Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1903-03-20
WRIGHT A RRESTED
NOTORIOUS ENGLISH PROMOTER
=. TAKEN PRISONER BY NEW
YORK POLICE.

Detectives Of That, City Apprehend
Him at Request of London Police
Financial Crash Of Companies
F'oated by Wright Came in oecem
Der. 1900, and Impoverished Many
Prominent Britons. MI,
New York, March 16.-J. Whitaker
Wright, the London promoter who is
accused of being concerned in colos-
sal frauds in connection with the or
ganization of various financial cOrpo-
rations, was arrested on the arrival Of
the French line steamer La Lorraine
from Havre. The arrest was made by
two central Office detectives at the
request of the London police.
Wright was taken to police head
quarters and later to the Tombs po-
lice court, where he was arraigned
before a magistrate and turned over
to- the United States authorities. He
was then taken to the Ludlow street
Jail.
With Wright on the steamship was
a tall, good-looking young woman,
who said she was the niece of the
prisoner. Her name was on the pas
senger list as Miss F. Browne. Wright,
when told that he was under arrest,
showed no evidence of excitement
and said that he was friend Of King
Edward. His principal concern was
to avoid publicity, and he asked that
his arrest be kept from the newspa-
pers. Wright and his companion were
on the original passenger list
as M. Andreoni and Mile Andreoni.
That Wright did not expect to be
arrested is shown by the fact that
soon after the steamship left Havre
he told the purser that mistake had
been made in making the tickets out
in the name of Andreoni. His name
accordingly was changed and appeared
on the additional list as Mr.. J. W.
Wright and that of the woman as
Miss F. Browne. {
The financial crash of the companies
floated by Whitaker Wright came in
December, 1900. There were eleven
of these, including the parent COM
pany, entitled the London and Globe
Corporation, with a total cap
italization of $60,675,000. Wright was
the managing director.
Lived in Regal Style.
Few millionaires lived in the same
princely style as Whitaker Wright.
In Park Lane, London, he had a minia-
ture palace, in the drawing room Of
which was copy of the famous cabi-
net Du Roi of Louis XIV. 1t took three
years to complete and cost many thou
sands of pounds. At D0dalming he
owned country seat, in identifying
which 600 workmen were engaged. It
contained costly fountains and stat
uary brought from Italy. Wright's
stables alone cost small fortune.
They have upholstered oak and leather
settees and polished gun metal fit
tings, while valuable paintings, and
bas relief adorn the stalls.
One of the victims of the crash was
the late Marquis of Dufferin and Ava,
formerly governor general of Canada
and British ambassador at Paris. He
consented to be chairman of the Lon
don and Globe, and had $4,000 shares
in the different companies.
With Lord Dufferin on the board of
directors We're Lieutenant General
Cough Calthorp, who was colonel of
the Fifth dragon guards, and Lord
Edward William Pelham-C Clinton, mas
ter of the late queens household and
son of the fifth Duke of Newcastle.
When the crash came Lord Dufferin
was severely censured for his connec-
tion with the Wright companies, but
in frank speech to the stockholders
of the London and Globe corporation
he declared his position and won the
sympathy Of the company. His
wealth. at one time large, was believed
to have been swallowed up in these
companies.
Americans Lost Money.
Much American money was lost in
the failure of the Wright companies.
There was a great outcry against the
attitude of the authorities in not prose
cutting Whitaker Wright and. his fel-
low directors of the London and Globe,
and in January last petition was cir
culated on the London stock exchange
signed by many influential men de-
manding the prosecution Of Wright; as
it was considered that, the credit Of
the city and of the London stock ex.
change demanded thorough investi.
cation. A fund of $4,000 was raised
to initiate the prosecution of Wright
Arnold White, the author, at a meet.
ing, said the reason the prosecution
was not undertaken by the government
was that the directors Of the London
and Globe were sheltering themselves
behind members of the royal family
He added that he understood a royal
duke had invested his money in the
concern and he believed that "certaiu
hangers-on at court" were using the
name of the king and others for the
purpose of hiding their own nefarious
deeds. Other speakers at this meet
ing declared that the stockholders Of
the London and Globe were victims Of
one of the most terrible, heartless
and gigantic swindles of the present
age"
On March 10 action was taker
against Wright. The following day 8
warrant for Wright's arrest was is
sued. When the police officer went
IN his home he was Informed +ho1