The Grit-advocate., 1906-01-19
FORCE OF LIFE"
PROMINENT POLITICIANS IN PAT.
EMIT MEDICINE SCHEME.
CLAIM TO RAISE THE DEAD
investigation Begun on Information
Furnished by President Roosevelt.

New York.-Gen. James r. O'Berne.
for years more or less prominent in
Republican politics in this city, and
who has held number of offices
under the government, is given as
president in the literature of the
Force OF Life Chemical Company, the
medical director OF which, DR.. William
Wallace Hadley, and assistant medical
director, Mrs. Laura NJ. Wilson. were
on Friday arrested by federal authori-
ties and held in $500 bail each for
examination.
The Force of Life Chemical Com
pany for the last three or four years
has maintained elaborate offices in
this city. AT present the company is
located at 2255 Broadway. 1t has done
an extensive mail business. An official
of the company told the postal au-
thorities that the concern had not less
than 100000 patients.
The investigation leading to the ar
rest had covered a period of almost Il
year. and has been managed Jointly
by the postoffice authorities. Assistant
United States District Attorney c. S.
Houghton, Champe S. Andrews and
John S. Cooper. the two latter as
counsel for the New York County Med
ical Society. The federal authorities
started on the trail of the Force of
Life concern on the personal initia
tive of President Roosevelt.
The power to raise the dead claimed
it is alleged, by DR.. Hadlcy, first chal-
lenged the attention of tine authorities
a year ago, when Postmaster General
Cortelyou received a personal letter
from President Roosevelt, inclosing
one of the Force of Life circulars
which had been sent to the President
by a woman in Springfield, Missouri.
In addition to President James Il.
OBeirne, the literature issued by the
company and the latest corporation
directory, give the following officers Of
the Force of Life Chemical Company:
James A. Tedford, vice president;
Arthur H. Williams, treasurer, and
Frederick II. Wilson, secretary.
The directors are, besides the
above: Edwin O. Keller, William F..
Acton, f. Virgil Neal, r. 7. Bagley
and James F. Pierce.
Mr.. Pierce was formerly superin-
tendent of insurance of New York
state.
L. Virgil Neal, with DR.. Hadley and
Miss Wilson, it is alleged, furnished
the real brains of the concern.
Arthur H. Williams, treasurer and
director, is president Of the Bankerss
Realty & Security Company, a trustee
of the Washington Savings bank and Il
director of the Cooperative Building
bank in this city. He lives in Mount
Vernon.
Frederick H. Wilson is superintend-
4nt of the United States Indian ware
house in this city.
Mr.. Keeler is said to be president of
the Fairfield County National bank.
vice president of the South Norwalk
Trust Company and former lieutenant
governor of the state of Connecticut.
William F. Acton is described as
president of the Norwalk Securities
Corporation and late secretary and
treasurer and general manager of the
Norwalll Street Railway Company of
Connecticut, and r. r. Bagley as presi-
dent of the Consolidated Hoof Pad
Company of New York.
The concern Is Delaware corpora
tion. organized in 1902. Its capital
stock is given as $1,000,0O0.
In the letter from the Springfield
woman to President Roosevelt there
was incloSed one of the stock letters
from the Force of Life concern. 1t
started off as follows:
by his mysterious control over dis
ease and death DR.. Wallace Hadley.
the eminent taumaturgic ranopathist
of this city, has made the human
heart beat again in the body of II
woman rescued from the grave. And
as a result of his successful eyDeri-
ment he makes the startling state
ment that no disease should cause
death. He claims to have discovered
the vital principle of life itself, the
dynamic force that creates and main
tains existence. He seems to have alb.
solute control over human life and the
diseases that attack it"
Evidence upon which the COM
plants were based was secured
through correspondence with fictitious