New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-02

TRANSACTION IN wHEAT-"AN ATTEMPT
TO COLLECT MONEY BY CRIMINAL
PROCESS" MR.. IA NON
TAGNEs FRIENDS SAY.
Edward La Montague jr. a woll-known stock
broker ard club man. was arrested yesterday
afternoon on the charge Of grand larceny ana
later was admitted to bail at the Tombs Ponce
Court The arrest was made on a warrant, ana
was kept as quiet possible, as other men VINO
had been associated with him are expected
to he arrested to-day on the same charge HIS
friends asserted last night that the arrest was
an outrage. and was an attempt to collect
debt by criminal process. The complainant IN
the case is Florence b. David. a Hebrew whose
home is in Montreal but who has been staying
lately at the Murray Hill Hotel He lost Sio'ooo
in a deal In wheat, and afterward began civil
suit for the recovery of the money from the hrm
OF which Mr. La Montague formerly was neln-
ber claiming that he had been closed out wrong
fully. David could not be found at a late hour
last night
About 2:9O p. m. yesterday Policeman English.
Of the Tombs Court Squad. went to the STOCK
Exchange With a warrant for the arrest OF Mr..
La Montagne The warrent had been issued oy
Police Justice Taintor on the complaint of Davio.
English called Mr.. La Montague out OF the Tx
change in a manner TO prevent the other brokers
from susnecting anything and then told him tnae
he was under arrest Mr. La Montague wanted
to send word to Charles r. Russell, a lawyer pue
English refused 10 allow him 70 communicate
with any one and took him 70 the Tombs About
$50 Mr. La Montague was called before Jusuce
Taintor and then he secured the temporary SER
vices Of Daniel ORey, jr.. lawyer In the
court who asked time in which to secure pnI'
Justice Taintor said h would hold Mr.. La Nom
tagne in 10000 bail for examination tomorrow.
Mr. La Montague then sent for his iather-lh-iaw'
DR.. Robert Fulton Weir OF No. 81 West Thirty
third-st who arrived at the Tombs about p m.
and signed the bail bond. Mr. La Montague, who
lives with mis- father-ln-law then went home with
him.
Al DR. Weir's house last night Mr. La Mon
tagne would not talk with reporters about MS
arrest Dr. Weir and his counsel Mr RUSSELL
said that the arrest probably had been made on
account Of a civil suit which was proushC l"
January against the brokerage firm OF La Moh-
tagne Clarke & CO.. formerly doing business a'
No. IS Wall-st but dissolved in October last
David had brought a suit for the recovery OF
s75 ooo which he claimed was due him In certain
s,ock sneculations Mr. La Montague knew
nothing about Davd's claim. DR.. Nelr sald as
he was the member Of the firm who had done the
business on the h0of Of the Stock EXchahge ana
his partners had attended TO the ONCE pusihess
The other members Of the iirm were HERMAN
Clarke. Wallace b. Smith and Elisha NJ. Full
ton Before bringing the civil suit against tne
firm David had threatened TO have all OF the
| members Of the firm arrested.
The firm was dissolved in october. At that time
the firm had brought suit against L. Waterbury
&. CO. to recover the value Of note for sos'SSS
which had been given by L. Waterbury & Co.
10 F. NJ Fulton and the charge was made
that La Montague Clarke & Co. had not prop
erlv obtained possession q the note. After the
firm Of La Montague Clarke {, Co. was dissolved
Mr. La Montague went into business for him.
self al No i Broad-st Herman Clarke be-
came a member OF the firm of Hunter, Clarke
4 Jacobs and recently his partners caused MIN
to be arrested in Chicago, and brought back
to this city for trial the charge Of forgery.
II was not known at DR. Weirs house last night
if attempts would be made to arrest Clarke
W. g. Smith and f. VI. Fulton on the complaint
Of David.
William NJ WINS was said to be the counsel
for David in the proceedings against Mr.. La
Montague and his former partners. Dut Ar.
WINS was away from his home last nlght. he
porters who made repeated inquiries for David
at the Murray Hill Hotel were not able to ind
him there Mr. Smith was known to be in the
far West. and Mr. Clarke ana MT ullon cOuiu
not be found at their homes, but they were not
believed 10 be under arrest Police justice
Tantor refused 70 give any Information ABOUT
the case. because other arrests were 10 be mace.
Elliot Norton the lawyer. of 40. 46S LeXinS-
ton-ave, who has been counsel for Mr.. La Mon
tagne In the civil suit. said last night: "florance
B David is man from Montreal. VINO mad 4
speculative account In wheat with the firm OF
La Montague Clarke & Co. early in 1893. lie
had about $4,000 which he put up in margins 10
carry half a million bushels Of wheat Hc went
q Ia and
account closed out. his margins having
been exhausted by the decline in wheat. He re-
turned to this city in September. and since then
he has been threatening to have the members OF
the firm Of La Montague Clarke x Co arrested
for closing out his account. He began suit In
January for the recovery or the margins Whlcn
he had placed with the firm. The members or
the firm made answer separately. and the last
answer was returned about twenty days ago.
The answer that the firm closed out his
account when his margins were exhausted and
that he was not entitled TO any damage for the
alleged closing Of his account, because the price
Of wheat has declined steadily since that time.
He really has no ground for a criminal COM
plaint His action is that OF a disappointed
speculator who has lost his money and wants
10 get It back. 1t is attempt to collect
alleged debt by criminal process"
Mr. La Montague is a member OF the Union
Club. the Reform Club and Of the Racquet Club.
and he is a prominent member Of the Rockaway
Hunt He is a son of Edward La Montague OF
No A West Fifty-fourth-st., the head OF the
firm of Edward La Montague & Sons, wine mer-
chants. at No. SO Beaver-st.
THE ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY ROBBED.
Wilmington. Del, May 1.-Sx thousand dollars IN
greenbacks stolen from the safe of the Adams
Express Company, in the baggage OF train No.
396 on the Delaware. Maryland and Virginia Rail-
road Harrington. yesterday afternoon: The
money was from the National Bank OF Milford to
the Philadelphia National Bank. When the train
reached Harrington. where II stops. George
Raleigh the baggage master and express agent
went ahead TO cut off the engine When he re-
turned the safe had been unlocked. the money
taken and the safe locked before. \ few months
ago the same safe was robbed OF 500. There is no
ole 10 he rObber