The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-21
LURES MORM0NS TO LOSE
Strenuous Capitalists Schemes
Ensnare Joseph Smith
OTHER PROMINENT MEN INCLUDED
THEY ARE CAUGHT BY SMOOTH
INDIVIDUAL WHO PROMOTED
"sEcURITY" COMPANY.
OTHER PROMINENT MEN INCLUDED

SALT LAKE CITY, July 21.-The
things that the leading business men
Of the Mormon church are saying about
Reresford Hope. who claims to be an
English nobleman, would not be pleas
ant if that suave promoter could hear
them. Hope introduced many proml-
nent Mormons to the game Of frenzied
finance. causing them immediate sor-
row. He is now in Boston, but they
say that he will have to come back
to make an accounting.
Hope was a dealer in big financial
schemes. He did things on a large
scale. His introduction to this city
was through the medium of a letter
from the British American Securities
company, limited" since discovered to
be a fictitious organization.
The letter head of this company set
forth that the company was working
on a capital of $5O,000,000. Among the
directors of the company named on
the letterhead were Lord Rothschild,
who was down as treasurer; Lord
Deerhurst, the chairman; Lord VauX,
Lord Talbot, Sir Alexander Mckenzie
and several others sufficiently promi-
nent in financial circles to lend tone
to the directorate.
Organized Big Company.
1t was an all-star cast, and down in
the body of the letter was presented
the information that Hopes credit
with the corporation was good up to
100000.
With this letter as his working basis
Hope began operations. He organized
the Great Western Coal & Iron COM
pany, capitalized at $5,000,000. The
purpose of this organization was to
acquire coal lands 20 miles in area in
Chihuahua, Mexico, and to build a
fdllfOdu lHlO ludl ulSlIICl LII oIueI
to interest Salt Lake business men In
the project, he stated that John Hill,
a Colorado Springs millionaire, was
his warm personal friend, and would
come in ION the ground floor"
Hill, and showed as it's result check
for $4,000 with the name of Hill at
the bottom of the check. Hill declares
it a forgery. alleging that he does not
know Hope. Meanwhile, however, the
Britisher had made Hill president of
his company and disposed of stock
bearing the name of Hill in the place
where the presidents signature should
have BEEN Hill also declares this to
be a forgery.
Schemes Represent 100000 900.
Hope is in Boston, ostensibly to OBJ
tain money from the British American
Securities company for the financing of
schemes which represent over 100000
A couple of days ago his two stenog-
raphers and his clerk closed his Salt
Lake City office for the reason that
although he was playing with million
dollar schemes, he had not sent them
| their salaries, as he promised to do.
One of the stenographers then came
forward with the statement that Hope
used to dictate letters to himself on
| the letterheads of the British-American
Securities, dated at Boston, signed os-
tensibly by an official Of the company
These letters all told him to go ahead
with certain enterprises, for he had
their full confidence and backing
| These letters, written by himself tc
himself. doubtless influenced more
than one investment.
| Among those who listened to the 81.
ren's song as presented by Hope were
Joseph F. Smith, president of the Nor.
mon church and ex-officio president OF
some 20 large Mormon corporations
and David Eccles. a millionaire Nor.
mon of Ogden. Eccles stood sponsor
for Hope on many of his schemes ant
gave him money.