The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-15
A GOTHAM ALCHEMIST.
Everything That Francis H. Weeks
Touched Turned to Gold
UNTIL THE CRASH CAME-WEEKS
is TRAVELLING NOW

While Experts Are Figuring Up What Is
Left of the Moneys Placed in His Care
Some Say Securities Representing
Nearly 100000 Have Gone with
Him-In One Case He Is Accused of
Appropriating $4,000.
New YORK, May 13.-Francis H. Weeks,
bankrupt since May LIST, has disappeared.
With him, it is charged, have vanished
securities representing nearly 81, 900, 900
owned by estates and placed in his hands
in trust.
Part of the array of charges against
him was set forth in court yesterday.
when Judge Patterson removed Weeks
as executor of the Bristed estate. In
this particular case Weeks is charged
with misappropriating $4,000.
Weeks is saiu to be in Cuba, but as to
his exact whereabouts the investigators
of the financial tangle he left behind
him seem to be as doubtful as they are
regarding the extent of the losses which
will fall upon the estates of which he
had control.
Weeks had been a successful lawyer
before he went into the promoter field,
where for time he seemed to be on the
high road to great wealth. His interests
centred in the city of West Superior,
Wis. He was president and manager of
the Land and River Improvement Com
pany Of West Superior and treasurer of
the West Superior Iron and Steel Com
pany.
Everything seemed to thrive under
Weeks's touch. His ventures prospered
exceedingly, and the Land and River
Company, which had started seven or
eight years before, with capital of
$750,000, grew until its wealth was esti-
mated at $14, 100000. 1t paid dividends
ranging from 20 to go per cent. year.
Two months ago few of the principal
stockholders in the Land and River
Company became suspicious of Weeks's
management and began an inquiry.
which resulted on May 1 in deposing
Weeks from the control. He was put
out of office, Warner Van Orden was
elected president, and S. E. Kilner, sec
retary and treasurer. At the same time
the board of directors was reorganized
with the Weeks element left out.
1t was made public yesterday that in
his assignment Weeks had failed to ac-
count for $3.50, 900 or more in trust funds
and $550,000 which, in his capacity as
general officeholder of the Land and
River improvement Company, he had,
so the latter company alleges, applied to
the uses of the Iron and Steel Company.
Of the money which Weeks appropri-
ated from the Land and River Improve
ment Company and from the Bristol es-
tate, practically nothing can be found.
His friends say that he was man with
little business ability, and easily led into
any new scheme.
+ Mr.. Weeks was at one time member
of the law firm Of DeForest & Weeks, at
62 William street. Mr.. DeForest says
that Weeks has not been member of
the firm for several years.
Mr.. Weeks is now about SO years old.
and he has for years been we'll known
figure in legal, financial and social cir
cles. He is a member of the Union,
University, Century, Metropolitan,
Players, Down Town, New York Yacht
and Seawanhaka Yacht clubs. He was
also a member of the Bar Association.
Mr.. Weeks married Louisa Blake. He
kept town and country house, and was
generally supposed to be solfdly veal
thy man.