The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-06
DR.. FLOWERS NAME MIXED UP
IN THE MATTER.
MAN OF MANY SWINOLEs
History of His Peculiar Feats as a
Promoter Read Like Chapter
from Yellow Novel.

New York, March 3.-There is ex-
element in certain circles here over
the alleged footing OF the Hagaman
estate from which it is said several
millions of dollars are missing. There
are also suspicious circumstances sur
rounding Mr.. Hagaman's death.
In the unsavory affair the name of
Or" r. C. Flower figures prominent
ly.
Mrs. Frances Freeland Hagaman
Delabarre, whose second husband
was the late Theodore Hagaman, has
given cut a statement. She says in
part:
when Mr.. Hagaman began to
realize that the chances were against
his recovery he told me he wanted to
give nae what he had; that there
could be no question about it after he
died. He said he did not want to make
a will, as no lawyer seemed able to
draw a will which another lawyer
could not break-not eve Samuel J..
Tilden. He had his partner com to
see him, and told him he wished to
liquidate his business. In the course
OF a few days Mr.. Hagaman's share OF
the business was taken out.
ut came in the form of a check for
$572 SEQ, which Mr.. HagamaA turned
ever to nae. saying he was sorry it
was not more. l gave = check to DR..
Fowler for $1,000 0 after advising
with Mr.. Hagaman and at his wish"
This money Mrs. Hagamal says
was Invested in the Blue Ridge
Mining company.
District Attorney jerome has not
Yet asked for the elimination of the
body of Theodore Hagaman, but the
authorities at Poughkeepsie declare
they are ready to do everything in
their power to aid an investigation in
to the strange circumstances sur
rounding the rich mans death.
Flower Is an Adventurer.
"Dr." R. C. Flower, accused of loot
ing the estate is one of the most re-
markable adventures of this genera
ton.
While Tennessee, Virginia, the south
and west have been the scenes of his
wonderful and peculiar promoting and
mining deals, the Blue Ridge Mining
company is his latest venture.
The actual history of this man dis
counts the dreams of a novelist. He
has been preacher, lawyer, alleged
doctor, patent medicine maker and
distributor, lecturer, faith %curist,"
spiritualist, stock %spectulator, mag
netic healer" zinc and copper smelter
boomer.
Flower was born in southern Hi
nois and first tried preaching, next
the law, then he set out as a physi-
clan and in Philadelphia got into
trouble for practicing medicine with
out a license. Flower is not an M.
D. nor a college graduate. In New
York the medical authorities got after
him.
In 1894 he appeared in Boston,
where his projects and scrapes made
him known all over America. He
started a mammoth patent medicine
concern, his ability to interest people
in schemes being simply marvellous.
He toured the country in a fine palace
car, lecturing and selling medicines,
while his depot in Boston took in
thousands of orders and dollars.
On one of these trips his car was
seized the moment it reached CHI.
cago. Then it was found he did not
W the car. At other times warrants
were out for him and detectives huns
about his Boston headquarters while
the nimble Flower was floating
through the country.
He Started the Arena.
Through his interest in s%piritualism
Reed, an aged Boston millionaire
was induced by Flower to establish
the huge Flower Sanitarium.' Reet
also enabled Flower to start thu
Arena" magazine and make his broth
err the editor. The "sanitarium" en-
terprise failed and is now the Plaz;
hotel. Reed died a broken-hearte,
man. 3,
Dazzling Swindles.
But the miraculous Flower wa
jumping from great scheme to grea
scheme with dazzling swiftness
Nathaniel Foster had Flower arrestet
in Texas for .%swindling. Harve,
Flagler sued Flower for $4,000 on