The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-06
FORGERY CHARGED.
Investigation Into Hale & Norcross
Company Affairs by the District
ATTORNEY.


Attorney.
Attorney Baggett and NJ W. Fox have
lodged inform alton of a sensational char
acter with District Attorney Barnes. pre-
liminary, it is said to the arrest of those
accused, alleging that certain we'll known
mining men connected with the Hale &
Norcross Company are guilty of forging
the seal Of that company. The persons
accused constitute the board of directors
OF the com pany, elected, it is charged, by
Attorney Baggett in direct defiance of an
| order of the court.
The men involved in the accusation are
Thomas J. Cole, president of the Potosi
mine; A. J. Mcdonnell. broker; George
! W. Grayson and r. K. Grayson. The case
| of the rival boards of directors has been
| in court from time TO time.
| 1t is alleged that the Gravson board,
after organizing for business, sent the
necessary certificate of election to Ne
vada to be filed, and, as it needed the
official seal of the company, which the
other board refused to give, did away with
| the old seal and made new one, with
which the documents were stamped.
| The prosecution, according to Attorney
Baggett, will be based on that provision
Of section 40 of the Criminal Code which
| declares that the making of seal of an
! incorporation by unauthorized persons
| constitutes forgery.
| District Attorney Barnes admits that
be is considering the matter OF the allega-
tons of forgery but will not be prepared
| to render an opinion in the matter either
| way till Saturday.
When R. r. Grayson, son of George W.
Grayson, and secretary OF the Hale g.
Norcross board of directors, accused OF
the alleged forgery, was seen last night
he made the following statement:
This matter is surprise to me, but you ma
put it down as another attempt of Fox and
Baggett to compl1clte the litigation in which
the Hale G. Norcross Company is now involved.
We have done nothing illegal or criminal in
this matter. The statement that we represent
the Hayward interests is false. Hayward has
no interest in the company at al. AT the
meeting where Fox served the Injunction
| upon us and prevented our voting proxies and
regular certificates of stock we had SO 600
| shares, more than enough 10 carry Inc cleo
| ton.
Subsequently we met again, according to
| order OF the court. and Fox refused to r.cog
| nize our proxies We then held a separate
meeting and demanded, as matter OF form,
| the books and seal of the company of Secre-
| tary r. U. Collins He declined to turn the
property over to us. whereupon the directors
met again and after resembling the old seal OF
| the company adopted a new one. This we
were privileged to do by law. and If that is a
| forgery, the law must be very defective.
| We have instituted proceedings to recover
| possession of the company's books and they
| are now pending Fox and his people are
| getting impatient and all they desire is 10
| clog the record. They will find us ready to
| answer the charge if they bring 1t in court
| 1t has no weight whatever.
| Attorney Baggett states that Alvinza
HAYWARD is believed to be behind the men
aimed at and that warrants charging them
with forgery will in all probability be
secured even if the District Attorney rem.
ders an adverse opinion.
A royal folio volume has page 8 by Il
| inches