bonds.
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