The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-10
WHITAKER WRIGHT DEAD
Ta'ser Ill Suddenly in. Court He
Quickly Passed Away. q
had just Rcen Convicted of Fraud, and
- Sentenced to Seven Years
''-' Penal Scrvitude. ~

London, Observation-Disclosures Wright.
tke company. pramoter, who became
notorious in Great Britain and the UNI
ted States after tue crash of the Lon.
don and Globe, Financial, Corporation,
with the attendant ruin Of other COM
panies. died here unexpectedly.
He was attacked with a sudden ill-
ness after he had left the Kings Bench
Division Of the High Court Of Justice,
where he had beeD convicted OF fraud
and sentenced to seven years penai
servitude. Two physicians were sum-
nloned. but could do nothing for the
stricken man. whose death they attrlb-e
, ute to heart disease. ~ -,,s.i,s ;5y;,.s,
The jury before which Wright had
been on. trial for twelve days: on nu-
merous counts for fraud was charged
by Justice Bigham. and, after being
out an hour. brought in, a verdict Of
guilty, and Wright was sentenced to
seven years penal seryitude; the most
severe penalty within the power, Of the
Judge to pass. Mr.. :Wafton,s plea in
mitigation had no effect. :, (. ....s !. *. 7,
Justice Bigham, in passing sentence,
said he could see nothing to excuse the
crime of which Wright had been con-
Victed, and he could not conceive a
worse case He must, therefore, ailot
the most severe punishment the iaM
The sentence was followed by come
motion in a distant part Of; the court. (
One man shook hands with Wright as
the latter ft:the court by the private
exit, accompanied by his counsel. . q
Almost Immediately afterwardp
Wright was taken suddenly i'll and col
lapsed in the ante-room Of the court. I
He grew rapidly worse, and Lii iess
than an hour after his sentence he was
dead. T. ;. ..{, 80, lss.:.
:, The tragic end Of the ease created q
tremendous sensation, Wright friends.
said all along that while he was hope
full Of his acquittal they were certain;
he would not survive sentence and
would commit suicide.
Dealing with the evidence, Justice
Bigham described as singular the way
In which thousands ;of. pounds sterling
became millions on paper, 80 far as the
Lakeview shares were concerned. The
London aud Globe and the, Standard
companies were gambling concerns
which excited his indignation. In the
course Of his long experience Justice
Bigham had raVer-before heard Of any;
thing like the transactions which pre-
ceded the hopeless bankruptcy Of the
London and Globe Financial Corpora
ton. ~ e,sc '..st, :S,;.s,st z
Whitaker Wright was born, In Ches-
hire, England, in, 1886. His. parents,
who were in comfortable; circum-.
stances, gave him good education,
and he qualified as an expert mining
engineer and showed special aptitude
as chemist. In 1867, after his FAITH
ers death, he. came to America, and
was employed in mines III the West as
an assayer. He removed to New York
in 1880 with a fortune obtained as q
mining prospect0r.
He returned to England inl18S0t and
conducted financial opefat tions on such
a vast scale as to earn for him the rep
ntation of a Monte Cristo. His lavish
expenditures dazzled the British pub
tic, and he was regarded for o time as
the greatest financial genius Of the age.
He organized company after compaly.
He formed the London and Globe FL
nance Corporation, Limited, to- take
over the various securities OF mining
corpora tons in which he was interest
ed. In December, 1900,s this corpora
ton failed, and carried: ruin to many
homes in Great Britain. and crippled
several prominent business houses.
Many members Of the London Stock
Exchange were ruined by the failure.
Thirteen banking and brokerage firms
called as result Of the collapse Of, his
company. tr.H - ~ ~, /,