Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-10-25
WEEKS IS COMING BACK.
West Superior EmbezzIer VIII be Tried for
His Several Crimes.

his O6V6Idi OlIlll56.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Oct. I.-Francis
II. Weeks, the abscording New York
lawyer who sought an asylum in Costa
Ricr, has been surrendered by that
government tc the United States
authorities. The State Department
received d message to this eff
feet last night from the United States
consul ut San Jose. The dispatch fur
ther says that Weeks will leave for New
Orleans in charg Of an officer next week
on board the steamer FoXhall
Weeks is the son of Robert D.
Weeks, q broker and was educated at
Williams and Columbia colleges. Short
" after leaving Columbia he was mar
ried to Miss Louisa Blake, daughter of
Il well-knoWn Boston merchant. Weeks
at this time WAS partner in the law
firm formerly composed of Henry G.
De Forest and John A. Weeks, and
which he joined in 1868. For
awhile law kept him actively en-
gagged and then he became "promot-
err" He was successful, and became
known as man who could invest
money at q high rate of interest and
yet securely. He gave up the greater
part of his time to founding towns and
to the development Of land in Wiscon-
sin.
In 1884 he became interested in the
West Superior Land and Improvement
Company, and of this he soon obtained
control. 1t was practically gold mine,
and It's operations were tremendous. Its
original capital was S750,000 but last
April the figures were fixed at S14, OOO,-
600 Nevertheless the company paid
dividends Of from 20 to go per cent.
Weeks, as soon as he controlled this
company, became it's treasurer and then
started the West Superior Iron and
Steel Company. This was as Great a
failure as the other was success To
keep it going Weeks, who was treasurer
Of this company, also, kept pouring his
own money and all he could get else
where into the Golfers.
When the end came there had disap-
peared 5000, 900, the greater part of
which belonged to estates which Weeks
held in trust, and S550,00 which came
from the treasury Of the land company
which had been at Weeks mercy.
Weeks, however, showed no sign of his
difficulty until April q. On that day
he made an assignment to Law
yer Richard w. G. yelling, of 2
Wall Street, New York. The as
day, May l, and on the afternoon be-
fore an express wagon drove up to the
Weeks house at II East Twenty fourth
Street, New York, and took away seven
trunks. These were moved to the
Grand Central depot and there were
checked TO Plattsburg, n. Y. Neither
Weeks nor his wife has been seen in
New York since.
On May l, after the assignment had
been recorded, the West Superior Land
Company deposed Weeks as it's treas
urer, and the cOmpany's counsel, Will
lam Nelson Cromwell, attached all of
Weeks interest in the Iron and Steel
Company to recover the S55O,OOO taken
from the treasury. On May II Justice
Patterson, in the supreme court of
New York, removed Weeks as trustee
of the estate of John Jacob Astor
Bristed, who died in 1882. Then fer
the first time the story of his defalca-
tons became public. On July 20 AS
signee yelling filed his first report,
showing liabilities amounting to
81 GAG, $3.50, and the actual as
sets only 1851, 702.S6. The credi-
tors appointed committee, Of
which the chairman was Charles G.
Beaman, of Evarts, Choate & Beaman,
and the secretary. f. Kingsbury Curtis,
Vi tGCtI1o u NuI lIS VI ANCN L VI IL Is
to their work that the present measures
against Weeks are due. They have fol-
lowed him by means of agents and now
propose to bring him to justice.
According to the only information
furnished Of Weeks flight, he, accom-
panied by his wife, went to Plattsburg
and thence to Montreal and Quebec.
From the latter city they went to Hall
fax and there took a steamer to ia
maica. The stay there was brief and
the first rest was at Panama, where
they put up at the Grand Central Hotel.
1t is reported that Weeks consulted
with lawyers there and was advised
that Panama was not safe because of the
extradition treaty with the United
States. On June 20 Weeks and his wife
left Panama on the steamer Costa RIGA,
and on July they landed at Puntas
Arenas, in Cost Rica, and proceeded at