The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-13
WESTERN FARM MORTGAGE CO.
Creditors AIIeEe Crookedness the
Part OF the Officers.


DENVER, July 12.-fSpeeial. Later develop
ments in the affairs of the Western Farm Mort
gage Trust Company have ominous look for
those have managed the concern. The time for
the creditors TO walk the floor has expired. aud
now il appears tina. the officers OF the concern,
including the receiver, q. W. Z. Griffith, ir.,
are likely to have their turn. Charles Hart
sell, Judge Wells, and Others, who
are pushing the claims for their clients
against the collapsed company, now suspect
criminal liability somewhere, and propose to
ma out where the crookeduess is- They openly
declare IL 10 be their belief that the creditors of
the company have been deliberately defrauded,
and such facts as judge Wells had in his pos
session Were laid before the district attorney
the other day, and he was requested to have the
grand jury call before them the clerks ana Of
hee-s OF the company and slit the matter 70 the
bottom Judge Wells was seen at MS Office con-
Corning the suspected criminal actions OF the
officers OF the company. He said:
have no absolute proof of anything criminal
on EtEe part OF any Individual connected with
the concern, but am satisfied that there has
Deem c9uslicrab cTooSeduess. Ny clients
CHIN that money was paid to the company on
moEtgag which money they never received.
When they wrote asking about the money, they
rcceiyeI letters composed n a rascally manner,
not exactly saying that the company mad re-
ceived the money, but woTled III sucn way as
To give the impression that the mortgage had
not Deen paid OF This money, we have every
reason to believe, was misappropriated, and
hear that there are similar CIaims amounting
To about 100000 Nv claims NE com paratively
small, but propose to mud out where the
money went to which was paid and should have
been immediately turned to my clients.
i have requested the district attorney to bring
the matter 70 the attention of the grand jury Tor
investigation.
Assistant District Attorney Malone was seen
In reply to the question to when the grand
jury would take action the matter, he said the
grand jury has adjourned and cannot possibly
reach this matter until September. He con-
tinued:
Does IL look as If there had been crooked
work? should say, yes. We don't know whom
TO accuse, however, ami would not know what
charge to brlng-w neither EN- bazzc naent, larceny
tiers IN the hands OF claimants that the company
collected money on mortgages, etc, and then,
instead OF turning ii over to the owners, as it
should have done, the money WAS either di-
verted or used in the business The company
had no right to do this For example, supposa
You were somewhere in the East Europe
aud sent It mortgage on to a company to
cC3t5ct Instead OF sending the money to
you the company collect it and some in
dividual puts it in his pocket, or the COM
pany uses It III its business, and writes q
letter 10 you saying that the money has
not been received. This is criminal and.
as near as can judge. the Western Farm Mort
gage Trust Company has acted in just about
this way. Mr.. Griffith was an officer of the COM
PAW before being appointed receiver. He was
Il stockhoder aud director, and these are the
best grounds III the world for ousting him from
the reteivcrsh!p. That calls To mind another in
stance. When CopyIes> IL Wisher were pre-
senting the claims OF Mr. Granger short time
ago they threatened to bring proceedings to
o,ist Griffith from the receiyership. and uu-
derstand the company hurriediy compromised
the case by paving the claim in fnii out OF the
the affairs of the company should be subjected
10 q rigid Investigation.