New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-17
ASK LAWSON INDICTMENT.
TO PETITION JEROME.
Stakeholder Wants 4malganated
Rocks Sh0scn to ProUe Charges.

An application for the Indictment of Thomas
n lawson and for the showing of the books Of
.hs Arnalgamated Copper Company was made
:. che District Attorneys office yesterday by
1I.nrv Wellington Wack. who is staying at the
-.,0rnan House. but who lives most Of the time
g, London Mr.. Wack is a member Of the Ma
.,onaI Bar Association of this country and OF the
poval Geographical Society OF London. He is
s.,d bv HIS counsel to be wealthy.
ACCOMPANIED by his lawyer. Charles NJ
p.ottie of No 116 Nassau-st.. Mr.. Wack called
:, .he Office OF District Attorney Jerome, and
~ there his formal application that Mr. Law
,pn be indicted.
Yr Wack saws that he owns outright one
,boussnd shares of Analgamated, and that 1t
wns worth when he came here. a few weeks
100 ss1. 80 Then Mr.. Lawson published IN
81. ,ewspapers OF this country and Europe GER
s.,n advertisements on December 6. and 12
eva ,.nt out great quantities OF kilograms and
,rt.rviews in which he stated that this stock
,css worth intrinsically not more than $40
,bs-. As result. Mr.. Wack asserts. his
rtocks fell 20 80. nnc he suffered loss OF, ap-
proxinaateiy. $4,000.
rTe declares that the attack maliciously
made by Mr. Lawson to fnjure H. H. Rogers
.,5 under rrf text that Lawson was looking out
-o- small investors. He did not harm II. H.
povers or John n Rockefeller. who were able
"a hoj5 their stocks until the market recovered,
,,r V,ack asserts. but the result of Lewson's
,7yblicat tions was the ruin OF thousands of small
investors Of whom Lawson assumed to be the
champion.
Mr Wack asks that demand be made on the
lmaIgarnated company for its books, to ascer-
tain Just what its stock is worth and if Law
sons declaration proves false he wants him in
dicted under Chapter 435 Of the code, third sub
knowingly crculates false rumor, statement or
sntelligence against stock is punishable by
fine Of not more than 5000. by imprison-
rrent for not more than three years. or both.
District Attorney Jerome is out of town until
Monday In his absence Assistant District At
torney Rand received Mr.. Wack and his Coun-
gel. He asked them TO call on Monday and tell
their story to Mr.. Jerome himself.
Nj Rand said the District Attorney would
surely make an investigation. and would invite
ell parties interested TO appear before him.
The following statement was given out by Mr..
Beattie for Mr.. Wack:
Whatever the result Of this effort to convict
LAWSON the public is bound TO he benefited in
esmuch as The exposure of Lawsons books and
the books Of the AnlalgaTated Copper Company
viii reveal an unconsciona BILE speculation and
the true state of affairs of the Amdlgamated
Copper Company
Ii will indeed he a public benefaction if the
vicious example set by Lawson were considered
ty competent court. If any mendacious per-
son by half page advertisement wrecks values
.n the manner Lawson has done. and disturbs
the financial liability of the entire territory,
then the tir1e has come when the public should
seek judicial expression on this phase of mali
cious speech.
The Goslin case of a few years ego is analo-
soHs IN that case Gosiin was convicted of cir
culattng false reports concerning the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit, whereupon II raided and it's
values greatly deprecated.
II Lawson aud men like him are permitted 70
20 ahead in the public press to iuEgle with the
property Of the public, the day is at hand when
legitimate i0dustrial and railroad enterprises
viii be denied that confidence and financial sup
port necessary TO the foundation OF our pros
perity.
am not ;npelled 70 take this course on ac-
count Of any depreciation of any values of my
estate for I have not sold a share of It, The
public is generally interested I'm the legal as
well as the moral phase of this Lawson per
formance. The thousands of homes which men
Ike lawson may wreck by their methods are
interested In the judicial examination Of the
right of a stock broker to exercise his malice
toward the STANDARD Oil or any other group, to
The injury of third parties.
Mr. Beattie was asked if II. II Rogers or
John D. Rockefeller whose names were men
toned in the application for an inquiry. are
backing Mt Wack.
7 have done work FOR Mr.. Rogers In the past
tsid Mr.. Beattie. but ne has absolutely no con-
nsetion with this case. We stand alone in it,
ANY attempt to prosecute Thomas ". Lawson
here because he sent reports from Boston af-
:sting the stock market would fail. we'll in
!ened criminal lawyers OF the city said yes
tsdsy, because a prosecution would have to ba
Under State law. and Mr.. Lawson could not be
accused Of breaking the law in New-Ycrk State
"nen ne was preparing his manifestoes in Mas
sachusetts.