Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-16
COLOSSAL FRAUDS
Continued from page ID

and Globe and had $4,000 shares OF the
different companies. With Lord Duff
ferin on the board of directors were
also Lieut. Gen. Cough Calthorp, who
was colonel of the 9Th Dragon Guards,
and Lord Edward William Pelham
Clinton. master of the late Queens
household and son of the fifth Duke
of Newcastle. Much American money
was lost in the failure of the Wright
companies. There was a great cutlery
against the attitude of the authorities
in not prosecuting Wright and his fell
low directors of the London and Globe
and in January last a petition was cir
culated on the London Stock Exchange
signed by many infiuentiab men, de-
handing the prosecution of Wright, as
it was considered that the credit OF the
city and of the London Stock Exchange
demanded thorough investigation.
Wright was traced to Paris by the
bank notes which he cashed there at
the offices of the French Steamship
Line and elsewhere. When he left his
country seat at Godalming he Travelled
by way of Southampton and Havre to
Paris. Yesterday, the detectives got
the clue as to his movements through
the numbers of the bank notes he had
cashed. after they had been vainly
watching for days the principal British
ports. Miss Browne joined him at
Havre on the eve of their sailing. 1t
is reported that she has large sum Of
money in her possession.
Mr.. Wright, in the course of long
conversation with a reporter of the
Herald, said:
Il cannot express to you my amaze
ment at my arrest. 1t is an outrage,
and those who are responsible for it
will be made to suffer to the full ex-
tent of the law. The entire charge
against me is technical and in this
country no one would ever think of
making it.
IF 1 had believed it possible that
such a charge would be made, would
not, of course, have left home but after
having devoted the last two years to
assisting the official liquidator of the
Globe Co. and the crown Off
GERS statement in Parliament that
it was not possible to press
any charge on me, l felt free to
take a two months vacation trip to
mining properties there, to visit Cali
fornia, where have some mining in
terests. and to return home by way of
Australia, where 1 have interests of
various kinds.
1T is now more than two years since
the Globe Co. failed. There was a
public inquiry more than a year after,
which it was declared that my hands
were clean of any crime or intent to
do wrong, and that nothing but errors
of judgment could be advanced against
either myself or the other directors of
the company.
THE men associated with me are
above suspicion"
Whitaker Wright's wife is living in
comparative seclusion near Godalming.
She was interviewed, this evening. She
looked ill with anxiety. She reiterated
her belief that he was on his way to
Egypt for the sake of his health, the
doctor having declared that a rest was
imperative His one desire, she said,
has been to do something for the I'M
fortunate shareholders and the worry
told severely on his health.
When told that Whitaker Wright
had been arrested in New York she
said she supposed he must have met
friends in Paris who persuaded him to
change ks mind and go to New York,
perhaps on his way to the mines in
British Columbia.
Asked whether her husband was an
American, Mrs. Wright replied. Il do
not know. l am an American. We
married in America. He has always
been thoroughly English. much to my
disgust. If he had been an American
he would have been properly pro-
tected.'
Mrs. Wright concluded by stating
that eminent counsel would be engaged
in her husbands defense and she hoped
that his health would enable him to
make a vigorous defense.
London, March 1G.-The papers this
morning in commenting on the arrest
of Whitaker Wright compliment the
detectives, express their satisfaction
that Wright was not permitted to evade |
arrest and hope that there will not
be a repetition of the long delay in Sc
curing a trial which occurred in the |
case of the notorious company swind- |
Ter, Jabez Ralfour, who fled to Argen- |
tina.
The Daily Mail comments rather |
scathingly upon the opinion exposed |
by the attorney general that there was |
and upon the obstructive tactics which |
have been employed to prevent the af- |
fairs of the London and Globe Corpora |