Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-10-28
AMBASSADOR TO
 MEXICO ACCUSED
Charged With Endeasoring to Shield Hunt, Wanted in Mexico on
 large nj Fraud.

Mexico City, Oct Somewhat of a sensation was caused in financial circles last night, when it was learn ed that warrants had been issued for the .>arlest of J. E. Starr Hunt and three .of his associates, charging them with fraud shp theiF. handling of the funds of ny; qefunet International Bank and TTust. company of Ameri- ca This sensation was greatly. mag nified in the. United States. Ambas= sador Thompson wasopenly charged with endeavoring to shield Hunt. The police aud secret service agents are 1 looking for Hunt, but have been un- able as yet to locate him, although I-they say they are positive heis in ;. the. city.
 Ambassador Thompson denies any connection with the case, and says the charges against him are absurd. l The International Bank and Trust company was organized in the fall of 1902, and went into the hands of q 1 receiver on October r.. 1903. It was 1 the first bank failure ill the rcpub ilc for ffty-seven years and created a sensation at the time. The bank had seven branches throughout the republic and was capitalized for $1. Sao GOO When il went to the wall it's liabilities totaled $2,54S, 900. Hunt was the attorney for the bank, and it is charged that he favored creditors, and fraduently and falsely dated n1l- merous promissory notes in order to realize upon them after the institu tion was in the hands of q receiver Associated with him in the alleged l transactions were J. 0. Rice, general manager of the deiunct bank; w. o. Staples, a member of the board of directors, and Antonio Rincon Alas, i confidential adviser of Hunt Charges were brought against the men some time ago. but the matter j! was postponed from time to time. 1 Finally it was rumored that infu- ences were being brought to bear to quash the proceedings.
 Not until tonight was it definitely known that the men would be prose cuted.
 Charges Against Ambassador. { When this was made public. E. W. | Wilson of the firm of Warner, John son and Wilson, attorneys for the l liquidating company, made his charg es against the United States ambas- sador here.
 He said 10 a representative of the ! Associated Press We have indispu. able evidence that Ambassador
 Thompson has acted improperly in , this ease He went to President Diaz in an effort to have the proceedings against Hunt dismissed, and later he wrote a letter 10 Judge Orte@a. before whom the ease is pending. in an ell deavor 10 influence that iurist We have drawn mp statement embrace , ing these charges and will forward ii 10 the state department at Wash i in@ton. believe We have sufficient proofs in the case to warrant the re calloftheambassador
 Ambassador Thompson Denies II.
 Ambassador Thompson received the representative of the Associated Press at his home late tonight He con tented himself with a simple denial O. Che charges
 Il never in1erceded with the presi- dent in behalf of Hunt, he said nor did eyer improperly try to influence a court in this case. Let them file their charges. They will find it a serious matter when they cannot prove them. The authorities at Washington know Of every move
 make here and know that | would not do wrong
 The president of the defunct Inter- national Bank and Trust company was C. H. Hunt, now serving a sen tence in Ioliet. H., for bank WreckinS. He organized the Pan American bank after the failure of the International. He is no relative of J. L. Starr Hunt. The latter was secretary of the third Pan American congress. held in this city some three years ago At tie last congress, held in Rio de Janeiro, he acted as gene arlsecretary upon the request of the Brazilian govern ment His main offices are in Mexico City, but recently he established branch office in New York City.