The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-01-27
VILLAINY.
rse,irEal Charges Against Su-
Came Justice Somarby.
&c Brgan Thirty Years Ago the
Swiad ing Of Men and Women.
II Is charged He and His Henchmen
Robbed the Members of the Iron
Hail-The Chosen Friends Soci-
is d e of Somerby's Victims.

FI.MrRA, n. Y, Jan. %. "A member of
he Iron Hall, residing in this city, re-
.ently wrote letter to Judge James c.
Young, of Kansas City, the chief attor-
ley for the general receiver of the order
the United States, and received re-
DIV in which Judge Young gives an ex-
.ended review of the history of the
financial condition of the order, and
makes some very sensational charges
If embezzlement and robbery against
supreme Justice Somerby and other
officers of the order. Among other
things Judge Young says: ut ought to
be sufficient for the membership of the
order that they know that Somerby
md his crowd collected over 81, 1000, 900
from the membership, concediag that
which is accounted Tor on the books
to be correct, though it is develop
ng now that much more has been
collected than has ever been en-
:ered on the books. Out Of that
$4,000, 900 have been paid on natural
claims, there is g, 900, 900 in the hands
If the receivers and 50, 100000, to put
t mildly, has been appropriated, but
5he facts are that 81, 800, coo has been
actually embezzled and the other $780,,
300 disappeared without any possible
excuse or explanation that has ever yet
oeen offered by the old Somerby gang.
The only explanation they offer is that
it was necessary to put 81, 700 600 more
into the worthless bank in Philadel-
phia in order to save the $780,,
300 already there" 1t has recently de-
reloped that the first $780, 600 taken from
the banks in indianapolis and carried
to Philadelphia and there deposited, or
assumed to have been deposited, in the
Mutual Banking Trust and Safe De-
oosit Co.. did not remain there over
night but was divided by the gang be-
fore they left the office and each one
carried home the. money. They used it,
have never returned it, but subsequent
ly placed fictitious securities and pre-
tended that the money was loaned.
The bank examiner made an exami-
nation, which revealed the assets that
were only S37, 900 in the bank.
He made an assessment of S170,00
and gave them forty-eight hours to get
the money. Davis, who had anticipated
the trouble, then had $500, 900 of our
Iron Hall choice securities. He went to
New York and disposed of them for
loan of 100000, drawing his check
for the amount These securities
are still in the hands of that bank,
and we can not get them without
giving up $1,000 of the money now
in the hands of the receiver. This
money was taken to Philadelphia, but
even that did not save them, and the
bank was ordered closed" Colonel
Young goes on at length stating that
Somerby began his career as a swindler
by defrauding H. c. McGibbon, of Kan
sas city, out Of $1,000 in 1s64-66;
that he went to Detroit and
swindled the Chosen Friends society
out of large amount, after
ward allying himself to the Iron Hall,
ingratiated himself into the affections
of credulous women and inexperienced
men and made himself sort of demi-
god Col. Young further states that he
visited Somerby in his Philadelphia
home, and that his representations of
poverty are false, and that he lived in
the most luXuriant manner. He de-
clares that he will prosecute Somerby
until he lands him in Jail.