The Portland daily press., 1900-11-09
Declares That He Owns No Stock
in Company.
Sold Out When He
Learned What It Was.
How He Acquired Stock In Mr..
Morse's Trust.

NeW Iofkt november o.-Aho UortA
tomorrow will print the full tsxt OF the
Mayors answer 10 the charges in the
matter Of the American Ioe companys
The answer IL addressed to Theodore
Roosevelt, Governor of the State of New
York. In his reply the Mayor says that
1t Is an answer to the charges preferred
against him by David Ferguson and
Louis Southworth. He says that he does
not own any stock In any Ice company
and that he has no direct or indirect in
terest in any such company. He contin-
mes as follows:
upon April II. 1899. he bought from
q. W. Morse 1000 shares of the stock OF
the American Ice company for SEQ. 200,
which was the fair market value thereof
OF which sum 1 paid $4,000 in cash by
three checks, and / gave three promisory
notes for this balance, one for $50, 600 and
two for $4,000 each. The stock was is
sued by me and by me delivered to Mr..
Morse as collateral security for the note
Subsequently the notes and collateral
were transferred to certain banks. They
were renewed from time to time, the in
terest being paid by me. Finally the
notes were paid IN full by me with inter
est out Of the proceeds of the stocks as
hereinafter stated. / had been q stock
holder in the Knickerbocker Ice company
of Maine long previous 60 April II, 1899,
ana had paid for my stock therein, si5,-
600. which was the fair market value
thereof. received a printed circular
about May, 1890, from the American Ice
company, Offering to exchange their
stock, share for share for Knioker booker
stock. and Lmade such exchange. My
entire holding Of the ice stock have been
sold In the open market on the New York
Stock exchange in various lots for $751;
219.26. / paid for the stock ss95, 0O0."
The Mayor then goes on to say that
when he was served with Justice Gay
nor's order In the latter part Of May he
did own $500 shares of stock OF the Amer
loan Toe company and that his attention
was for the first time, In the lattsr
part of May. called to the fact that the
American Ice company had contracts
with the city to supply ice and that 1t
owned stock In the Consolidated Toe
company which had leases Of docks from
the city. Until that time he had no
knowledge that the American Ice COM
pany or the kniokerbooker Toe company
OF Maine, ever did or ever would have
any contract or other relation with the
city, or that the Consolidated Ice compa-
ny had any leases with the city that
when advised OF the facts he began to sell
his stocks and continued to sell until
June rs, 1900, when the last stock was
sold
The claims that the allegations CON-
tanned in the charge to the effect that the
Knickerbocker Ice company OF Maine to-
gether with the Consolidated Ice company
of Maine were about to become merged in
the American Ice company Of New Jersey
in the year 1898 were not known or I'M
derstood by him. and that he had no
knowledge or information OF any merger
until ne received the printed circular
Offering an exchange or stock. He says
that when he acquired his stock in the
American Ice company that company had
no interest in the Consolidated company.
He says that he is not guilty OF the first
charge made against him, which Is mall
feasance In Office In creating and main
tanning a monopoly.
Mayor Van Wyck next takes up the
charges that he visited Maine to inspect
the property of the American Ice COM
pany. He says that he did go co Maine
to make a social visit and saw the exteri-
or of the ice houses but did not examine
them In any way.