Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-13
A SENSATION.
Morgantown Business Men
Treated to a first Class Sur
prise.

Prise.
Major j. l.. keener for Years One Of
the Solidest man i'm the Community
has gone and it is Claimed has Swim
died everybody who Befriended him.
His Letter in Regard to the Affair.
No one Seriously Believes this Side of
the St0ry-A Hasty Scramble to get
Under Cover-Everything is gone.
There is no Property Left-Suits are
Pending to Declare the Deeds In
vaiid-The Case as 1t now Stands.
Names of those who are caught the
Hardest-Interyiew with Frank Hay
mond Confidential Adviser and Attor-
ney for the Missing Man.
The greatest sensation that Nor
gantown has experienced for long
time was caused by the receipt of
the following letter from Major j. L.
Keener well known business man
who had left here few days ago for
Philadelphia with a number of cattle
for the eastern market 1t was dated
Pittsburg, September II, and was
unaccompanied by other comment.
It was:
To mig Creditors You thought
when Won loaned me money or in
dorsed for me or sold me cattle on
credit that / was perfectly honest.
You were right And / am just as
honorable now. 1t causes me the
greatest regret that | am insolyent.
When possible / shall gladly pay
you every cent with interest You
who sold me cattle (nearly all of
you) did not desire me to pay you
when your cattle was weighed. /
had the money and offered to pay
you but you preferred to take my
negotiable note. | sincerely wish
that / had insisted upon your taking
the cash. Why? Because | lost my
money somewhere between Philadel-
phia and Plttsburg. / believe it
was stolen. / shall endeayor to find
my money.
Yours respectfully,
MAJOR j. l.. KEENER.
The letter of course created a
tremendous sensation and at once
steps were instituted to place every
one who was on notes or creditor
Sot any kind under cover. Inquiry
at the county clerks Office revealed
the fact that at the same time the
letter was received deeds to all the
property both real and personal
which had belonged to the man in
question had been recorded. They
were all dated May 4th. The per-
sonal property had been decided to
Jefferson Breakiron, OF Waynesburg.
This in turn he had decided two days
later to Mrs. j. l.. Keener The real
estate which had been given over is
still retained by Breakiron. At
tachments have been issued to take
in all the property in the face OF the
deeds and it Will be attempted to
show that there has been fraud at
tempted if and this is sustained will
invalidate the deeds. But even if
this be true the creditors will not
receive one tenth of what is coming
to them.
The Farmers q Merchants Bank
has been overdrawn seven hundred
dollars and the cashier who is a rel
alive of Keener's is in on a five hum
dred dollar note. Notes aggregating
ten thousand are in the bank here
Others are in existence. He was
supposed to have been gilt edged
and people often sold him cattle and
refused to take the money in pay
ment. Cattle men all over the coun-
ty have been caught. Within the
last month he has taken over five
hundred head of the finest cattle in
the county to the eastern markets
Not cent comparatively of this has
been paid. G. B. Ollie, of Morgan
town, is one of thoee who has sold
him cattle and has his note. w. E..
Watson sold him more than hun
dred head and others have been
caught for lesser amounts. The
building and loan societies were
caught for considerable amounts
and the whole thing totals up about
thirty-fye thousand dollars.
Frank Raymond his attorney says
that he was with Keener in Phila-
delphia a few days ago and that he
left there for Pittsburg with about