The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-01-23
The Iron Hall Crowd Accused of EN-.
bezzling Funds Amounting to
Millions.
Also Said That Much Money Was Re-
ceiyed Which Was Never Placed
on the Books.
Jnndge Yonng, Of Kansas City, Tells
About Somerby's Career Since
1864.

NEW York, Jan. 23.-Tn referring to
the Iron Hall order, the Albany CORE
spondent to the Herald says: A MEM
ber of the Iron Hall residing in thiscity
recently wrote letter to Judge j. c.
Young, of Kansas City, the chief attor-
ney for the general receiver of the order
in the United States, and
in his reply Judge Young
gives an extended review of the financial
condition of the order and makes some
very sensational charges of
Embezzlement and Robbery
against Supreme Justice Somerby and
other officers of the order. Among
other things Judge Young says: 1T
ought to be sufficient for the member
ship of the order TO know that Somerby
and his crowd collected over 81, ,000. 900
from the membership, conceding the
books to be correct, though it is develop
ing now that much more has been col
lected than has ever been entered on the
books. Out of that 81, ,00o. 900 have been
paid on natured claims; there is s., ,090,-
900 in the hands of the receiver, and
$1,000, 600 has. to put it mildly, been
misappropriated: but the facts are that
81, SOC, 900 has been actually embezzled,
and the other $500, 900 disappeared
without Any Possible Excuse
or explanation that has ever yet been
offered by the old Somerby gang. The
only explanation that they offer is that
1t was necessary to put $4,000 more
into the worthless bank i'm Philadelphia
in order to save the 100000 already
there.
1T has been recently developed that
the first $500,O00 was taken from tho
bank at Indianapolis and carried to
Philadelphia and there deposited, or
assumed to have been deposited, in the
Mutual Banking. Trust and Safe De-
posit company. 1t did notremain there
over night, but was Q
Divided by the Gang
before they left the Office, and each one
carried home the money. They used it.
however, and never returned it, but
subsequently placed fictitious securities,
and pretended that the money was
loaned
THE bank examiner made an exam
ination which revealed the fact that
there was only $37, 900 in the bank.
He made an assessment of $4,000.
and gave them forty-eight hours to
get the money. Davis, who had antici-
pated the trouble, then paid our Iron
! Hall choice securities. He went to New
York and disposed of them for loan of
%, ,200, ,00O drawing his check for the
amount. These securities are still in
the hands of that bank, and we cannot
get them without giving mp $500, 900 of
the money now in the hands of the re-
ceivers. This money was taken to the
Philadelphia bank, but even that did
not save them, and the bank was
ordered closed.
Somerby's Career.
Colonel Young goes on at length,
stating that Somerby began his career
as swindler by defrauding FL. G. Nc
Gibbon, of Kansas City, out of %. 900 in
1S64-66; that he went to Detroit and
swindled the Chosen Friends society
out of large amount, afterward ally
ing himself TO the Iron Hall, ingratiat-
ed himself into the affections OF
credulous women and inexperienced
men, and made himself sort of demi-
god. Colonel Young further states that
he visited Somerby in his Philadelphia
home and that his representations of
poverty are false and that he lived in
4 the most luxurious manner. He de-
clares that he will prosecute Somerby
until he lands him in Jail.