The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-01
The Arrests of J. M. Fisher and
Fred E. Belts by United States
Officers of Interest to Many
Men in Worcester
BOTH MEN CONNECTED
WITH FINANCIAL CONCERNS
Men Interested in ]. M. Fisher &
Company are Promoters of the
Cobb Investment Company
That Handles Money Invested
by Worcester People

According to the Boston newspapers,
the Cobb Everett Investment Com
pany, (which has a Worcester office on
the fourth floor Of the State Mutual
building, is mixed up in the troubles
Of ]. NJ Fisher & Co., whose promoters
surrendered to officers of the United
States government in Boston yesterday
on warrants charging them with
fraudulently using the mails. George
A. Adams, who has been mentioned as
member of the firm of Fisher & Co.,
| is president of the Cobb-Everett In
vestment Company, in which Belts Of
the Fisher company is also interested.
Their ways of conducting the business
of the two concerns differed slightly,
but it is claimed the results We're prac-
tically the same.
| Belts appears to have been the prime
mover of the various establishments,
as there is a third concern, the Bank
ers & Manufacturers Mercantile
Agency, mixed UP in the deal,
A couple of months ago The Spy
told of trouble the investment company
had with one of it's customers in Wor-
| cester, when Kent & Dewey brought
a suit to recover money 1t was alleged
the investor could not get back. The
company got the plaintiff in the case
to disclaim giving the attorneys any
authority for bringing the suit, and it
brought suit, through Marvin M. Tay-
lor of this city, against the law frm
of Kent & Dewey and George l..
| Dewey of the firm, to recover for an
alleged injury done its business.
| The investment company advertises
freely and holds out alluring promises
| to it's investors. Since the trouble re-
ported in The Spy, the investment
company has sent out circulars to
Worcester people in the interest of the
Fisher company. The customers of the
investment company and the Fisher
company were invited to correspond
with the Bankers & Manufacturers
Mercantile Agency in case they had
any doubt as to the financial standing
Of either concern. The anrwer to these
Inquiries from the agency was that
both firms had a strong rating. An
Associated Press dispatch from Boston
last night says:
Two members of the firm Of J. M.
Fisher & Co., brokers, of State Street,
after whom the United States officers
| had been searching as preliminary to
lofficial inquiry into the business they
had been conducting through the mails
surrendered themselves to the authori-
| ties this afternoon. They are j. M.
Fisher and Fred E. Belts and against
! both warrants have been held since
Monday The firms offices re-opened
this morning for business. At that
| time it was announced that Fisher and
Belts would soon appear. This was
taken to mean that the men intended
| to return and surrender and it proved
| to be the fact for after counsel repre-
senting the members of the firm had
concluded a long conference with the
district attorney, two men who were
understood to be bondsmen appeared at
the office of the district attorney.
Apparently all preliminaries were
readily arranged, for later Fisher and
Belts visited the district attorney and
surrendered themselves. With bonds
men at hand the principals were not
detained and soon afterward they APP
peared at their offices. The bail was
fixed at $2500 each by request of As
sistant United States District Attorney
Casey and Thomas G. Kavenaugh was
acce2ted as bondsmen.
Fisher, when asked for a statement
about the case, smiled and said: Not
guilty" adding Il really cannot say
anything until the matter comes into
court"
Belts was equally communicative.
He said: 1T is impossible for me to
talk now; it would be unwise to dis
cuss the case before Nov 10.
Mr.. Casey said that the complaint
contained all the information that he
would divulge at this time"
Fred A Hartford, manager of the
Worcester office. claims the Investment
Company has no connection with the
Fisher Company and says the Invest
ment Company will pay dividend
Monday.