The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-11-28
THRIVING ON THE GUPIDITY OF THE
PUBLIC.
OVER FIVE HUNDRED PER CENT.
Promised as Profits ON Deposits Brings
Thousands of Dollars to the Franklin
Syndicate, of Brooklyn The Swim
dIers Indicted and Their Offices
Rafded by the Police The Principals
Gone Fifteen Thousand Dollars i'm
Deposits

New York. November 24.-William Z.
Miller, head of the Franklin syndicate,
which has accepted the deposits of
thousands of persons in Brooklyn I'M
der promise of paying dividends of IL
per cent. a week, or $40 per cent. per
annum, and Cecil Leslie, his secretary.
We're indicted by the Kings county
grand jury. Bench warrants were is
sued for the arrest of these two men.
but up to quite a late hour tonight
neither had been found, the police say
ing that they had disappeared in the
afternoon.
Tonight the police raided the prem
ises occupied by the Franklin syndicate
on Floyd street. There was a great
crowd of people around the building
and the police surrounded it. Inspec-
tor Brennan arrested Louis Miller.
brother of the head Of the syndicate
and cashier Of the concern, and took
possession of SIS, 900 in cash. There
were forty employees engaged at work
IN he offices and these were allowed
to go.
1t was stated by Louis Miller to the
police that the offices were then in
the hands of eX-Sheriff Daily, of
Richmond, to whom, he said, the con-
Germ had assigned.
The charge upon which Miller 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
Miller's operations become in that time.
Miller has been engaged for the past
two years in offering his glittering in
dJ1nn fn thn nOrIo a. E-r,1-+ Al-:-
money for him to make use of. but it
has been only within the last month
that by extensive advertising in one
way or another he has managed to at
tract to his office hundreds of people
daily who gathered in a long line or
fought with each other for the oppor-
tunity to hand out their savings.
Even when the place was raided to-
night by the police, a number of those
o the offices were waiting to de-
post money with the Franklin syndi-
cate.
The presence of the police caused
great excitement. When they entered
the office they were informed that ait
6 O'Clock tonight 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 that the police were the aus
signees now and put Daily off the
premises. Daily has been in the en-
ploy of Miller for some time past.
OF the $4,000 taken possession of by
the police, something more than 5000
in cash was found in the syndicate of
fees. From the record which the police
had made OF the days deposits, it was
evident that a portion of the money
had been removed from the offices, n
Louis Miller, the cashier, who was ar
rested, was called upon to make an ex-
PLANTATION. He at first refused, but on
being threatened by the police, said
that Miss Annie Cory, an, employee
of the concern who lived in a house
adjoining the Offices, had been given
the possession Of a large sum of money
in the morning by the head of the firm.
The police went to the adjoining house
where they placed Miss Cory under
arrest, and after an extended search
they found nearly $4,000 concealed in
an old lounge in her apartments. The
woman then declared that she had
this money in her possession for the
purpose of paying the employees of the
syndicate. The police, however, took
possession Of the money and gave Miss
Cory her liberty.