The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-25
DR.. Ainsworth Explains His
Kapus Negotiations
INSISTED ON SETTLEMENTS
BEFORE LEAVING ON A TRIP
TO THE EAST
The Doctor Was Always Satisfied as
to the Genuineness and Legit-
imacy of the Claims

DR.. F. K Ainsworth has returned from
New York and was at his office yeeter-
day. He is one of the men who invested
In the Pacific Coast Steamship COM
pany's freight claims which were sold
by John w. Kapus, and which have
lately been pronounced forgeries by the
steamship company.
A Herald reporter called upon the doc
tor and talked with him about Kapus'
transactions. The doctor was as ur-
bane as usual, and stated, that he would
be glad to tell all he knew about the af-
fair He said that his first dealings
with Kapus dated back to two or three
months before the young man left the
employ of the steamship company. Since
that time he has bought claims aggre-
eating something like $4,000, all of
which have been duly paid.
About three weeks ago DR.. Ainsworth
made trip east preparatory to leav-
ing on an extended tour to the South
seas, which had been contemplated by
the late Col. C. F. Crocker. Before his
departure he urged upon Kapus the ne
cessity of getting his claims settled UP.
which then amounted to several thou
sand dollars. This was done, and every
dollar was paid
81 had always the utmost confidence
in the genuineness of the claims said
DR.. Ainsworth. land do not now know
that they are not genuine. The frs. in
timation that had that the claims were
forged was the day before arriving
T. he &c to- y,
Los Angeles papers The result was
that was thunderstruck. I have not
seen Mr.. Kapus since my arrival home,
az his accounts with me are perfectly
straight 1t is true that during our
transactions I came into possession of
some of his papers which I still hold.
This may be good, or it may not.
MY first dealings with Kapus was
shortly before he left the employ of the
steamship company. He came to me
one day and asked if I wanted to make a
profitable investment. He stated that
the Pacific Coast Steamship company
was about to commence settling UP
claims held against them for wreckage
and damage. When claims for damage
were made he said the party presenting
them received vouchers for the amount
due them. Payment was often delayed
for some time, and it was not unfre.
quently the case that claims could b;
bought at great sacrifice, as the own.
ers were willing to discount them fol
cash. I invested in several claims
which were always paid with reasonable
promptness.
II have since learned that others hai
been buying claims long before I made
my first investment AS to my Undue.
ing any other person to invest in those
claims, there is no truth in that. con-
sidered it legitimate field for the
profitable investment of capital, but wa:
not at all interested in having Others
take It up. 1 may have spoken of thu
investment and they may have formed
favorable opinions from what said, bu
Twas not interested in having them TAX
hold of it themselves.
''My own investments would have
been much larger if 1 had had the cap
tia: at hand.
'If the claims are forged, as it i.
claimed they are, my trip east and con
templated. tour abroad was a lucky on,
for me, for otherwise had 1 been here
would have continued to invest heavily
and would probably have lost a gooo
deal of moey. Again, if they are forged
I do not believe that Kapus ever did tn
work alone, but there must be others il
the game. I have not had time to be
come familiar with what has been done
and probably do not feel as much inter
est as do some of those who have los
their money, but 1 feel that if an.
crookedness has been practiced, no eff
fort should be spared in seeing that tn
guilty party is punished"