Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-19
USED MAILS TO DEFRAUD
Chicago Promcters who Tried to
work Nebraska Sentenced to
Fine aud imprisonment.

Something like a year ago the Continental
Finance company Of Chicago planted an
agency In Omaha and scattered broadcast
literature attractively printed and phrased
in the fetching style characteristic of the
skin game. The proposition consisted OF
an ornate contract by which the signer
agreed 20 pay a specified sum monthly and
became eligible for loan from the COM
pany. The loan agreement. however, had
conditions which made their fulhllment in
definite. and gave the company a grip on
the holder OF the contract. One of these
conditions, a vital one, was that loans
would be made in numerical order Of con-
tracts, as fast as the size OF the loan fund
justified. The numerical system Is the man.
agerial Joker in this and similar schemes
and constitutes a lottery in the opinion OF
the Nebraska supreme court and the Post
Office department.
The pledges OF the Continental Finance
company we're guaranteed" by the Con-
tlnental Financing company OF Chicago.
Henry wulff. former state treasurer OF nli-
nois. was president of the first named com
pany and Justus w Lobb secretary The
guaranteeing" company was Differed by
Justus W. Iobb as president and Henry
Wuln as secretary.
| reached Secretary Royse of the State Bank
ing board, who admired It 80 much that he
requested the company's agent to call and
talk 1t over. The agent did so, but was I'M
able by vocal effort to make his scheme
look as beautiful as Il did in print 1t was
necessary to secure authority to do BUSH
| ness In Nebraska and a condition to that
END the board insisted on being shown As
the agent failed to show. permission was
| refused and Nebraska did not contribute
much to the welfare of the Chicago inan-
| ciers
Last June the authorities pounced upon
the ONCE of the Continental Finance COM
pany. The Financing company was also
scooped in, and a receiver appointed for
both few days later the federal au.
thorities took a hand in the game. wuln
and Lobb were arrested and indicted for
using the malls to defraud. Last Tuesday
both men plead guilty to the charge and
were sentenced to pay fine OF 500 and
to confinement in the bridewell for two
years.
The sentence OF the court came almost
as a physical blow to wuff He seemed tc
age ten years within an hour after the
sentence. while he waited the making OUT
OF the commitment papers for his sentenc,
to the bridewell. In decided contrast t.
this Lobb displayed no trace of emotion.
As the sentence of the court was passed
Wulff's whole body seemed TO droop, hi.
head fell forward and tears sprang to hi.
eyes. Back of him in the courtroom sal
his wife and three OF his children. Lobb
| tall and slender. with his right sleev,
empty. his left hand thrust into the arm
| hole OF his vest stood before the cour
and heard the sentence without a tremor
The only sign visible on his face was tn,
squarins of his jaw and the drawing dowr
! OF his eyebrows. The men stood side b,
side and the difference IN their nature.
was apparent to every one.
A ptiful scene followed I'm the United
| States marshars ONCE. Again the contras
between the two men was apparent. I.obl
stood conversing with friends. On the wit
ness stand he had told OF his ability as q
scehmer. He had foated a number Of
financial deals, all honorable he declared
He paid not the slightest attention I,
Wuln. the older man by twenty years. Tn,
latter sat in a chair beside his eldest son
His head was bowed on his hands and hi
shoulders shook with sobs which he coult
not restrain. When the man raised hi
face he seemed to be 10 years old instead
OF 81. He had nothing to say. He coul,
not speak even to his SON