The evening times., 1899-04-05
WHARvEs IN CUBA.
Alger's Partner Alleged to Be Seek
ing To Gain Central


| Havana. April 5.-An interesting suit
has been filed in the Havana courts in ref
erence to the Almacenes de San Jose. the
wharves leased at present by the United
! States Government for the landing and
storage of quartermaster supplies A New
York syndicate desiring to obtain posses
! SIGN of the valuable property is behind the
| movers in the matter, and Col. Frank j.
Hecker, Chief OF Transportation. and Sec
retary Alger's business partner. is men
toned as one of the most prominent of tine
capitalists concerned
The Almacenes de Deposito De la Habana
are situated southeast of Havana and com
| prise three large piers with an extensive
series CT sheds and warehouses, the best in
the West Indies. Steamers of the largest
draft can be thrown alongside. thus obyiat-
ing expensive lighterage and the thousand
and one charges which the Lighterage
Trust pile up upon unfortunate import
ers. The value of the property. even be-
fore the recent appreciation of harbor
frontage, has been estimated at $50, 900 0Oe.
The action now brought is in the names
of the shareholders of a stock company
formed in 1879, and which until a few years
ago owned the wharves
1t is 10 recover from the heirs of Conde
>.
which the plaintiffs claim was illegally and
| fraudulently taken from them They also
! ask for an accounting of rents and inter-
ests since 1887 the date of the alleged
fraudulent acquisition by the defendant
Conde Jose Eugenio More. Count of Cad
umore, was leader of the Spanish party in
Cuba. He was a man of great wealth and
was connected with neaT,y every financial
undertaking in the island. When the
wharf company in 1888, made bond issue
of 81 $50. eco at per cent he took up
almost the entire issue. He also held a
large number OF shares. In 1Ss5-lSS6 the
company sustained some losses and were
unable to meet the accrued interest on the
bonds.
Count More proposed that to save the
company's credit the interest should be
allocared ss usual but be paid in the form
OF promissory notes, bearing no interest
themselves and without a date of payment.
| Az the largest bondholder he would agree
TO this scheme and would promise not TO
present these promissory notes until the
company was in position TO meet them.
The scheme was accepted and the notes
issued
In July 1887 six months afterward. the
Count More brought action against the
company Tor payment on these notes, the
amount sued for being S166.000 On the
3Oth of the same month, at special meet
ing of the directors called to consider the
action, the chairman of the board. Senor
y. Gelats. the principal in the great Ha-
vana banking firm of that name. stated to
his fellow officers that the suit Of the count
was merely friendly one and only for the
| purpose of recording his legal rights, with
| out intention of going 10 judgment. He
| strongly advised that no defence be raised
The directors were divided in their
views, but the casting vote of the chair
man decided that no defence should be
raised. The suit came before the court
who adjudicated in favor OF the count AMI
the company. having gone into liquidation.
ordered him to enter into possession Of the
property as mortgage and 10 preserve a
ecensO or charge held by the government
for 10000. The following year Count
More 'eased the property 10 his friend Nr.
Gelats, who held it until 1891 The rental
was exceedingly low in consideration o.
the value OF the property.
In the lower courts the counts heirs
have raised no defence. and they have
been mulcted in costs The suit has been
reported to the audencia. or supreme
court for trial and will be heard next
month.