Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-15
BoRCES ON TRIAL.
For Larceny in Connection
With the Ubero Co.
Prosecuting Atty. Says He Stole
and SWindIed by Thousands.
indictment Has I26 Counts---The Trial
Booked for Several Weeks.

f:o5ton. May Ferdinand l.. Bur-
geS, formerly of Indiana and an allcg-
cd promoter of the UberO Plantation
Co. in company with William ID. Owen
a former congressman and former sec
rotary of state for Indiana, was placed
on trial in the Suffolk county superior
court today on an Indictment of 126
counts of larceny in connection With
the operations Of the Ubero Company
owen is also under indictment on the
same charges but he has not vet been
arrested. The counts in the Borges in
dictmcnt number l26. When the defen-
| dant was arraigncd several months
ago on the Indictment. the case was
| deemed Of such importance that the bill
| WaS fixed at $4,000. the largest amount
ever required in this county. Borges
| was unabl" to secure bundSmcn.
| The jury quickly empanelled and
| Former Assistant District Attorney
Chase made lengthy preliminary
statement to the jury, explaining what
| the commonwealth would try to prove.
! Mr.. Chase said that a large part of
| the evidence would relate to two counts
alleging conspiracy between Borges and
| owen to steal money by means of false
| prCt"nScS. He declared that BorGeS
ana Owen came to Boston from Indi-
| ana with the Ubcro 60. because Boston
| people had Il large savings bank de
| post and they could easily be induced
| to part with their money. Mr.. Chase
! then reviewed the Investigations made
by investors who had become suspicious
and WHO went to Mexico for the pur-
pose.
The investigators, Mr. Chase said.
had found that beautiful pictures said
to represent Ubcro property were of
buildings on an entirely different plan
tation and that the Cbero tract includ-
cd 5000 acres of worthless. uncultivat-
ed, tropical folia gc."The soil was the
poorest in the ncighbOrhood and no
coffee had ever been grown there. 1t
lappcarcd also that while $4,000 was
paid in dividends. not a cent of money
had been earned by the plantation.
Mr.. Chase said.
This defendant. Borgcs. got $40 .OO0
in commissions. $115 900 in cash re-
ccip" and $4,000 in stock of the two
| companies ana more than $250UG0 in
profits in various transactions. At
least all Of this hc got. Borges told ono
Abbott whom he was trying to induce
To invest. that he had $4,000 invested
in the Boston CbCrO Go, telling addi-
tionally that owen had $3OO,OO0 in TIL,
company. All this was false. TO get
|InnncY IN that way was larceny. | have
IrvidcncC to prove that the defendant is
all that have stated of him and more ;
Til" principal Office of the Ubcro 60
was in this city ana its lands for the
cultiyatinn = rrhhcr and other commo-
ditlr' Wcr" heated in Mexico. The
government will try to show that the
| 70 -t"2. company Was amalgamatcC
= with several other l'bcro companies
l some Of which did business in tho
| stat" of Indiana and that the concern
was fraudulcnily conducted in Il manner
to doc"iN" the Stockholders ana induce
/ them to purchase shares Of stock. Al
! Investigation Of tho company wa.
brought to a head here when the stock
holders held meeting and appointed
1 committee Of investigation.
III About ~ mon and women AL Of then
l forncr employees at the Boston office .
the I'bcru 90, were present in court il
4 the capacity of witnesses. 1t was cx
III p"rt,d that the trial would last scvcra
III weeks
II III" first witness was Emma T., No
l G"wan. VIII" said she had been a book
i keeper in tn" Offices of the COMPANY
HI 50 STATE street In all from 30 10 A
4 people wore employed in the Offices. TIL
nnnkl Of HE I'hcro Plantation 90. an,
I The Consolidated she said. were ken
Ri in tn" sam" office