The evening world., 1894-05-02
ALL WANT TO RESIGN.
Atlantic Mutual Benefit Society
an OPERA oufe Affair.
Crazy-Quilt Business Men Thought
II a Great Scheme.
Now There Is Talk OF Warrants and
Creditors Are Anxious.

A greater muddle than has been made
OF the affairs of the New York State
branch OF the Atlantic Mutual Benefit
Society, organized a year & at
Charleston, w. Va, n which went
out of existence last Wednesday, 1t
would be hard to discover.
at is the story" said Director NAL
colin W. Nlven, II lawyer, at 40 Broad
way, and Secretary of the Harlem
Bridge Commission, 'of a lot of men
ignorant OF insurance business, acting
in good faith and wishing to help old
friends. but exhibiting gross Ignorance
when they ought to know better, n
getting mixed up In a matter they had
better have KEEP out OF.
incidentally / might add my igno-
rance was seized upon lowell, put 1t
mildly-make me pay for others mis-
takes.
II have known President Edward A.
smith. brother OF. Gen. Baldwin Smith,
of PHILADELPHIA, for many years. He
tractor, of so Broadway. came. to me
about last November and asked me to
help them out. temporarily In organic
Society. They told me II was properly
organized in West Virginia, and that
everything here had been provided for.
All they wanted was my temporary
doSiStdiltt Wy ullOWlHb MY Idillt u Dt
used as a director. l objected at first,
AS ] rave so little time to spare.
Finally l attended n meeting at /
Broadway.
Then | was introduced to Henry WILL
isms, a lawyer. He assured all present
that he had attended to all the necessary
state legal licenses. and that he had Sc
cured the permit from the State Insur-
Here's where the first mistake comes
In. Williams had been up to Albany
and had secured a license. But he had
bany. stated his business, paid certain
fees and, In return, received a license
from him for the Society to do business.
He had never gone near the Insurance
Then a mass Of the statistics were
read to show how profitable and sound
the Society's plans were. accepted
eBntley was elected President and i
N,ice-President We were also elected
II missed the next three or four
ley resigned, because his plans Of bust
ness were not approved, Smith was
ELECTED IN his place. I tried to resign
never be got torether. Then the State
Insurance Comm. -sion woke up to the
fact that we had no license, although
S Se thought %ai 1T that rIrS Of the hes Secretary Of Of
issue us one when we applied. because
we had a stock issue.
"On Wednesday last we held a meeting
and decided to dissolve the New York
organization. Last Saturday or Wednes-
day we notified the Insurance Commission
that we were out of business.
Nov comes another complication.
The officers elected here In New York
are also the sole officers of the West
Virginia organization. Just as soon as l
can get a quorum | shall resign, and so l
believe will the other directors.
81 suppose the best thing for n one
interested Is to apply to the home office
at Charleston about Its affairs. Presi-
dent Smith, / understand, is still in
New York. Solicitor John Hopper l
know bu little Of. He is said to have
u good record with the Mutual Reserve.
or course If he has defrauded m one
he should be punished, but l do not
know he has done any wrong.
Il notice in a morning paper that
warrants are said to have been sworn
out against the officers OF the Society.
All will say is that l. as a director, IA
member of god standing at the bar,
was approached yesterday with the in
timation that II l, personally, would
make good the moneyreceived by So
licitor Hopper from Mrs, Helen e. MUIR
ray. the warrants would not be taken
out"
Mr.. Niven does not know how much
business the Society did, and does not
know how the books stand.