The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-10
GosLlN. IN Big DRUG FRAUD.
BOGUS MEDICINE MAKERS AND
\ y DEALERS ROUNDED UP.

4 2 u DEALERS ROUNDED UP.
4 Seven Prisoners in All on Charges Of Manu-.
J dActuripS or Selling Faxed Phenace.
tine and PilIs-German Firm Has
| Been After Them for Nine Years
The arrest Of Howard T. wooten Of 1862
West Eighty-fourth street and Charles
B. Cooper OF i4e East Fifteenth street, will
the police believe, put stop to the eS-
tsnsive operations Of a gang OF patent
| medicine counterfeiters who In the past
| decade have disposed OF more than $500 900
worth Of bogus drugs. ,., -.
| These medicines were sold under false
labels to druggists all>over the country.
| In this city and vicinity, alone, agents OF
the Arms making phenacetine, sulphonal
and similar products have made purchases
Of fake drugs In no less than $500 drug
stores. In addition to these the police
have List Of hundreds Of druggists in
other cities who bought counterfeit articles
from. Wooten and Cooper.
Besides Wooten and Cooper FIVE others
have been arrested for making and selling
counterfeits Of a we'll known brand Of
pills. Three Of these men are Simeon B
Manville Thomas, his manager, and Charfes
S. Horn. The Headquarters detectives
who arrested them allege that they offered
to sell them complete plant for making
the fake pills for 5000. Is ..t D..
The other druggists under arrest are
Walter s. Hockey Of 40 Eighth avenue,
and Charles F. Risley. president Of the
Risley Drug Company, of 81 Dey street,
They say that they bought the pills in good
faith. .,ft.
Apparently the two cases have nothing
to do with each other. The arrest Of the
druggists was brought about by George
Gordon Battle, acting as attorney for the
pill manufacturing firm. The arrest of
Wooten and Cooper was caused by George
B. Hayes, attorney for large drug manu-
featuring house in Elbefeld, Germany
He had been working on the case for six
months. When he heard Of the arrest Of
the dru ggists he feared that his men might
get frightened and run away, 80 he sought
assistance at Police Headquarters. He also
got warrants from Magistrate Moss for
Wooten and Cooper.
At / o'clock last Thu rsday morning :,
Detective Sergeants Gargan, Brindley and
Tinker broke into the apartment Of Wooten
and seized van load Of stuff mostly bogus
phepacetine. They also got quantity
OF opium. to the use of which Wooten is
eaid to be addicted. and $50 photographs of
pictures were Of boys and girls not more
than years old The detectives also took
away with them two bushels Of articles,
the possession OF which is a criminal Of
fence, A. great quantity Of fake drugs
was also found in Cooper's Nat.
Thu navf morning n raid waa made on
the drug store Of Max Weiss Of 4s5 Columbus
avenue, and a wagon load c. suspected
drugs was taken from the cellar. Weiss,
however was not arrested. He said that
IS month for the privilege Of storing it
there. Yesterday the store Of Weiss was
being watched by Central Office detectives.
Mr.. Hayes said that another raid would be
made on the cellar as soon as he could get
a search warrant.
The detective bureau at Police Head
quarters looked like wholesale drug store
yesterday. The rooms were piled high
with thousands Of packages taken from
the fats Of Wooten and Cooper and from
the store OF Weiss. Mr.. Hayes and his
inventory Of tie stun. Its value, Mr. Hayes
said, was at least $1,000.
The greater number OF the packages
contained phena cetine, which is worth from
S12 to sic a pound. and which had been
than 10 cents pound. This con. bination
was sold as pure phena catine at an enorrpou
profit to the gang. The average price they
got for it was 81 a pound. Among the
articles seized in Wootens fiat were his
check books, les books, letters and papers
druggists he had been dealing with We're
The German firm which Mr.. Hayes repre-
SCENTS has been trying for nine years to
round up the gang that was connterfeiting
their wares, and is said to have spent Sl0O, 600
in the attempt. Their first move was made
several years ago against the German
Chemical Company of II Broadway. which
was run by Alfred X. Goslin. William G.
James and Wooten. An injunction was
to handle substitutes for the patented
articles. Wooten was arrested in 1899
in the office OF this company for smuggling
phenac etine and other coal tar drugs
The place was also raided by Anthony
Co.rnst ock.
Mr.. Hayes said yesterday that Goslin
recently offered to put him in possession OF
all the evidence necessary to convict the
drug counterfeiters il Hayes would get him
released as q defendant in the proceedings
States Finance and Mortgage Company
into bankruptcy. It is charged tia. Goslin
was the William Fl. Simpson" who was al
the head Of this concern.
As evidence OF good faith, Mr.. Hayes
said, Goslin brought him batch of letters
and other documents Of the Globe Drug
Company, under which name Wooten was
doing business. When the papers were
scrutinized It was found that all the really
important ones which would connect Wooten
with the business OF making and selling
counterfeit drugs were missing. These,
however, we're secured in the raid on
Wooten's fiat
Wooten did all his business through
lock box 1878 in the General Post Office,
Cooper had box 1927. All efforts to catch
them through decoy letters failed. As
many as forty Of these letters were sent by
Mr. HAYES, but they were all returned
The receipt for the rent Of box 1875 was
found on Wooten when he was searched at
Police Headquarters. He is now in the
Tornbs under 50 900 bail. Cooper was re-
leased under 81 600 bail.
(APT kEAR AIDS GIRL