The Portland daily press., 1899-11-25
Grand Jury Has Indicted
Owner,
But So Far Officers Have Failed
to Find Him.

New York, November 24.-William K.
Miller, head Of the Franklin Syndicate,
which has accepted the deposits of thou
sands of persons In Brooklyn under
promise of paying dividends of ten per
cent week or $40 per cent per annum,
and Cecil Leslie, his secretary were In
dictsd by the Kings county grand jury
this afternoon.
Bench warrants were issued for the ar
rest OF these two men, but up to quite
late hour tonight. neither had been
found, the police saying that they had
disappeared In the afternoon. Tonight
the police rRidet the premises occupied by
the franklin Syndicate on Floyd street,
Brooklyn.
There was great crowd OF people
around the building and the police sur
rounded It. An inspector arrested Louis
Miller. brother of the head Of the syndi-
cate and the cashier of the concern, and
took possession OF $4,000 In cash. There
wers forty employees at work In ths offices
and those were allowed to go. 1t was
stated by Louis Miller to ths police that
the offices we're then In tho hands Of ex.
Sheriff DAILY Of Riohmond. to whom, he
said, the concern had assigned. The charge
Upon which Miller was indiotsd was that
Of osnspirlng to defraud. The district at
torney's office In Brooklyn has been at
work on the case for some weeks.
Miller had been engaged for the past
two years or SO in Offering his glit.ering
Inducements to the people to invest their
money for him 70 make use Of. but It has
been only within the last month that by
extensive advertising be managed to at
tract to his Office daily hundreds Of people
who gathered in q long line and fought
with each other for the opportunity to
hand out their savings. Ever when the
place was raidsd tonight by the police a
mum ber Of those around the Office were
waiting to deposit money with the
franklin syndicate. The presence Of the
police caused great excitement. When
they entered the offices, James Daily. ax-
sheriff of Riohmon county, to whom 10
was claimed the concern had assigned,
was put off the premises. Daily has been
In ths employ OF Miller for some time
past.
or the s15. 600 taken possession OF by
the police. something more than $1,000 in
cash was found in the syndicate Offices
From the record which the police had
made of today's deposits, is was evident
that portion of the money had been re-
moved from the offices and Louis Miller
was called upon to make an explanation.
He at first refused but on being threat
ened by the police, said that Miss Annie
Cory, an employee Of the concern who
lived In n house adjoining the offices, had
been given the possession OF q large sum
Of money In ths morning by the head Of
the firm. The police went to the ad join
Ing house and plaosd Miss Cory under ar
found nearly 5000 concealed in an old
lounge IN her apartments.
The woman then declared that she had
this money In her possession for the pur-
pose of paying the employees Of the syndi-
cate.
The police. however, took possession Of
the money and gave Miss Gerry her liber.
ty. Then general orders were sent out
and search Instituted for William 4.
Miller, head of the syndicate and his Sec
retary Cecil Leslie.
william r. Miller began the Franklin
Syndicste In very small way, locating
his Office among the poorer classes In
Brooklyn, and making one feature of his
business the acceptance of very small
sums Of money and the alleged invest
ment Of them Tor poor people. He claimed
that by inside tips on the stock market
he was able to reap large ami quick
profits, of v hitch he was willing to pay a
large per osntage to his clients. Seem
lngly he paid the interest on the principal
each week and his business increased. 1t
IL claimed that Miller WAS simp'y the
representative Of q syndicate Of men who
had been engaged In conducting blind
pools for years. 1t Ia said within tins last
week. Miller has received deposits Of hun
dreds Of psonle aggregAting daily
amount of from sas, 900 TO $4,000. II is