The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-11-29
A BLIND POOL Z
Thousands Of Investors Therein
Were Victimized.
A Grand Jury Indiets Its Managers
and They Disappear-PoIice Take
Possession Of the Concerns
Headquarters and Seize
$4,000 I'm Cash.

Miller, head of the Franklin syndi-
cate which has accepted the deposits
of thousands Of persons in Rrooklyp
under promise Of paying dividends OF
10 per cent. a week. or $40 per cent per
annum, and Cecil Leslie, his secretary,
were indicted by the Kings county
grand jury yesterday. Bench war
rants were issued for the arrest OF
these two men, but up to quite late
hour last night neither had been
found, the police saying they had dis
appeared in the afternoon.
Last night the police raided the
premises occupied by the franklin
syndicate on Floyd streer. There
was a great crowd Of people around
the building and the police surround
ed it. Inspector Brennan arrested
Louis Miller, brother of the head OF
the syndicate, and the cashier OF the
concern and took possession of $4,000
in cash. There were 40 employees at
work in the offices and these were al
lowed to go. 1t was stated by Louis
Miller to the police that the offices
were then in the hands of ex-Sherift
DAILY, of Richmond, to whom he said,
the concern had assigned.
The charge upon which Mille- WAS
indicted was that of conspiring to de-
fraud.
The district attorneys Office in
Brooklyn has been at work on the
case for some weeks, SO prominent
have become Miller's operations in
that time. Miller had been engaged
for the past two years or so in offer
ing his glittering inducements TO the
people to invest their money for lin
to make use of, but it has been only
within the last month that by ex-
tensive advertising he managed to at
tract to his office hundreds of people
daily, who gathered in long line or
fought with each other for the chance
to hand out their savings. Even
when the place was raided last night
a number of those around the offices
were waiting to deposit money with
the Franklin syndicate.
The presence of the police caused
great excitement. When they entered
the Office they were informed that at
6 D. m. the concern had made an
assignment in the borough of Man.
haitian to James DAILY, ex-sheriff Of
Richmond. Chief of Detectives Reyn.
olds said the police were the assignee'
nav and put DAILY off the premises
DAILY has been in the employ of Miller
for some time. OF the $4,000 taker
possession of by the ponce, something
more than $1,000 in cash was found in
the syndicate Offices.
From the record which the police
had made on Fridays deposits, it was
evident that a portion of the money
had been removed from the Offices
and Louis Miller, the cashier, who wal
arrested, was called upon to make or
explanation. He at first refused, bu
on being threatened by the police h
said Miss Annie Cory, an employe o
the concern, who lived in q house ad
joining the Offices, had been given pos
session of large sum of money il
the morning by the head of the firm
The police went to the adjoining
house, where they placed Miss Cor!
under arrest, and after a search the!
found nearly $4,000 concealed in al
old lounge in her apartments.
The woman then declared that sh
had this money in her possession Il
pay the employees of the syndicate
The police, however, took possesslOl
of the money and gave Miss Cory he
liberty.
William F. Miller began the Frank
lin syndicate in a small way. locating
his office among the poorer classes il
Brooklyn and making one feature O
his business the acceptance of yer.
. small sums of money and the allege
investment of them for poor people
> He claimed that by inside tips ON tn
stock market he was able to pay
large percentage to his clients. II
paid the interest on the principal eac
! week and his business increased.
$ is claimed that Miller was simply tn
: representative of a syndicate whic
S had been conducting blind pools fo
= years.
No syndicate has ever attempted I
nav any such wonderful rates of il
:, terest as the Franklin syndicate. Th
n very fact that the newspapers an
= tnanciers began to make investigi
k tions aroused the public interest
: such an extent that it is said With
e the last week Miller has received d.
|. posits of hundreds of people, aggr
e eating a daily amount of from 5000
It to $4O,00O.
= Not only were people living with
e the limits of New York large depo
s itors with the Franklin syndicate, bl
d cities all over the country contribu
4 ed the earnings of scores of their res
d dents to swell the wealth Of the synd
r cate. Tne mail delivery at Miller
Office amounted TO about three wage
a loads and most of the letters contain,
d money.
q 1t is an absolute fact Miller did N
il have facilities for taking care Of q
r of the gold and greenbacFs whi'
4 poured in upon him. and empty bn
rels were rought up from the bas
7 ment of the building and thousands
: dollars were dumped iGto these la
!, rels by the clerks employed by Mile
No evidence is forthcoming TO she
!. that Miller ever speculated in stocks.
e. Diamond Thief Captured.
Ie Pittsburg, Nov. 25.-A bold attem
r at diamond robbery was made Ia
frN -